Mapaya, Matiyenga shine at Big 12 Championships

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Tinotenda Matiyenga and Chengetayi Mapaya

Zimbabwean track and field athletes Chengetayi ‘Du’ Mapaya and Tinotenda Matiyenga were yet again the stars of the show for Texas Christian University after medalling in their respective competitions at the Big 12 Indoor Track & Field Championships on Saturday.

The championships which started on Friday were hosted by the Iowa State University with the action taking place at the Lied Recreation-Athletic Facility in Ames, Iowa.

Mapaya is currently one of the leading triple jumpers in the world at the moment after a storming start to the season on his return from injury. He lived up to his billing at the weekend by finishing in second position in the triple jump competition at the high profile meet with a best leap of 16.28m.

This was the fourth consecutive year Mapaya has finished in the top two in the triple jump finals.

The former St George’s College pupil finished behind Texas Tech’s Jalen Seals, who claimed the gold medal with a best leap of 16.31m.

The was also success for Mapaya’s compatriot Matiyenga, who finished third in the 60m dash with a time of 6.74 seconds.

 

The ex-Prince Edward school student, who is affectionately known as Booster, at Texas Christian University has been a consistent performer since moving to USA ahead of the 2018 season.

Both Matiyenga and Mapaya will be hoping to continue their good form in the 2022 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships which have been scheduled for March 11-12 at the Birmingham CrossPlex in Birmingham, Alabama.

However, the immediate attention will be the start of their outdoor season at the Longhorn Invitational on March 5 in Austin, Texas. Upcoming sprinters Simbarashe Maketa and Kundai Maguranyanga are the other Zimbabwean student athletes on the Texas Christian University track and field roster.

 

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