Charamba powers to 200m win at Lone Star GP
High schooler Tate Taylor ran a wind-legal high school record 19.97, but Zimbabwean sprinter Makanakaishe Charamba earns the victory in the men's 200-meter at College Station, Texas.
Video Transcript
There they are.
Sonia, I just wanna come back to your point about this rebuilding for Michael Norman.
It's great to see him back on the track.
He's been having positive results.
Mm-hmm.
Just wanna see that old Michael Norman back, and his main focus is to stay healthy, be healthy all the way through this season.
As Sonia said, he's made a change.
Now at coach training at the University of Texas with Coach Edwin Floreal.
But he's got his hands full here, not just with Charamba, but with the high schooler behind him.
Toyota Men's 200 is away.
Michael Norman fourth from the right.
Tate Taylor on his inside, all in black.
Tate Taylor can run a good turn, and he's run a good turn so far here.
He's gone right by Michael Norman.
How about the high schooler with the lead?
But he's got company.
The teenager from San Antonio is out, but on his outside, he is being overtaken by Charamba.
What a run.
Whoo.
Not a bad time at all.
Everything 19.89, Sonia.
Makha Charamba over Tate Taylor.
And I think we have a new high school record again.
We do.
He's gone sub-20.
So the first US high schooler ever under 20 seconds officially.
Tate Taylor runs 19.97, but Charamba gets the win.
You talk about composure and poise for a high schooler.
He gets out and covers Michael Norman with ease, and at this point, he is in the lead, and he's still relaxed, still running really, really well, but it's the experience of Charamba that overtakes him.
But what a race for both men.
The first time we've seen a high schooler run under 20 seconds.
It's a great track, great atmosphere, producing incredible times for these athletes today.
So Charamba gets a personal best, and so does Tate Taylor.
And the pushups after for Charamba.
What, me tired?
I'm good.
I, I, I didn't, didn't spend enough energy on that one.
Love it.
Coach'll have him go do another one.
That's what coach would have me do.
Well done to Canada's Aaron Brown as well, finishing in the top three.
But it was the teenager who set the pace early, only for the Paris Olympian from Zimbabwe, Charamba, to come on by.
But let's hear from the teenager from San Antonio first.
Here's Tate Taylor.
I think he's trying to take it all in.
Tate, you have become the first high schooler to go under 20 seconds in the 200.
What are your thoughts about what you just got accomplished?
Feels incredible.
All glory to God, right?
Praise to the most high.
Would not be here without my Lord and Savior.
And, it's a painful feeling, however- I feel- Love the honesty I feel good.
I feel good.
I'm happy.
All right, take me back to the start.
You're standing there against a field that's loaded, multiple Olympians.
Yes.
You're a high schooler.
Yes.
Take me through that start, the phase of coming off the turn, and then the home straightaway.
Take me through all that.
Well, first off, I love A&M track.
A&M's track, indoor and outdoor, has pretty much, like, been the place to be.
I love coming here.
I love competing here.
And good job, man.
Appreciate it.
Good to be around.
And then whenever the gun went off, all I could focus on was just get out hard, make sure, you know what I'm saying, I stay afloat, get out fast, keep the cadence.
Then when I come off the curve, I just, you know, try to take it home through there.
And you did exactly that.
Makha, this young man won the race, but you had a, you had a great charge.
I'm sorry, you won the race, but a great charge.
Just talk about your performance here, early in his 20- 2026 season.
I mean, down in Auburn we have a Zubko mentality.
We run past the last man and that's how we operate.
We never give up, and that's how it is.
And that's how it is.
Great run by you, and we have a new high school record, Lee.
How about that?
