Game-On Reporter
Zimbabwean marathon runner Fortunate Chidzivo overcame a dramatic airport robbery and a frantic race against time to secure a top-10 finish at the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon on Sunday.
Chidzivo’s race plans were thrown into chaos when her handbag, containing her passport, was stolen while she was en route to Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport.
The incident triggered a high-stakes scramble to secure emergency travel documentation just hours before her scheduled flight to South Africa.
The experienced distance runner spent most of Friday navigating bureaucratic channels in Harare to obtain a replacement passport.
The turnaround was made possible by swift interventions from local athletics officials and government staff.
“I got robbed on my way to the airport and my passport was gone with the stolen handbag,”
“I spent the whole Friday running up and down trying to get a new passport,”Chidzivo shared on social media.
Chidzivo praised the National Athletics Association of Zimbabwe (NAAZ) and staff at the Makombe Passport Office, who processed her emergency travel documents in under six hours after receiving an official request from the athletics body.
The eleventh-hour assistance allowed Chidzivo to land in Cape Town on Saturday morning, less than 24 hours before the race began.
Despite the immense psychological stress and severely disrupted pre-race preparations, she crossed the finish line in a time of 2:41:09 to claim a spot in the top 10.
“Finishing Top 10 at Cape Town Marathon after a horrible weekend, it’s a win for me,” Chidzivo said, expressing gratitude to everyone who assisted her.
