Mandaza ready to give back to athletics

Sport
By Brian Nkiwane ON March 24 1984, horse racing and athletics fans thronged the Borrowdale race course for one of the most unfamiliar races of their lifetime.

Tanzanian 400-metre hurdler, Morris Okinda, and Zimbabwe’s Artwell Mandaza raced against a race horse and lost.

The race horse, Hi Chester, convincingly defeated his two-legged opponents in the 60-metre run on the lush turf.

Mandaza, 37 years old then, held the Zimbabwean 100 and 200 metre records, while Okinda, then 23 years old, held the 400-metre hurdles record of 51,8 seconds.

He also covered 400 metres in 46,8 seconds.  The race was meant to fundraise for both Team Zimbabwe and Team Tanzania which were preparing  to go to the Olympic Games that were later held in Los Angeles from July 28 to August 12. Both athletes were part of their countries’ teams. But speaking after the challenge race, Mandaza suggested that the outcome would have been different had they raced Hi Chester on a cinder track rather than a turf race course.

But 28 years on, the now grey haired Mandaza, now (65), hinted that his mission in athletics was not yet over.

Mashonaland Central province, which is set to host the National Youth Games in August, is taking advantage of the abundance of athletics talent and has given Mandaza and other renowned athletes from the province the mandate to prepare an athletic team for Mashonaland Central province ahead of the event.