NMJC T&F Summer Highlights
The NMJC men's and women's track & field programs have been worldwide so far this summer.
Tapiwanashe (Carlie) Makarawu led the pack over the break with his finishes at the 23rd Africa Senior Athletic Championships in Doula, Cameroon. Makarawu placed sixth overall in the 100m dash with a time of 10.25 in the final. His best time came in the semifinals where he ran 10.06. The Harare, Zimbabwe native finished second in the 200m at the African Championships coming across the line in 20.51.
Makarawu's travels continued to Lucerne, Switzerland where he competed in the Spitzen Leichtathletik Luzern track meet. There Makarawu ran in the 200m and finished first in his section with a time of 20.48. He ended up coming in third overall at the meet even with a -1.3 wind.
Makarawu is set to compete in the 200m at 2024 Paris Olympics. The Olympics run from July 24 – Aug. 11 with the opening ceremonies taking place July 26 at 11:30 a.m. MDT. The former T-Bird will start racing in the 200m on Aug. 5 with the hope of making the 200m finals on Aug. 8.
Takudzwa (Donald) Chiyangwa came in eighth place in the 400m at the African Championships. Chiyangwa ran a 46.51 in the final. Chiyangwa's top time in the 400m was a 45.51 in the semifinal.
Bovel McPherson finished ninth in the 400m at the Jamaican National Championships. McPherson, fresh off a national runner-up finish at the NJCAA Outdoor T&F Championships, came across the finish line with a personal-best time of 45.69.
Joao Dalandrea threw the discus at the Brazilian Championships. The rising sophomore's 47.95m throw was enough to earn 10th place in the competition.
Sprinter Aymane El Haddaoui has qualified for the 2024 Paris Paralympics in the 400m. The Moroccan was born with an impairment in his left wrist. The NJCAA All-American will compete under the T45-47 classification. This summer El Haddaoui ran in the Handisport Open Paris. There he set the world record for the T45-47 classification with his 46.67 finish in the 400m.
On the women's side, Lacarthea Cooper placed third in the 400m at the Bahamian National Championships with a time of 53.38. Cooper will now represent the Bahamian national team in Paris as a member of the 4x400m relay squad.
Nandy Kihuyu competed this summer at the Great Britain Junior Nationals in the 400m. The rising sophomore came in sixth place in the 400m with her 55.76 finish. Kihuyu's best time at the competition came in the semifinals where she ran 54.88.
Tania Millena Ancelmo Da Silva won the Copa RS de Atletismo after throwing 55.04m in the hammer. She followed up that performance with a fifth-place finish in the hammer throw at the Brazilian Championships with a toss of 58.50m.
Esteisy Salas-Lozano had a solid showing in the shot put at Colombian Championships. Salas-Lozano placed third in the shot with a throw of 14.52m.
Yosiris Cordoba was the second member of the team to compete at the Colombian Championships. The rising sophomore came in eighth place in the shot put with a throw 12.23m. Cordoba then competed in the discus where she finished third with a toss of 48.69m.
"It's rewarding seeing our student-athletes compete at the highest level when they return home to their respective countries," NMJC track & field assistant Jeff Becker said. "We have a phenomenal group of men and women in our program and look forward to cheering them on when they compete on the national stage."