ZIMBABWE track and field star Paul Madzivire marked his return to action with third place in the long jump competition at the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Indoor Track & Field Championships at Virginia Polytechnic Institute in the United States at the weekend.
BY DANIEL NHAKANISO
The 23 year-old long jumper, who is on a scholarship at the Florida State University (FSU) managed a best leap 7, 48 meters on his final attempt to secure third place at the competition he won last year. His FSU teammate Jalen Ramsey soared 7.69 meters for the victory and perhaps a spot at the NCAA Indoor Championships.
Madzivire, a former student at Gateway High School in the capital had not competed suffering a broken neck early last year which required surgery and Friday’s event marked his first competition since the incident.
Speaking after the bronze medal perfomance, Madzivire, who is strongly tipped to qualify for the 2016 2016 Olympic Games to be held in Rio de Janeiro, said he was happy with his performance on his return.
“I had kind of written off my whole season, but I felt like I was feeling a little better and I figured I might as well go,” Madzivire said.
“This is a meet I really enjoy and in my head I was also thinking about the title I had to defend. I might as well go out there and give it a shot and see what happens. I’m just glad I managed to pull out a bronze…
“It’s a blessing . . . Sometimes God surprises you and you just pop off a big one and you end up on the podium,” said Madzivire, who is now on course to represent the country at the IAAF World Championships to be held in Beijing, China from August 22-30.
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Coached by former Zimbabwe Olympic hurdler Ken Harden, Madzivire is rated very highly at FSU, who regard him as one of the most decorated long jumpers.
He is the third Zimbabwean track and field star to make an impact at FSU after compatriots and Zimbabwean Olympians Ngoni Makusha and Brian Dzingai while Davis Cup tennis player Benjamin Lock has also made an impact at the same institution.
