ZIMBABWEAN long-distance runner Givemore Mudzinganyama celebrated the biggest win of his professional career after winning the 56 km Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town, South Africa on Saturday.
The 32-year-old Johannesburg-based runner crossed the line in three hours, nine minutes and 56 seconds (3:09:56) to secure an impressive victory on his ultramarathon debut to clinch the lucrative winner’s cheque of R260,000.
Mudzinganyama was followed home by South Africans, Dan Matshailwe and Nkosikhona Mhlakwana, who clinched the second and third spots, respectively.
“It’s been many years trying to catch big fish,” he said in a tweet after the race.
It’s been many years trying to catch big fish. pic.twitter.com/VdF0RTuapH
— Givemore Mudzinganyama🇿🇼🇿🇦 (@Givemorerun) April 15, 2023
The victory is a massive boost for Mudzinganyama, who has been training hard in an effort to meet the qualifying standards in the men’s marathon for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Meanwhile, South Africa’s Gerda Steyn won the women’s race for the fourth time in a row as she came home in a time of 3:29:06.
Amelework Bosho of Ethiopia was second, and South Africa’s Carla Molinaro third.