A few weeks ago Ropafadzo Mzondo was not on Zimbabwe's team for Dakar. On Tuesday night he stood on top of the podium with the country's first ever Youth Olympic gold medal around his neck.[1][2]
The 17 year old won the men's 200m final at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games in 21.04 seconds. Guyana's Deuquan Farrell and the Philippines' Pi Durden Wangkay could not be split on the clock, both running 21.36, and Farrell took silver on the photo finish. That left Mzondo 0.32 seconds clear of the field.[2][1]
How the race was won
Mzondo came to Senegal with a 200m personal best of 21.26. He broke it earlier on the same day, winning his semi-final in the fastest time of either semi-final, then won the final off a strong bend and a long, clean straight.[2][1]
He said afterwards that the time was no surprise to him, that his training had told him he could run that fast and that he felt there was even more in his legs. He also spoke about what it meant to win at the first Olympic event ever staged in Africa.[1]
"It's really special for me, as an African, to be able to come from Zimbabwe to Senegal to compete at an Olympic event," he said.[1]
A late call-up
He very nearly did not race at all. Zimbabwe first named an 11 member team for Dakar across seven sports, and Mzondo was not in it. In October the Games organisers, working with World Athletics, opened an extra quota place in the boys' 200m. The Zimbabwe Olympic Committee asked the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe for a name, and the association put his forward.[3]
Team Zimbabwe chef de mission Charmaine Chamboko said at the time that his rise, from dominating local school competitions to holding his own internationally, made him a real medal prospect.[3]
His father's dream
The story starts with his father. Liberty Mzondo was a sprinter himself, but his family could not afford to back him and his running career stalled. In 2020 he watched his son race at an invitational meet at Lomagundi College and saw his own speed in him.[4]
"I saw him sprinting. That's when I discovered that this young man carries my DNA," Liberty said.[4]
He decided to put whatever he had into giving his son the chance he never got, and brought in coach Njere Shumba. Covid-19 delayed the start, so Mzondo has only been in formal training for about three years. In that time he has taken his 400m from around 53 seconds down to 46.51. His father also gave him the nickname many people now know him by, Mushurugwi, for his determination.[4]
It was not easy early on. Age groups were often mixed, and he has spoken about losing race after race, year after year, to older athletes.[4]
Three years, three breakthroughs
His first big international result came in 2025, when he won gold with Zimbabwe's 4x400m relay team at the African Union Sports Council Region Five Games. He went on to reach the Under-18 finals of both the 200m and 400m at the African Under-18 and Under-20 Championships in Nigeria.[4]
In August 2026 he ran at the World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Oregon. He clocked 46.51 in the 400m heats, a national Under-18 record, and reached the semi-finals. He also helped Zimbabwe's 4x400m relay team set a national Under-20 record and reach the final for the first time.[4][3]
What comes next
Mzondo's targets were set before Dakar. He wants a medal at next year's African Junior Championships, to qualify for the 2028 World Under-20 Championships, where he will still be eligible, and to push for a place in Zimbabwe's senior relay team. His coach describes him as disciplined and humble, and believes he can keep improving without being weighed down by expectation.[4]
Liberty's own dream goes further. He wants to see his son at the Olympic Games.[4]
Mzondo was not Zimbabwe's only strong finish on Tuesday. Cyclist Rohnan Nicholson finished fifth in the individual time trial, the first African rider home, nine seconds off a medal.[2]
Sources
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