By Zim Sport Live Writer
Rising long jump star Tafadzwa Chikomba has secured qualification for the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2027 after producing a sensational personal best to win the men’s long jump title at the Big 12 Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Tucson, Arizona on Friday.
The Kansas State University student-athlete soared to exactly 8.27 metres, matching the automatic qualifying standard set by World Athletics for next year’s World Championships, which will be held in Tokyo from September 13 to 21.
Chikomba did not just qualify for the World Championships—he won the Big 12 title in emphatic fashion.
His nearest challenger, Ziad Latif, finished a distant second with a best jump of 8.03m, while Chikomba’s Kansas State teammate Uroy Ryan claimed third place with 7.94m.
The Zimbabwean’s winning leap gave him a commanding 24-centimetre margin of victory and underlined the quality of his performance.
Chikomba’s 8.27m effort not only improved his previous personal best of 8.25m but also shattered the Big 12 Championship record of 8.19m previously held by former NFL player and Olympic long jumper Marquise Goodwin.
The leap improved on Chikomba’s previous best of 8.25m and elevated him to joint seventh in the world rankings for 2026.
Barring injury or unforeseen circumstances, the 22-year-old is now set to make his senior debut for Zimbabwe at the World Championships in Tokyo.
His achievement continues an outstanding year for Zimbabwean athletics, which has seen the country’s men’s 4x400m relay team qualify for the World Championships and several athletes post world-class performances on the international stage.