Finding Success Against Some of the World’s Best
Feb 04, 2026 | Track & Field, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
There is a young boy. His name is Tah Chikomba. He lives in Zimbabwe with his mother, Vonai Siwela, and his siblings on the countryside. Friends have been shot, others killed for illegal acts such as stealing. Young boys, they don't have much, they join gangs, and this becomes the game they play. They play with their lives.
Tah is the exception within this landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo River, which features dramatic landscape and diverse wildlife, and harbors an estimated population of 16.9 million. Tah is a self-described "mama's boy." He tells his friends that they can visit him in his home — or help him train. That's it. There are no track facilities or equipment. Tah runs sprints and trains with a large tire off an 18-wheeler with Coach Peter, who watches Tah navigate the grass and dust roads, chasing his dreams. One day, Tah tells himself, he will make it.
"I had a dream, a vision, like, 'I'm going to make it,' and all that shaped me into who I am today," Tah says. "And I'm still dreaming today. It helps me focus. It helps me not think about the bad stuff. I want to do this and live this and be great in this, and give myself time to learn, and see what I need to do to get there.
"That's who I am. That's led me to who I am today."
Today, Tah is a 23-year-old man. He is a junior at Kansas State and currently resides in Manhattan, Kansas. And five nights ago, on an unprecedented night at Cliff Rovelto Indoor Track, and with more than 1,000 fans piled into the facility, Tah Chikomba stood on the runway to compete in the long jump, and he was — scared.
He would test his long-jumping skills in the DeLoss Dodds Invitational against Olympic medalists, World Athletic Champions and NCAA Champions — a daunting proposition for a young man who began long jumping in 2019.
"Before the meet, I just had a feeling," Tah says. "I was confident in practice. My coaches saw me on the runway, and we had a big vision that I was going to do great, but I was scared that I was in college and competing against the pros and Olympians.
"Then I knew I had it in me. And the confidence came back."
And then Tah did it. He beat the Olympians, the world champions and NCAA champions. One by one, they went down. And in the end, Tah stood alone with an 8.09-meter (26/ 6.5") long jump, the No. 2 distance in the NCAA and the K-State indoor record and facility record while breaking a meet record that stood for 33 years.
His mark in the long jump also ranked No. 5 in the world in the 2026 indoor season.
"The fans cheers because everybody was expecting a big meet, so everybody was watching, and it was just crazy," Tah says. "When they saw I beat all the pros, all the K-State fans went wild. I started giving people autographs. That was my first time doing that. Then all the pros congratulated me and began following me on Instagram and now we talk. I showed the pros I could do it.
"I'll see them soon in the World Championships."
When Tah returned to his room, he did not sleep. He flipped through all the congratulatory messages, including so many from Zimbabwe. He sent them a link back home to watch him jump live from 8,600 miles away. For many, it was the first time they'd ever seen Tah jump live. Nobody back home had ever seen him jump in a K-State uniform.
After Tah long jumped 8.09m to win the competition, K-State jumpers coach Clive Pullen tapped the breaks. Tah believed that he could've jumped even farther, but he proved enough in five jumps.
"Coach decided that was enough for the day," Tah says, "so there's more in the tank. Next time it's going to be great."
Tah fell asleep at around 2:00 a.m. What a story he'd have to tell.
And what a story he's already lived out.
"Zimbabwe life was kind of hard," Tah says. "I went to school on the countryside, a boarding school, where we lived. Coach Peter introduced me to track. I went to a meet once and long jumped 7.60-something, but I had to pay for myself to go everywhere. Coach Peter and my mother helped me out with funds. We went to other countries to compete. Sometime the funds weren't enough."
Tah opened eyes when he long jumped 7.80 in his second meet, which qualified him for the Zimbabwe world junior championships. But he had to come up with $1,000, so he was unable to compete.
But Tah had caught the attention of veteran head coach Chip Gayden at Meridian Community College in Meridian, Mississippi.
That's when, as Tah puts it, "Everything changed."
"I knew when I came to the United States and met the coaches that everything was going to be OK," he says.
As a freshman, Tah captured the NJCAA outdoor national title with a long jump of 7.68 meters. As a sophomore, Tah repeated as NJCAA outdoor national champion with a long jump of 7.88 meters.
Arkansas' top assistant, Travis Geopfert, was hot on the trail to add Tah to the Razorbacks. When Geopfert was named K-State's Director of Track and Field/Cross Country in July 2024, Tah wanted to join Geopfert on the journey at K-State. Tah visited K-State in September 2024 and cancelled the other recruiting trips to Alabama, USC and LSU.
"Coach Travis said I could come look at this place, and I loved the place, and knowing he's coached some professionals such as Tara Davis-Woodhall, I knew I'd get better," Tah says. "Coach Travis is the best coach in the world, and he was going to help me a lot."
Tah arrived at K-State in August.
During the first meet of the indoor season at the Thane Baker Invitational on January 16, Tah won the long jump with a short approach of 7.83 meters, which was the third-best jump in K-State indoor history. He also ran the eighth-fasted time in K-State history when he was timed at 6.72 seconds in the 60-meter dash.
"I've had a lot of fun here," Tah says. "I love the place and the people and how they support me in class and everywhere. I'm really proud of this place and the coaches. They put everything into detail. They put everything into the computer, and they'll tell you that you should do this, and do this speed, and that's something I've never seen. They can tell you to do something, you do it, and it works. I love the coaches, the equipment, the indoor. This is great for me."
And it's been great for the rest of the K-State track and field team as well.
On Tuesday, K-State learned that its men's track and field team was ranked No. 1 in the nation in the USTFCCCA Poll for the first time in history, while the women's track and field team was ranked No. 15.
"I'm not going to lie," Tah says, "this team is really good. People know we have the best team. We can compete with all the others in the NCAA. Our men's and women's jumps teams are going to make an impact. That's where we're the strongest. It's really crazy.
"For me? My goal this season is to qualify for the World Championships and make my name, and if I make my name, they'll know I'm there. I want to compete against the best in the world."
Well, the world soon will know Tah Chikomba, the native of Zimbabwe, who stayed out of trouble to stay at home with his mother, who trained with nothing, who was at times short of funds, and who now eyes more incredible feats — after already accomplishing a big one by beating Olympians last Friday in Manhattan.
Only four men in the world have jumped longer than Tah this 2026 indoor season.
But that's not what he's proudest of.
"What was I most proud of growing up?" Tah repeats. "I was always a mama's boy. I'm proud that my mom helped me. She believed in me even when I wasn't doing good. In Zimbabwe, she sacrificed just to get money for her son to go to another country. She said I would go and do great. She sacrificed her money. I'm proud of how my mom raised me and how she supported me.
"She's the one who made me who I am today."
Vonai Siwela must be so proud.
There is a young boy. His name is Tah Chikomba. He lives in Zimbabwe with his mother, Vonai Siwela, and his siblings on the countryside. Friends have been shot, others killed for illegal acts such as stealing. Young boys, they don't have much, they join gangs, and this becomes the game they play. They play with their lives.
Tah is the exception within this landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo River, which features dramatic landscape and diverse wildlife, and harbors an estimated population of 16.9 million. Tah is a self-described "mama's boy." He tells his friends that they can visit him in his home — or help him train. That's it. There are no track facilities or equipment. Tah runs sprints and trains with a large tire off an 18-wheeler with Coach Peter, who watches Tah navigate the grass and dust roads, chasing his dreams. One day, Tah tells himself, he will make it.
"I had a dream, a vision, like, 'I'm going to make it,' and all that shaped me into who I am today," Tah says. "And I'm still dreaming today. It helps me focus. It helps me not think about the bad stuff. I want to do this and live this and be great in this, and give myself time to learn, and see what I need to do to get there.
"That's who I am. That's led me to who I am today."
Today, Tah is a 23-year-old man. He is a junior at Kansas State and currently resides in Manhattan, Kansas. And five nights ago, on an unprecedented night at Cliff Rovelto Indoor Track, and with more than 1,000 fans piled into the facility, Tah Chikomba stood on the runway to compete in the long jump, and he was — scared.
He would test his long-jumping skills in the DeLoss Dodds Invitational against Olympic medalists, World Athletic Champions and NCAA Champions — a daunting proposition for a young man who began long jumping in 2019.
"Before the meet, I just had a feeling," Tah says. "I was confident in practice. My coaches saw me on the runway, and we had a big vision that I was going to do great, but I was scared that I was in college and competing against the pros and Olympians.
"Then I knew I had it in me. And the confidence came back."
And then Tah did it. He beat the Olympians, the world champions and NCAA champions. One by one, they went down. And in the end, Tah stood alone with an 8.09-meter (26/ 6.5") long jump, the No. 2 distance in the NCAA and the K-State indoor record and facility record while breaking a meet record that stood for 33 years.
His mark in the long jump also ranked No. 5 in the world in the 2026 indoor season.
"The fans cheers because everybody was expecting a big meet, so everybody was watching, and it was just crazy," Tah says. "When they saw I beat all the pros, all the K-State fans went wild. I started giving people autographs. That was my first time doing that. Then all the pros congratulated me and began following me on Instagram and now we talk. I showed the pros I could do it.
"I'll see them soon in the World Championships."
When Tah returned to his room, he did not sleep. He flipped through all the congratulatory messages, including so many from Zimbabwe. He sent them a link back home to watch him jump live from 8,600 miles away. For many, it was the first time they'd ever seen Tah jump live. Nobody back home had ever seen him jump in a K-State uniform.
After Tah long jumped 8.09m to win the competition, K-State jumpers coach Clive Pullen tapped the breaks. Tah believed that he could've jumped even farther, but he proved enough in five jumps.
"Coach decided that was enough for the day," Tah says, "so there's more in the tank. Next time it's going to be great."
Tah fell asleep at around 2:00 a.m. What a story he'd have to tell.
And what a story he's already lived out.
"Zimbabwe life was kind of hard," Tah says. "I went to school on the countryside, a boarding school, where we lived. Coach Peter introduced me to track. I went to a meet once and long jumped 7.60-something, but I had to pay for myself to go everywhere. Coach Peter and my mother helped me out with funds. We went to other countries to compete. Sometime the funds weren't enough."
Tah opened eyes when he long jumped 7.80 in his second meet, which qualified him for the Zimbabwe world junior championships. But he had to come up with $1,000, so he was unable to compete.
But Tah had caught the attention of veteran head coach Chip Gayden at Meridian Community College in Meridian, Mississippi.
That's when, as Tah puts it, "Everything changed."
"I knew when I came to the United States and met the coaches that everything was going to be OK," he says.
As a freshman, Tah captured the NJCAA outdoor national title with a long jump of 7.68 meters. As a sophomore, Tah repeated as NJCAA outdoor national champion with a long jump of 7.88 meters.
Arkansas' top assistant, Travis Geopfert, was hot on the trail to add Tah to the Razorbacks. When Geopfert was named K-State's Director of Track and Field/Cross Country in July 2024, Tah wanted to join Geopfert on the journey at K-State. Tah visited K-State in September 2024 and cancelled the other recruiting trips to Alabama, USC and LSU.
"Coach Travis said I could come look at this place, and I loved the place, and knowing he's coached some professionals such as Tara Davis-Woodhall, I knew I'd get better," Tah says. "Coach Travis is the best coach in the world, and he was going to help me a lot."
Tah arrived at K-State in August.
During the first meet of the indoor season at the Thane Baker Invitational on January 16, Tah won the long jump with a short approach of 7.83 meters, which was the third-best jump in K-State indoor history. He also ran the eighth-fasted time in K-State history when he was timed at 6.72 seconds in the 60-meter dash.
"I've had a lot of fun here," Tah says. "I love the place and the people and how they support me in class and everywhere. I'm really proud of this place and the coaches. They put everything into detail. They put everything into the computer, and they'll tell you that you should do this, and do this speed, and that's something I've never seen. They can tell you to do something, you do it, and it works. I love the coaches, the equipment, the indoor. This is great for me."
And it's been great for the rest of the K-State track and field team as well.
On Tuesday, K-State learned that its men's track and field team was ranked No. 1 in the nation in the USTFCCCA Poll for the first time in history, while the women's track and field team was ranked No. 15.
"I'm not going to lie," Tah says, "this team is really good. People know we have the best team. We can compete with all the others in the NCAA. Our men's and women's jumps teams are going to make an impact. That's where we're the strongest. It's really crazy.
"For me? My goal this season is to qualify for the World Championships and make my name, and if I make my name, they'll know I'm there. I want to compete against the best in the world."
Well, the world soon will know Tah Chikomba, the native of Zimbabwe, who stayed out of trouble to stay at home with his mother, who trained with nothing, who was at times short of funds, and who now eyes more incredible feats — after already accomplishing a big one by beating Olympians last Friday in Manhattan.
Only four men in the world have jumped longer than Tah this 2026 indoor season.
But that's not what he's proudest of.
"What was I most proud of growing up?" Tah repeats. "I was always a mama's boy. I'm proud that my mom helped me. She believed in me even when I wasn't doing good. In Zimbabwe, she sacrificed just to get money for her son to go to another country. She said I would go and do great. She sacrificed her money. I'm proud of how my mom raised me and how she supported me.
"She's the one who made me who I am today."
Vonai Siwela must be so proud.
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