Matete Tips Sprinter Ruth Mutale to Shine

Athletics icon Samuel Matete has tipped 100 and 200 meters prospect Ruth Mutale to become one of the best athletes of her generation.

Mutale recently qualified to the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships which will be held from 2 to 7 August 2022 in Colombia.

The youngster last December won three gold medals for team Zambia at regional five games in Lesotho.

The 20-year-old is an athlete at the Samuel Matete Athletics Academy in Kitwe.

In an interview, Matete, the former 400m hurdles world champion, said Mutale is a potential world champion.

“Ruth did well at the Regional Five Games in Maseru, Lesotho. For the first time she was able to travel outside and excel at the regional games. The most important thing for Ruth now is to grow around performance so that she can now start to prove herself. That was a very good experience for her, having gone there to learn how to win and to understand how it feels to win,” Matete said.

Mutale qualified for the World Athletics U20 Championships after emerging champion during the national games in Lusaka last month.

“Now she improved her performance, she improved her times in the 100m and 200m. Those times qualified her for the next phase of her next competition in her life which is very important,” Matete said.

“Now she is going to compete at the World Athletics U20 Championships which is a bit higher class and important for her because it is within her age mates and she will feel comfortable to compete with her colleagues,” he said.

The 1996 Atlanta Olympics silver medalist wants the youngster to continue improving her speedy and mental strength ahead of the world junior championship.

“My expectations of Ruth from that is to continue to improve, continue to be strong mentally when she competes with some of her best age mates and to continue to improve on her times. To grow around the sport so that she can be one of the best athletes in the years to come.”