Online Reporter
Panashe Marijeni-Zimpapers Sports Hub
AFTER the exploits of the Zimbabwe duo of Tapiwanashe Makawaru and Makanakaishe Charamba at the Paris Olympics last year, a lot of focus has been put on a slew of young athletes currently based in the United States.
It now appears David Nyamufarira could be next.
Last week, the 19-year-old made headlines after setting a new national indoor 60m record of 6.57 seconds at the Corky Classic in Texas, US.
Clocking a time of 6.57 seconds, the New Mexico Junior College (NMJC) student won his heat in his first competitive race for the educational institution. He recently moved to the US on a track scholarship.
Nyamufarira’s beat out Gabriel Mvumvure’s 6.60 seconds, a record that had stood for a whole decade.
The now-retired Mvumvure set the previous national record in 2014 at the World Indoor Championships in Sopot, Poland.
Ngoni Makusha was the first Zimbabwean to set the 60m indoor record of 6.60s at the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship in 2009 before Mvumvure equalled it five years later.
The feat has since left some drawing comparisons between the 19-year-old and Makarawu.
Some have even started to speculate Nyamufarira could be the next sprint king.
However, the current holder of that title, Makarawu, does not seem ready to give up the crown just yet.
The Olympian had a great season last year, finishing among the top three indoor athletes in the 200m when he ran a season and personal best of 20.29 seconds.
He then coupled that when he went on to set a national outdoor record of 19.93s a few months later during the 2024 outdoor season.
He has demonstrated that he has the potential to run a sub 10 second in the 100m and has already qualified for the Tokyo World Championships later this year.
Nyamufarira himself is having a near identical start after 6.57 seconds time beat out Gabriel Mvuvure and Ngoni Makusha’s previous times of 6.60 seconds, putting his name in the same breath as some of the top talents to come out of Zimbabwe.
The NMJC student is currently 12th in the world’s top times for 2025 and looks to be among athletes to watch out for.
It could also put him in contention for a key role in Zimbabwe’s bid for the World Championships in the 4x100m relay team.
One of the key aspects of Nyamurafira’s success has been his focus on the technical aspects of sprinting, particularly his starts.
He has spent countless hours trying to perfect his craft and possesses an explosive take-off, great acceleration and a strong finish.
With the national record under his belt, Nyamufarira’s sights have now switched to the indoor and outdoor 200m races.
The season’s fastest time has been 6.48 seconds run by Kishane Thompson of Jamaica on January 18.
Makarawu, currently ranked 21st in the world, delivered another excellent indoor performance, seemingly repeating his successful start to the 2024 season.
Last year, Makarawu reached the Olympic 200m final, finishing seventh after scooping silver in the African Championships held in Douala, Cameroon.
Bulawayo boy Denzel Siamulela has also had a good year’s start in the 60m with his 6.65 seconds achieved on the same day with Nyamufarira.
His effort leaves him 47th in the world, a fair measure of success and form.
The fastest 200m indoor time currently belongs to Sweden’s Eric Erlandsson, who ran 20.43 seconds on January 17 in Sweden.
Makarawu is ranked second with a time of 20.48 seconds, which is just outside his national record of 20.29s set last year.
Makarawu lies 10th among the leading athletes in the 300m dash with a time of 33.01 seconds, making him also a viable option for Zimbabwe’s 4x400m relay team’s bid for the World Championships.
