By Daniel Nhakaniso
Rising Zimbabwean sprinter Donald Chiyangwa enjoyed a memorable start to his career at the University of Alabama after shattering the Zimbabwe men’s 300m indoor record at the Orange and Purple Invite on the campus of Clemson University in South Carolina, USA.
Chiyangwa clocked 32.38s to win the men’s 300m title for his first major victory since he joined the University of Alabama after transferring from New Mexico Junior College (NMJC).
In the process he also bettered the Zimbabwe record which was only recently set by his close friend and former NMJC teammate Tapiwanashe Makarawu.
The previous mens national 300m indoor record of 32.72 was set by Olympian Makarawu during the Louisville Opener at the Norton Healthcare Sports and Learning Centre last month.
His winning time at the Clemson meet was only 0.02s off the legendary Namibian great Frankie Fredericks’ African record.
The 22-year-old rising star has hit the ground this season as he carries on from last season’s form which saw him come agonizingly close to qualification for the Paris Olympics.
Chiyangwa has continued to flourish under the mentorship of his coach, Tabarie Henry who also joined the University of Alabama from NMJC.
Tabari, who competed for the U.S. Virgin Islands in both the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Olympics, reaching the 400-meter semifinals in both Olympiads also coached Makarawu during his mazy run to the 200m final in Paris.