Leeford Zuze (born 2 April 2001) is a Zimbabwean sprinter. He was the bronze medalist over 400 metres at the 2026 African Championships in Athletics.[1]
 Competing at the 2023 African Games | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 2 April 2001 | |||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||||||
| Event | Sprint | |||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) | 200m: 21.36 (2025) 400m: 44.91 (2026) | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Biography
editNicknamed "Monya", Zuze comes from the rural area of Chirumhanzu and was educated at Mapiravana Secondary School. He was a member of Raising Stars Athletics Club in Chirumhanzu before joining MWC Sports in Harare.[2]
Zuze set a personal best for the 400 metres of 48.12 in 2023;, lowering it to 46.13 in early 2024.[2] Competing for Zimbabwe at the delayed 2023 Africa Games in Accra, Ghana, in March 2024, he was part of the Zimbabwe men's relay team, placing sixth in the finals of both the men's 4 x 100 metres relay relay and men's 4 x 400 metres relay.[3][4]
In March 2026, he was part of the Zimbabwe men's 4 x 400 metres relay team alongside Thandazani Ndhlovu, Dennis Hove and Gerren Muwishi. They set a new national record of clock 3:00.69 at the Lefika International Relays held at the Gaborone National Stadium breaking the long-standing previous national record which had stood for 29 years since 1997.[5] The following month, he ran a new personal best for the 400 metres of 44.91 seconds.[6]
He competed for Zimbabwe at the 2026 World Athletics Relays in Gaborone, Botswana. Competing in the men's 4 x 400 metres relay alongside Ndhlovu, Dennis Hove, and Gerren Muwishi to a 2:59.01 national record on 2 May 2026, to finish third in their heat and qualify the team for the final with the sixth fastest overall, and also qualify for the 2027 World Championships.[7] In the final, the quartet placed fifth overall with a time of 2:59.79.[8][9] Later that month, he won the bronze medal in the 400 metres at the 2026 African Championships in Athletics in Accra, Ghana, finishing behind compatriot Dennis Hove and Lee Eppie of Botswana.[10]He also won the gold medal on the final day of the championships in the men’s 4 x 400 metres relay.[11]
References
edit- ↑ "Leeford Zuze". World Athletics. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- 1 2 "Plucked from rural Chirumhanzu to race for Zim on global stage: The inspiring story of Leeford Zuze". Zimbabwe Now. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ "African Games". World Athletics. 22 March 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ "African Games". World Athletics. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ "Zimbabwe Relays Surge Toward World Athletics Standards, Smash 29-Year National Record". Heraldonline. March 29, 2026. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ "Tumba positive ahead of World Relays". Heraldonline. 20 April 2026. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ "Zimbabwe 4x400m team smashes record, qualifies for Worlds". Bulawayo24.com. 3 May 2026. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ "Zimbabwe finish 5th in World Athletic Relay final on way to World Athletics Championships". 3-mob.com. 3 May 2026. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ "World Athletics Relays". World Athletics. 3 May 2026. Retrieved 4 May 2026.
- ↑ "African Athletics Championships 2026: Lee Eppie leads Botswana charge as Day 3 delivers first medals for hosts Ghana". Olympics. 14 May 2026. Retrieved 14 May 2026.
- ↑ "African Athletics Championships 2026: Julius Yego wins historic sixth javelin gold, Zimbabwe stuns favourites to win 4x400m title". Olympics.com. 18 May 2026. Retrieved 18 May 2026.