University of Kentucky sprinting sensation Tapiwanashe Carlie Makarawu led a Zimbabwean 1-2 finish in the men’s 200m final at the 2025 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon on Friday June 13, 2025.
Tapiwanashe Makarawu clinched the title with a personal best of 19.84 seconds, smashing his national record and beating fellow Zimbabwean Makanakaishe Charamba to second place.
Apart from Auburn University’s Charamba, the men’s 200m final also featured world leader T’Mars McCallum (Tennessee), Garrett Kaalund (USC) and Jordan Anthony (Arkansas).
Charamba settled for second in 19.92 and Kaalund was third in 19.96, while Anthony finished in fourth place in 20.01 seconds.
Makarawu’s time not only secured a lifetime best and an NCAA title, but also catapulted him to 7th-best in collegiate history and marked the second fastest time of 2025.
Running from lane nine, Makarawu capitalised on his outside position with a great start, leading the pack off the curve and maintaining his lead to finish first.
Makarawu also claimed the NCAA Indoor 200m Championship in March this year, but injury setbacks had cast doubt on his ability to vie for the outdoor title.
After finishing sixth at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Makarawu will aim to get on the podium at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25 this September.
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