Source; CNN Africa
Tanyaradzwa ‘Tanya’ Muzinda is not your average teenager. At 15, she is already one of Zimbabwe’s Motocross champions. Held on off-road circuits, Motocross is a form of motorbike racing that is dangerous, expensive and requires a lot of training. But these challenges have not stopped Tanya from competing in local and international tournaments.
Born in Harare, Zimbabwe’s most populous city, she says she started riding when she was only five years old, inspired by her father, a former biker.”My dad used to ride motorbikes in the past so I got the motivation for Motocross from him,” she told CNN. It is perhaps an unusual sport for a five-year-old to take up, given the potential risk of serious injury, something that Muzinda has not escaped. In 2017, she fell off a 100 feet long jump, hurting her hip, while practicing for a race.”I was not able to walk properly for a few months. It also affected my back, so I have back problems that I have to work on,” she said.
First female rider to win
But recurring back pain has not stopped Muzinda in her tracks. She came in third place at the 2017 HL Racing British Master Kids Championships at the Motoland track in England, which she says is still her most memorable race.”It was my first race overseas and I managed to finish in third place. I also left a record for being the first female rider to win a round since its inception,” Muzinda said. She is also an honorary ambassador of the European Union to Zimbabwe for Youth, Gender, Sports and Development.
In 2018, Muzinda was named Junior Sportswoman of the year in South Africa by the Africa Union Sports Council Region Five Annual Sports Awards.”It is always so overwhelming when I win any award or when I find out that I am being recognized at my age. It is something that I will forever be grateful for,” she said.