Charamba's son braces for 200m heats

Zimbabwean sprinters Tapiwanashe Makarawu and Makanakaishe Charamba are set to begin their campaign at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games today in the men's 200m heats at the Stade de France, scheduled for 19:55 PM. Charamba qualified for the Olympics with a time of 20.00 seconds, surpassing the 20.16 seconds qualifying mark, and holds a personal best of 19.95 seconds. Makarawu set a new national record and personal best with a time of 19.93 seconds.

Charamba will compete in heat three against top contenders like Botswana's Letsile Tebogo and South Africa's Benjamin Richardson. Makarawu, in heat five, will face competitors including the USA's Erriyon Knighton, who narrowly missed out on a medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Makarawu, focused on enjoying his race despite a long season, aims to avoid the repechage round to stay fresh for the semi-finals.

The top three finishers in each of the six heats advance to the semi-finals, while others compete in the repechage round for another chance to qualify. Makarawu and Charamba are making their Olympic debuts, aiming to perform well and have fun.

In addition to the sprinters, marathon runners Rutendo Nyahora and Isaac Mpofu have arrived in France for their events. Mpofu will compete in the men's marathon on August 10, and Nyahora will participate in the women's marathon on August 11.