For the first time in athletics history, four African sprinters will line up for the men’s Olympic 200m final. Not since the event was first introduced to the Games in 1900 have more than three African athletes competed in the final.
In fact, no athletes from the continent featured in the final at all until 1992, when Frankie Fredericks claimed the silver medal behind Michael Marsh, with two Nigerians also featuring in the race that year. Since then, the most from the continent has been two.
Lining up in tonight’s final are two athletes from Zimbabwe – Tapiwanashe Makarawu and Makanakaishe Charamba – one from Botswana (Letsile Tebogo) and one from Liberia (Joseph Fahnbulleh).
This is Fahnbulleh’s second Olympic 200m final, but it’s Tebogo who is tipped to reach the podium after claiming bronze in the event at last year’s World Championships in Budapest.
The 19.71 seconds Tebogo ran in Nairobi earlier this year remains the joint third-fastest time in the world this season and he cruised through his semifinal on Wednesday night, beating 200m world champion and newly crowned Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles in a time of 19.96. He was the only athlete to run a sub-20-second time in the semifinals.
The 21-year-old has not spoken much to the media during these Games but said beforehand that he is running to honour the memory of his mother who passed away in May.
Meanwhile, Zimbabweans Tapiwanashe Makarawu and Makanakaishe Charamba have spoken about bringing pride back to the southern African nation. Both are currently based at American colleges.
Speaking to The Sean Cast ahead of the Games, Charamba, who was Zimbabwe’s flagbearer at the Opening Ceremony in Paris, said: “I’m excited because now we know Zimbabwe, we’re coming back.
“Because the last time Zimbabwe was really well-known [in athletics] at an Olympics was 2008 if I’m not mistaken when one Zimbabwean made the final… that was the last time people knew Zimbabwe has fast guys,” he added, referring to Brian Dzingai who finished fourth in the 2008 Olympic 200m final.
“This year me and [Tapiwanashe] are bringing Zimbabwe back to life and it’s a great thing for, not only Zimbabwe but for the whole world… we’re really just going to go there and try to put on a show and show them that Zimbabwe – we’re also there.
“I don’t really like putting stuff out there but I’m just going to go to Paris and execute a great race and just have fun and let everything else take care of itself because I know if I do those things, everything else will take care of itself.”
Makarawu added: “I just want to have fun and see how it goes from there.”
Makarawu has run a best time of 19.93 seconds this season, breaking Dzingai’s 20-year-old national record – while Charamba has a best of 19.95.
Meanwhile, while he was born and raised in the USA. Fahnbulleh feels a responsibility to his mother’s country of birth, Liberia.
“Putting Liberia on the map once again in an Olympic final, my second Olympic final in a row – it just means a lot coming from where I came from,” said the 22-year-old national record holder.
"It’s just been me and my mum. I’m doing this for her, for the country, for my future self and my future family.
"I say, ‘I love you, Mum’ before I get into the blocks. When your mum has done so much, when you’re from a single-parent household, you just learn to understand what she’s gone through in life,” added Fahnbulleh.
“[To win a medal] will mean the world – not only to me, but to my mum, to my coach, my country.”
The men’s 200m final is scheduled for 8:30pm tonight.