IN the dusty township of Highfield, Harare, the rhythmic thump of wheels spinning over uneven ground echoes through the streets.
It is the distinctive sound of Stella Jongwe, Zimbabwe's top female wheelchair racer, as she heads out for her daily training session.
With each push of her tough-skinned hands, she propels herself forward, her face set in a look of steely willpower.
For the 23-year-old para-athlete, the journey to success has been far from easy.
Born with phocomelia, a rare condition that stunted the growth of her limbs, she has faced a lifetime of challenges and discrimination. As a child, cruel taunts like "half-person" and "half-bread" cut deep.
But rather than letting the insults break her spirit, Jongwe found comfort in wheelchair racing, discovering an outlet to stage her tremendous strength and toughness.
Her journey began on a dusty basketball court, where she first experienced the excitement of competition.
But, it was wheelchair racing that truly set her soul alight. With every race and every medal hung around her neck, Jongwe felt a sense of joy and success well within her. She was rewriting the narrative, proving that disability does not equate to inability.
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In a country where resources for para-athletes are scarce, Jongwe's rise to the top has been an unbelievable exploit.
She has won gold at the CBZ Marathon, the Victoria Falls Marathon, the Tanganda Marathon, and Outeniqua Marathon in South Africa, dominating local and regional competitions with her untiring resolve.
Yet, her journey continues to be a challenging one. Funding for proper racing equipment, travel expenses, and basic necessities have been an ever-present struggle.
She lost in the Victoria Falls wheelchair racing recently, her first time losing in any race since 2019 when she began wheelchair racing.
Jongwe's current wheelchair is held together by duct tape and that has caused her to lose recent marathons Tanganda and Econet Vic Falls Marathon.
"I won't let anything stop me," Jongwe told The Sports Hub.
"My dream is to one day compete in the Paralympics and bring home a medal for Zimbabwe. I know I have the talent and the drive. I just need the resources to get me there."
And if anyone can defy the odds, it is Jongwe. With a strong spirit that belies her petite frame, she has already accomplished what many deemed impossible.
"I have been called names, I have had WhatsApp conversations blocked by some of the high profile figures in Zimbabwe, my sin being that a disabled athlete had asked for sponsorship from able-bodied businesspeople," she revealed.
"But all this strengthened my resolve and I will keep fighting until I reach my intended goal. If this kind of inhuman treatment can be subjected to a top athlete with a disability like me, what is happening to those who are still looking to cut their teeth in sport as athletes with disabilities?"
Almost every day at sunset, Jongwe's silhouette cuts a path through the fading light, her wheels kicking up dust in her wake as she goes through a final routine training session hoping her life would be better one day.
