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Ellina Mhlanga

Senior Sports Reporter

AFTER spending several months in Kenya preparing himself for the Olympic qualifiers, long distance runner Munyaradzi Jari says there is a need to move from a casual approach when it comes to sport and be professional if they are to match the standards of their counterparts.

Kenya have over the years enjoyed an exceptional dominance in long distance races.

And in a move he is hoping could help him achieve his goal of qualifying for the Olympics, Jari spent five month in the East African country training at the Kapsait Athletics Training Camp under coach Erick Kimaiyo.

The target was to improve his personal best times and qualify for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Jari is hoping to make his first appearance at the global showpiece if he makes the qualifying time that has been set at 2 hours 11 minutes 30 seconds for men.

“I gained a lot of experience during my stay in Kenya and I learnt a lot of things. Here sport is something we do for leisure and those guys are serious professional athletes, that’s the major difference.

“I realised that we are still amateurs on the way we conduct ourselves as compared to Kenyans. The athletes just focus on athletics, concentrate on running and it pays compared to us as we try to balance between sport and our jobs outside sport.

“It was a good experience and I wish I could get another opportunity to go back,” said Jari.

Training with some of the best, Jari believes it has boosted his confidence ahead of the Siena Marathon, in Italy on Sunday.

He will be chasing the qualifying time set at 2 hours 11 minutes 30 seconds.

“I think if we are to be successful it takes effort from both the athletes and the national federation.

“As athletes we have to make some sacrifices, invest in the sport in terms of the time we dedicate to training and sometimes spending some time away from your family.

“The national federation on the other hand should intervene and advise athletes on the importance of competing overseas. There is no way you can run a fast time here in Africa. But if you look at races held overseas, almost 20 or 30 athletes can run under 2:10.

“However, we believe it’s for the Kenyans because if I compete and do not get the prize money I would have lost out. It’s not just about money but also your future and the goals you want to achieve.

“The federation should help athletes with training opportunities. In future if they can manage to send the whole team to Kenya, I think Zimbabwe can do well,” said Jari.