MAGNIFICENT ISAAC MPOFU EARNS PRAISES
REIGNING Athlete of the Year, Isaac Mpofu, has been hailed by the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe after a remarkable sixth place finish in the Boston Marathon in the United States at the weekend.
Mpofu crossed the line in two hours eight minutes and 17 seconds to beat his mark of two hours and 14 minutes last year, which saw him finishing ninth.
Mpofu has already booked his place for this year’s Olympic Games in Paris, France, and proved his mettle again by finishing within the Olympics qualifying time in Boston.
NAAZ president, Tendayi Tagara, said:
“The Boston Marathon is one of the toughest marathons in the USA considering it’s not a fast course.
“To see Mpofu achieving this feat is brilliant for the country, association, himself, and any other person that has to do with athletics.
“I wasn’t expecting him to finish within such an incredible time considering his performance the last time he was there.
“But, besides the race being star-studded, he finished in the top 10 with a good time that is enough for the Olympics qualification.”
Tagara added:
“I think since 2019, Isaac has been battle-hardened. “Every moment he is running you can see that the athlete is now mature. He has already adopted the same mindset that we saw in Cuthbert Nyasango.
“As a coach and former athlete, I say that is the mindset I wouldn’t want to see any other athlete from the country adopting.
“And, now, my biggest prayer is to see the boy free from injuries and any other impediments before he goes to Paris.
We are hoping to see four of our athletes book themselves a place at the Olympics”.
Tagara praised Mpofu’s discipline.
“Isaac is the kind of athlete who heeds our call not to look too much into the little allowances that we offer but to focus on the bigger picture.”