Pictures | 3x Olympian Anaso J

Jobodwana will be action on Wednesday night in the 200m semi-finals.

Pictures | 3x Olympian Anaso Jobodwana poses next to his tribute mural in his hometown

Anaso Jobodwana has been pictured posing next to his tribute mural, which is painted in his hometown of Phakamisa in the Eastern Cape.

Pictures | 3x Olympian Anaso J

Jobodwana will be action on Wednesday night in the 200m semi-finals.

Anaso Jobodwana has been pictured posing next to his tribute mural, which is painted in his hometown of Phakamisa in the Eastern Cape. 

The mural was painted in the small town where he grew up, close to Qonce, while Jobodwana was still competing at his third Olympics in the 2020 Tokyo Games.

Tokyo Olympics were Jobodwana’s third

Despite not running a qualifying time prior to the Tokyo Olympics, Jobodwana still made the South African side for the 200m sprints in rather fortuitous but earned circumstances. He also took to his official social media platforms to acknowledge that it was the first time he had qualified by virtue of his international ranking and that it was a feat he would take and was grateful for. 

Jobodwana then got off to an encouraging start at the Olympics, when he found himself finishing third in his heat, to earn automatic qualification into the 200m semifinals. In fact, He, together with his compatriots Clarence Munyai and Phatutshedzo Maswanganyi all made history when they ensured that South Africa would have more than one participant in a major event’s 200m semifinal for the first time in history. 

READ | RECORD! SOUTH AFRICAN 200M TRIO MAKE OLYMPIC HISTORY

However, it would prove to be where the journey ended for Jobodwana, as he Munyai and Maswanganyi all failed to progress to the 200m Olympic sprint final, in what would undoubtedly prove to be a moment of sheer heartbreak and disappointment for South African fans. 

The experience at the Tokyo Olympics would’ve done nothing to taint the legacy of Jobodwana, however, with the 29-year-old boasting a career filled with incredible achievements already. Jobodwana burst onto the national scene when he won the South African schools 200m event in 2010 at a time of 20.95 secs.

HE EARNED HIS STRIPES IN THE USA

That earned him a scholarship to Jackson State University in Mississippi, USA where Jobodwana he broke a couple of university sprint records to earn All-American colours in his first year there in 2012. He then qualified for his first Olympics in 2012, bursting on to the international scene, as he approached the finish line stride for stride with the legendary Usain Bolt to qualify for the showpiece’s 200m final.

READ | WATCH | SOUTH AFRICAN SPRINTERS BLITZ TO WORLD RELAY GOLD

Jobodwana has since won a sprint double at 2013 University Games in Russia, before his biggest career achievement thus far, which was a bronze medal at the 2015 Beijing World Athletics Championships, where he ran his current personal best time of 19.87 secs which earned him a place on the podium with two of this generations greatest sprinters Bolt and American Justin Gatlin.

Honoured with a mural in his hometown of Phakamisa

His honours since then include another Olympic Games qualification for Rio 2016 where he was unfortunately troubled by injuries affecting his prior preparations. A bronze at the 2019 African Games in Morocco and three relay medals (two silver, one bronze) with the 4x100m team. It is because of such achievements that Jobodwana has been honoured with this mural in his hometown, by artist Buntu Fihla. 

READ | WORLD U20 ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS WRAP | TEAM SOUTH AFRICA

“Celebrating our own Anaso Jobodwana, an amazing athlete and inspiration to our community ePhakamisa” read the explanation of the mural from Fihla when he posted it on his Instagram account @bief37

He responded

Jobodwana would later post it on his own official Instagram with the following caption : “To have something like this done in my hometown by the people I grew up with is such an honor. It also speaks to the great amount of talent that Phakamisa is blessed with. 

PHAKAMISA(v): “to pick each other up in good times and bad times.” 

Enkosi Ta Bief @bief37 for doing this . ???????????? #PHAKAMISAEXPRESS

Jobodwana who is now home in Phakamisa saw the mural for the first time and captured the moment. He then posted a picture with the caption “DLALA INDIMA (Play a role) ???????????????? ???????? enkosi bhuti (Thank you big brother) @bief37

Here are the images below courtesy of Anaso Jobodwana’s Instagram @anasoJay: