Story by ZBC Reporter
FORMER Olympiad Robson Mulombe, a trailblazing athlete from Matabeleland North Province who made history by participating in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, has died.
As a long-distance runner, he showcased his endurance and determination on the world stage.
Born on September 12, 1945, Mulombe began running at Kanchindu Mission School in Zambia in the 1960s.
He later joined the Wankie Athletic Club, a fierce competitor in Rhodesian track and field.
The late competed in the 1964 Summer Olympic men’s marathon, finishing 56th with a time of 2 hours 49 minutes and 30 seconds.
He attributed his performance to cramps during the race, believing he would have placed better without them.
He qualified for the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico but he was sidelined.
Among some of the accolades he won in his career was the 60th Edition Rhodesia Athletics Championship in 1969, Mashonaland Senior Championship, 1971, the South African Marathon Championship in which he won the title in 1971 with a time of 2:32:13, the South Africa Chamber of Mines in 1966, the Orange Free State race in 1970 and 1970 respectively, the South Africa Chamber of Mines races in 1971.
He joined Hwange Athletics Club and used to train with Mathias Kanda where the athletes would run from Hwange to Vic Falls and back.
For his contribution to athletics, the late Mulombe received Honorary Recognition named as honorary member of the Kujatana Nkubotu peace half-marathon in Binga, Zimbabwe in 2012.
He was the patron for Binga Kasambabezi Marathon.
In 2022, the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee [ZOC] donated a grinding mill to him as a service to Olympian, so that he could see the world as a better place.
He passed on after a long illness this Tuesday.
Mulombe’s running career has been celebrated in Zimbabwe, with a retrospective of his achievements.
More details to follow!
