\u201cFrom where I am right now, I can appreciate it because it made me the person who I am. It made me stronger. I understand why they did it \u2013 for a better life.\u201d<\/p>Kudakwashe (Kuda) Murasiranwa<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Political and economic chaos in Zimbabwe drove his family apart at the beginning of the 2000s. Conditions in the country had deteriorated rapidly due to failed monetary policies, a ruinous land seizure program and government-led violence against civilians. The inflation rate was astronomical and unemployment rampant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His parents, Murasiranwa says, wanted their children to grow up free from the threat of violence, and felt moving to North America was the answer. His father, Armstrong, left for the United States first, leaving his toddler son and pregnant wife, Emillia, behind. A boilermaker by trade, his father had trouble finding work, and his second son, Darlington, was born in his absence. It would be 13 years before the father saw his second-born child for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2003, Kuda\u2019s mother, Emillia, decided to join her husband in the U.S., seeing it as a way to hasten the resettlement process. But since she was unable to get a visa that allowed her children to come with her, the mother left her sons with their grandmothers, believing it to be a temporary arrangement. Immigration barriers lingered, and time passed. The boys were eventually moved to South Africa to live with their half-siblings, as violence and starvation spread in Zimbabwe. Years passed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Murasiranwa and his brother, Darlington, were finally able to join their parents in Edmonton in 2014. The two boys excelled at football, soccer and track, and both immediately caught the attention of high school and post-secondary recruiters and coaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kerr, himself a sprinter, began recruiting Murasiranwa in 2015, soon after hearing a lot of chatter about him in national track and field circles. He says he saw something special in the young man, and not just in his athletic physique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you spend enough time around elite athletes, you get a feeling for those who have something extra, something a little bit different,\u201d Kerr says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Murasiranwa wanted to come to U of G right away, but ended up attending Southwestern Oregon Community College in 2017 and part of 2018 to boost his grades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cJason was always there for me and believed in me. And U of G had the best track program in Canada,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once at U of G, Murasiranwa won his first two 60-metre races, and never looked back. His goal is to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games \u201cI\u2019ve set goals for myself that I really want to accomplish, I\u2019ll keep training hard and working hard at academics and hopefully I\u2019ll do well in the next two or three years. I feel good around here. It\u2019s like a family.\u201d<\/p>Kudakwashe (Kuda) Murasiranwa<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Kerr\u2019s highest hope for his young sprinter is that he gets a good education. Pursuing a major in criminal justice and public policy, Murasiranwa wants to work as an immigration or police officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think he is going to be a very influential member of community groups in the future. There\u2019s a lot going on under the surface with him,\u201d Kerr says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When you combine his faith and his life experiences, it writes a pretty poetic story. I think he is driven by a much stronger force.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Murasiranwa says he is happy \u2013 happy with the athletic gifts he has, happy with the home he has found at U of G. His parents now live in Kamloops, B.C. \u201cI talk to them every day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n And he appreciates the struggles he went through and strength he gained from them. \u201cIt taught me not to give up easily and to work hard. I always find a way to get through something, find a reason to work through it. I find a higher purpose in everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Kuda\u2019s](\"https:\/\/www.porticomagazine.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Kuda-Murasiranwa-2.jpg\")
in Tokyo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n