Kwezemidlalo ngoLwesithathu sixoxe lomdlali wokugijima uJethro Thebe oleminyaka efika phose amatshumi amathathu ephatheke kumdlalo wokugijima kwele Zimbabwe.
UThebe ngumdlali wokugijima ozafikisa iminyaka engamatshumi ayisithupha lanhlanu eyokuzalwa ngenyanga kaNhlangula.
Lumdlali uqale ukuncintisa ngomnyaka ka 1988 okutsho ukuba uleminyaka phose engamatshumi amathathu waqala ukudlala umdlalo wokugijima.
Ekhuluma leStudio 7 ngemva komdlalo we PPC Matopos 33 Miler oqhutshelwe edolobheni lako Bulawayo ensukwini ezisanda kwedlula uThebe uthe yena ukugijima wakuqala evele esekhulile.
“Ukugijima ngangena kumncintiswano ngo 1988 kodwa ebutsheni bami ngangivele ngingumdlali wenguqu ngidlalela iqembu le Blue Bombers ngazodlalela iContex lapho engangidlala khona lomuyi uTitus Majola kanye lo Maphepha (Ernest Sibanda). Kuthe iqembu le Contex selibambana lele Highlanders ngemva kokuba sekubunjwe iqembu le Olympics ngasengiyekela ukudlala.”
Ebuzwa ukuba kuyini imfihlo yakhe eyokuba eqhubekele phambili encintisana labasakhulayo emgwaqweni njengoba yena ethanda ukugijima imijaho eyohlobo lwe marathon uThebe uthe yena uziphethe kuhle.
“Anginathi, angibhemi, ngiyakhonza njalo kangenzi okungafanelanga.”
UThebe uthi uvele usephila ngakho ukugijima njengoba eseleminyaka wamiswa umsebenzi njalo uzaqhubekela phambili egijima nxa umzimba wakhe ulokhu usamvumela.
“Mina nxa impukane isangithanda ngizaqhubeka ngigijima, kuyangiphilisa.
Amankampani asimisa ngingakafikisi iminyaka engamatshumi ayisithupha lanhlanu.”
Unqobe kucele lama grandmasters kumncintiswano we PPC Matopos 33 Miler ikanti ngenyanga ka Nhlolanja unqobe kucele lama grandmasters kumncintiswano we Old Mutual Relay Challenge oqhutshelwe esigodlweni iHarare.
Abancintisa kusigaba sama grandmaster ngabaleminyaka engamatshumi ayisithupha kusiyafika kuminyaka engamatshumi ayisithupha lathoba munwe munye.
