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Born and raised in Harare, Zimbabwe, Mufaro Martina Hungwe has been involved in the world of sports since she was five years old. She has played everything from basketball to field hockey, tennis, track and field, and even ran cross country. She competed for the Zimbabwean National Field Hockey Team and the Zimbabwean Track & Field National Team, where they competed on the world stage at track meets like the Penn Relays in 2010. In 2014, she came to the United States on a track and field scholarship to attend Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, an NCAA DII school, and then transferred to the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, where she competed as an NCAA DI track and field athlete for four years.
However, the world of sports would take its toll on Hungwe’s body, and after suffering multiple sports injuries, she developed an appreciation for Kinesiology. She later pursued her Master’s in Biomechanics and attended the University of Oregon’s Sports Product Management Program — the only one of its kind in the U.S. Since then, she’s had the opportunity to work on multiple projects, such as developing new Biomechanical testing methods at the Brooks Sports Inc. (also known as Brooks Running), new Haptic Testing Protocols at Wilson Sporting Goods, and new foot and footwear sensor testing methodologies at Heeluxe Lab, LLC.
“I have a unique perspective in that I can understand the athletes’ pain points easier than someone who has never been directly involved or participated in sports,” she states.
Hungwe notes that once she broke into the industry, gaining respect for her ideas was also challenging. However, she claims that her work spoke for itself, and her coworkers had no option but to respect and value what she brought to the table. Her passion for adding more women and women of color into STEM industries is part of what drives her and her work ethic.
When asked about the lessons she’s learned, Hungwe speaks about the power of perseverance, as well as “channeling grit and leaning into the difficult times despite whatever challenges and setbacks you may face.”
Leaving home and coming to the United States to pursue her dreams was something she challenged relentlessly, no matter what obstacles presented themselves to her.
When speaking about future aspirations, Hungwe says she wants to be at the forefront of the Sports Product Innovation industry. She could potentially be the head of innovation at a top sportswear brand or even one day own her own.
“There is so much talent on the African continent but no one to invest in it,” she says. “I believe by gaining the skills and experience in this industry by learning from the best who have done it. I will be able to mirror and better the world of sports by increasing accessibility to innovative athletic products, therefore lowering barriers of entry into the world of sports and innovation.”
Through hard work, perseverance, and sheer determination to pursue her dreams, Mufaro Martina Hungwe has become a thought leader in her industry. With her future aspirations high, she can only go up from this point forward.
