Top Zimbabwean female long-distance runner Tabitha Tsatsa was the star performer at the Forever Resorts Loskop Marathon in Middelberg, Mpumalanga, South Africa on Saturday, breaking the eight-year-old record and pocketing the R100 000 incentive.
Her winning time was 3hrs 14mins 56secs for the 50km race from Middelburg to the Forever Resort. The incentive prize money went with her first prize of R10 000.
“I came back to South Africa at the end of March and found that my club did not register me to run the Two Oceans. That is why I ran this race and I am pleased I did,” said Tsatsa, who represented Zimbabwe at the Beijing Olympics 2008 in the women’s marathon.
Second place went to another Zimbabwean, Lizih Chokore. Third place went to yet another Zimbabwean, Chokore’s cousin Muchaneta Gwata. Gwata is not new to the Forever Resorts Loskop Marathon; she won the race in 2008 in a time of 3:31,37.
Tsatsa, who will be turning 40 in September, continues to show that age is just nothing but a number. In February she stormed to victory in the 21km Tokky Sports Golden Foot race.
Female long-distance queen Samukeliso Moyo also stormed to victory in the 42km Steinmetz Gaborone City Marathon in Botswana on Sunday. Moyo finished the race in a time of 2hrs 48mins 29secs ahead of Ntahleng Masaile Maleboheng Mofata both from Lesotho, who finished second and third respectively.
Botswana’s Solotate Onkemetse finished in fourth while another Zimbabwean, veteran Margret Mahohoma finished fifth. Another Zimbabwean runner Amos Chedondo also won the 40-49 age group men’s race.
Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee chief executive Anna Mguni has applauded female long-distance runner Sharon Tavengwa after she became the latest athlete to qualify for the Olympics Games in London.
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The games take place from July 27 to August 12. Tavengwa came first at the Utrecht Marathon in Netherlands, two weeks ago with an A standard qualifying time of 2hrs 35min and 25secs eclipsing the A standard qualifying time of 2hrs 37mins.
