Mudau spots local young running sensation at church's fun race

Mr Fhatuwani Mudau, the training manager of local running sensation Ndamulelo Marubini, says he is convinced that the young athlete can become one of the best sport stars in the country.

Speaking after his protégé won the annual Jerusalem Church Fun Run held on 26 December last year, Mudau described Ndamulelo as one of the best athletes he has ever worked with to date. “This boy is only 15 years old and yet he can do both the 5km and the 8km at a very fast pace. But I don’t want to rush him into competing in long-distance races yet,” he said.

Ndamulelo won the 5km race in the junior division. “Letting athletes compete in long-distance races too early kills their running careers. Young athletes should take little steps, like babies learning to crawl first before they can walk, and should wait until they are at least over 21 years of age before competing in long-distance races, like the 42km and above.”

Mudau, who is also still active in running and received his green card after completing the Comrades Marathon for the tenth consecutive year, added: “I am very optimistic that, unless something beyond our control happens, he is going to be in the provincial athletics team very soon,” he said.

Speaking to the young athlete himself after his maiden win in the annual fun run, Ndamulelo said he used to exercise on his own before he met Mudau. “Even though I used to win all running competitions in my primary school days, I did not know that it was important for someone to concentrate on their running time, even during training. At first, training under Mr Mudau was very hard because he kept telling me to run faster, but I am a lot better, and I am looking forward to becoming a great athlete. I would like to make it to the international stage,” he said.

Date:18 January 2024

By: Victor Mukwevho

Victor Mukwevho Ne-vumbani joined the Mirror during it's inception in 1990. He joined the SABC newsroom in 1995, and was known by  listeners as "A u fhedzisela ari". He was a news editor for The Tembisan Newspaper from 2007 to 2015. He rejoined the Limpopo Mirror newspaper in June 2022 as a freelance journalist.

Read: 1710