SIMBA RUSHWAYA
He has worked with some of top athletes the world has to offer, continues to soar and conquer in the tough European athletics environment, where at some point he was appointed England Sprints coach for the Bratislava Games in Slovakia last year.
Former National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe coach Stanley “Fresh” Madiri is having a good time in Europe.
Madiri has coached Desirèe Henry, an English sprinter of Antiguan and Guyanese descent who competes in the 100 metres and 200 metres.
Henry won an Olympic bronze medal in the 4 x 100 metres relay at the 2016 Rio Games in Brazil and a silver medal in the 4 × 100 m relay at the World Athletics Championships in London last year.
The Zimbabwean-born coach fired Britain’s Jodie Williams to two gold medals at the 2009 World Youth Athletics Championships in Italy.
Madiri admitted he was “proud” after his then 15-year old protégé recorded a sprint double in the 100m and 200m at Bressanone in northern Italy. Williams became the first girl to have achieved the double feat at this level and achieved a world record of 23,08secs in the 200m.
According to Luton Today newspaper, Williams could not have achieved this feat without the help of Madiri.
Madiri is an International Athletics Associations Federation elite speed coach who has a good record, and has also coached Christine Ohuruogu, a former Olympic, World and Commonwealth champion.
“It has been amazing coaching these top athletes, never mind the fact that I’m a Zimbabwean conquering on foreign soil. I must say I’m very proud of my achievements and it has been a long journey. I’m enjoying what I know best.
“ I value the acknowledgement of the gurus in the industry more. The European Athletics Coaches Association had me present at their annual conferences two years in a row. They don’t do that except the speaker has unique insights into the sport. After developing two World junior champions in three years they had to take notice of me,” said Madiri.
Based at the Lee Valley High Performance Centre, Madiri, in an interview with the respected Athletics Weekly magazine stated that speed is the ability to run fast with efficiency.
“Every athlete has the potential for speed. Speed is not a privilege; it’s a skill. There used to be a belief that making athletes stronger would automatically make them faster. Now we know that this is not always true as there are other important elements to movement patterns and asserts that muscle recruitment is the weak link and not muscle strength.”
“If body position is off, we will struggle with all the other parts.”
He continued: “It’s what we are doing on the ground that gets us to move in terms of propulsion.” In terms of arm action he adds: “A common mistake is to fail to drive the arms back and allow them to come back into position naturally”.
Asked if he will come back home to tap the talent in the country, Madiri said he periodically comes back to Zimbabwe to run coaching clinics.
“I have come home twice in the last two years to run a coaching clinic and a training clinic for coaches and athletes respectively, through a sports company called Kyros Sports. There are plans to do the same next year if they can get Old Mutual to back them as before,” said the 47 year-old.
Madiri is also the personal trainer of blossoming soccer talent Jonah Fabisch, the son to the late Dream Team coach Reinhard, who is playing for Hamburg juniors in Germany. Jonah’s mother is a Zimbabwean and her name is Chawada Kachidza.
