By A Correspondent- Zimbabwe’s first female black jockey, O’Meara Chiedza Rusike said that the road to her achievement has been nothing but a flowery bed of roses.

In an interview with a local publication, Rusike revealed the obstacles that she had to overcome to achieve the milestone. She said:

God often uses our deepest pain as the launching of our greatest calling.

Rusike revealed that it was her father who brought her to the world of horse racing in 2016.

She said:

Being a jockey was a calling because I knew nothing about it, except for Zimbabwe’s big race, the OK Grand Challenge.

I was surprised when my father excitedly showed me the advert. I never thought of it as a serious profession but all the same, I instantly fell in love with it.

She revealed that in the same year (2016), she was admitted for a five-year jockey apprenticeship in South Africa. She is currently in her third year.

Rusike had to change her diet for her to maintain the required weight of 46 to 48kg.

She said:

Apart from sticking to lots of vegetables, fruits and water, I take a 2,7km jog every day. For breakfast, I take a slice of toast, an egg and black coffee without any sugar.

I wake up at 4:30 am every day, go to the track from 5 am to 11 am. l then concentrate on the stables, meaning I have to brush, walk and feed the horses from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm.

Unfortunately, Rusike lost both her parents at a tender age. Her mother passed away in 2000 while her father died nine years later, leaving her in the care of her maternal grandmother.

The passing away of her parents led to her adoption by a couple, Perseverance and Joyce Ganga.

-StateMedia