Sports / Schools
Zimbabwean wins bronze in long jump at the IAAF Champions in Daegu
03 Sep 2011 at 03:07hrs | Views
The Zimbabwean long-jump record holder Ngonidzashe Makusha won bronze in long jump at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, on Friday.
The Florida State University student, 24, jumped 8.29 metres with his first run but subsequently failed to improve on it – his last run ending in a red flag after overrunning the line. Makusha, who boasts of the world's second-best leap this season (8,40m).
Makusha leapt 8.05m to qualify for the finals alongside three-time world champion Dwight Phillips of the United States (8.32m), Australian Mitchell Watt (8.15m) and Christain Reif of Germany (8.13m).
American Dwight Phillips, the defending champion, retained his title with a season's best of 8.45 metres, also set with his first approach.
Phillips has also won the event in 2003, 2005 and 2007.
Australian Mitchell Watt took silver after jumping 8.33 metres.
Makusha went into Friday's event determined to redeem himself after failing to qualify for the 100m final after finishing fifth in his semi-final heat in 10,27 seconds.
Makusha is the reigning United States National Collegiate Athletic Association champion in both the 100m and the long jump, one of the only four athletes to achieve that feat at the NCAA Championships.
The former Mandedza High and Churchill Boys' High student started off as a specialist long jumper before making an immediate impact in his first few races as a sprinter.
Soon after the World Championships, Makusha will link up with his compatriots in Mozambique where he will also represent the country at the 13th All-Africa Games.
The Florida State University student, 24, jumped 8.29 metres with his first run but subsequently failed to improve on it – his last run ending in a red flag after overrunning the line. Makusha, who boasts of the world's second-best leap this season (8,40m).
Makusha leapt 8.05m to qualify for the finals alongside three-time world champion Dwight Phillips of the United States (8.32m), Australian Mitchell Watt (8.15m) and Christain Reif of Germany (8.13m).
American Dwight Phillips, the defending champion, retained his title with a season's best of 8.45 metres, also set with his first approach.
Phillips has also won the event in 2003, 2005 and 2007.
Australian Mitchell Watt took silver after jumping 8.33 metres.
Makusha is the reigning United States National Collegiate Athletic Association champion in both the 100m and the long jump, one of the only four athletes to achieve that feat at the NCAA Championships.
The former Mandedza High and Churchill Boys' High student started off as a specialist long jumper before making an immediate impact in his first few races as a sprinter.
Soon after the World Championships, Makusha will link up with his compatriots in Mozambique where he will also represent the country at the 13th All-Africa Games.
Latest Medal Table
| Position | conutry | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Totals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  USA | 9 | 5 | 2 | 16 |
| 2 |  RUS | 6 | 4 | 5 | 15 |
| 3 |  KEN | 5 | 4 | 3 | 12 |
| 4 |  GER | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 4 |  JAM | 2 | 2 | 1 | 5 |
| 6 |  GBR | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| 7 |  CHN | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 8 |  ETH | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 9 |  BOT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 |  BRA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 |  GRN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 |  JPN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 |  NZL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 |  POL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 9 |  UKR | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 16 |  CUB | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 16 |  RSA | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 18 |  AUS | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 18 |  BLR | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 20 |  CAN | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 20 |  CZE | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 20 |  EST | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 20 |  HUN | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 20 |  KAZ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 20 |  PUR | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 20 |  SUD | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 20 |  TUN | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 28 |  COL | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 28 |  FRA | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 30 |  BAH | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 30 |  BEL | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 30 |  ESP | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 30 |  IRI | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 30 |  LAT | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 30 |  SKN | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 30 |  SLO | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 30 |  TRI | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 30 |  ZIM | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Source - Byo24Sports
