ZIMBABWE’S sprint duo of Tapiwanashe Makarawu and Makanakaishe Charamba put up a spirited performance in the Paris Olympics 200m final last night, but fell far short of the medals, with Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo stealing the show to take gold.
Makarawu was the best-placed of the two Zimbabweans finishing sixth in 20:10 seconds, while Charamba came in last in a time of 20:53.
Charamba ran faster in the semi-final, where he clocked 20:31, but was a bit slower in the final against a stellar lineup.
Tebogo became the first African to win gold in the 200m event of the Olympics.
Pre-race favourite Noah Lyles of the United States only managed bronze after finishing behind second-place team mate Kenny Bednarek.
Lyles made a trademark grand entry when he was called out, while Tebogo made a laid back arrival, yet in the end it was the Botswana superstar who made all look easy in a time of 19:46.
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The eight-men line-up contained four Africans, including Liberia’s Joseph Fahnbulleh, who only beat Charamba to the finishing line.
In a race where they were not tipped to make it to the podium, Charamba and Makarawu received plaudits from Zimbabweans watching from all over the world.
The two were congratulated on making it to the final as this was the first time Zimbabwe had two athletes in the final of a 200m event at the Olympics.
Makarawu said he was disappointed with his performance last night, but was pleased to have made it thus far.
“It means a lot to me. It means me and my coach are on the right track. I didn’t have a good race, but it’s my debut, I can’t complain. It was a dream come true for me to have been here,” he said after the race.
The Zimbabwe Olympic Committee took to their X (formerly Twitter) page to congratulate the duo on their effort, especially making it to the final.
“Tapiwanashe Makarawu: 6th place, 20:10! Makanaka Charamba: 8th place, 20:53! You’ve made Zimbabwe proud.”
A fan wrote on their X page: “Well done boys, we enjoyed watching you represent our country in the final. It was a good effort.”
Journalist Ranga Mberi urged the two to hold their heads high despite not picking up any medals.
“Tapiwanashe Makarawu and Makanakaishe Charamba,, you ran in a whole Olympic final! You exceeded all expectations! Thank you, boys! Heads high.”