The Sunday News
Yester year greats, with Lovemore Dube
The rise of Paralympic sport in Zimbabwe will always be linked to Elliot Mujaji for his gold medal in the Sydney Games of 2000.
Though prior to that Connie Sibanda had done well in bowling in the category for those with visual impairment.
Mujaji’s departure for the Games was low key as back then Paralympic sport was relatively unknown.
The 100m gold medal atoned for a shattered dream by an athlete who had made it into several Zimbabwean teams for regional championships since 1990. He had also been part of the 1995 All-Africa Games held in Zimbabwe.
On January 3, 1998 disaster struck while he was up an electricity pole fixing a faulty. A 6 000 volt bolt of currency hit him forcing medical staff in Bulawayo to chop off his right arm. He was in a comma for four months.
“Eight months later I returned to running and I was lucky to get a scholarship at the Sydney Academy of Sport Australia for a year,” said Mujaji.
At the time of the incident Mujaji had made the grade to represent Zimbabwe at the Commonwealth Games held in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. Getting a chance to run at the Sydney Paralympics was in a way a fulfilment of his dream prior to the injury.
“It was not by luck that I ran in Sydney, before my injury I had planned for the Commonwealth Games and the 1999 All-Africa Games as part of the journey to Australia.
“I was in good condition as an athlete going into 1998 with a lot of expectation. I had to accept my fate, dust myself up and return as a Paralympic and I am happy with the successes I posted as they helped grow sport for people with disabilities,” said Mujaji.
Born on Christmas Day in Kadoma in 1971, Mujaji was among the cream of 200m and 400m runners who included Ken Harden, Phillip Mukomana, Tawanda Chiwira, Gabriel Chikomo, Temba Ncube, Julius Masvanhise, Arnold Payne and Llyod Zvasiya.
It was a formidable group capable of excelling on the world stage in the 4x400m as all were capable of sub 46 seconds laps.
Mujaji stunned the world by winning in his first international race and he remains convinced that he could have made it a double with another gold in the 200m.
“I won my heat’s semi-final race but was disqualified allegedly for encroaching onto another athlete’s lane,” said the legendary Paralympian whose conquests have done good public relations for sport for those with disabilities.
After Australia Mujaji took part in the high profile 2002 International Paralympic World Championships held in Lille.
At the France Games he won silver in the 100m and made a mark for himself by winning the 200m in a Games record of 21,88 seconds far much better than the time of 21,9 he had clocked two years earlier in Sydney.
His exploits and ambassadorial role for those with disabilities in sport in Zimbabwe was duly recognised with the Zimbabwe Sportsperson of the Year gong.
In the 2003 All-Africa Games Muaji was no match for his opponents winning gold in the 100m and 200m and would a year later successfully defend his Paralympic 100m title.
After that success he was rewarded with a two-week holiday with President Robert Mugabe and his family in Malaysia and Singapore.
“I had the opportunity to travel with my family and stay with the First Family,” said Mujaji.
Paralympics saw him globetrotting to countries like Algeria, Belgium, Brazil, Italy, Germany, The Netherlands, Mozambique and China where injury plagued he participated with no avail.
He was at the London 2012 Paralympics but age had finally caught up with him as he was 40 years old and unable to stand the competition of younger athletes.
On retirement in 2012, Mujaji did not leave the sport that took him far and wide.
He has been Midlands athletics teams coach since 2003. He was honoured in 2015 and made athletics coach for the team that took part in the Congo-Brazzaville All-Africa Games.
Mujaji called on sports administrators to prioritise athletes.
He said there was a growing tendency of officials dominating travel parties for international events.
The legend said as long athletes were not a priority Zimbabwe sport would continue to be in a limbo.
Like most legends, Mujaji is unemployed and struggling to make ends meet in Zvishavane and sits on the Purple Signs Private Limited Company board.
He is married with four children, one son (26) and three girls aged 22, 17 and nine.
Personal Bests: Before 1998, 100m – 10,32 seconds, 200m – 20,89 seconds, 400m – 47,10 seconds
His advice to those with disabilities is that disability is not inability. They must live their dreams.
