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Gabriel Mvumvure

Recent news from the United States indicating that one of Zimbabwe’s top sprinters and Olympian Gabriel Mvumvure needs to undergo a kidney transplant makes for sad reading.Mvumvure was diagnosed with kidney failure after he had just competed for Zimbabwe in the 100m event at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he, however, failed to reach the finals in his debut appearance at the world’s biggest sporting showcase.

He arrived at Louisiana State University’s campus in the United States as a mid-term enrollee in January 2008, from Harare as one of Africa’s top sprinting prospects.

Apart from winning an athletics scholarship at LSU, Mvumvure was also studying political science in his time as a student and he helped the Tigers continue their proud tradition of excellence on the track while being crowned an SEC and NCAA Champion in the 4×100-metre relay in his freshman year.

He would go on to earn three All-America honours as a member of LSU’s sprint relay team while also starring in the 100-metre and 200-metre dashes in his four seasons in Baton Rouge from 2008-11.

In that time, Mvumvure helped the Tigers earn six trophy finishes as a top-four team at the NCAA Championships while finishing fourth indoors each year and also tying for second place in 2008 and placing fourth in 2011 during the outdoor season.

Mvumvure has never slowed down after leaving the programme as he has now represented Zimbabwe at the highest level of the sport, including four World Championship appearances, before making his Olympics debut in Rio de Janeiro in August this year, while continuing to train in Baton Rouge under head coach Dennis Shaver.

Now, the only thing threatening to slow down Mvumvure’s promising career is his recent diagnosis of kidney failure brought about by long-term high blood pressure.

And he desperately needs funds to cover the costs from the time of his original diagnosis, as well as a kidney transplant and recovery from that operation totalling nearly $250 000.

Unfortunately, the Zimbabwean sprinter does not have health insurance and his former university college, LSU, have embarked on a fundraising drive to help him out in his dire situation.

Fortunately, Mvumvure is currently residing in the United States where hopes are high he will be able to raise the required funds for his surgery and live a normal life again.

It was refreshing to hear this week that both the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee are aware of Mvumvure’s plight and indicated they were willing to help him raise funds for his kidney transplant.

And we all hope that both NAAZ and ZOC are not paying lip service to the young sprinter’s grave situation.

A number of promising young athletes in Zimbabwe have in the past had their careers cut short due to failure to have a health insurance cover in place either through their clubs or teams and one particular case which quickly comes to mind is that of former Dynamos dribbling wizard Samson Choruwa.

He was touted as the next best thing to happen to our local football, after Peter Ndlovu, in terms of the potential that he had, but his career was cut short when he sustained a serious knee injury and his club side Dynamos failed to raise enough funds to have him flown to South Africa for an operation.

His teammate at Dynamos, Desmond Maringwa, who also was destined for greatness, also found himself in a similar situation and this begs for us as a nation to come up with a health insurance scheme for our athletes that will help them when they sustain career-threatening injuries.

Or, as in the case of Mvumvure, fall sick and badly need a helping hand not only to live longer, but even hope to one day impart the knowledge they gained on the international scene to shape the next generation of our athletes.

Mvumvure’s plight is a national cause because, when he lined up against the very best in the world in Rio, he was representing all of us, a sporting ambassador desperate to fly his national flag high and we shouldn’t turn our back on him because he can’t display that magic on the track again.