University of Pretoria
62
TuksSport
Mahlangu set his sights on winning a gold medal in the 200 m at the Tokyo Paralympic Games By Wilhelm De Swardt | Photographer: Reg Caldecott
Ntando Mahlangu has achieved more in his 19 years than most people would in a lifetime. He matriculated at the Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool in Pretoria. In August South Africa’s 19-year-old long jumping sensation, won gold in the T63 event with a world record effort of 7.17 m. He also won the 200m in a time of 23.59s.
countless records will tumble over the next 10 years or so. If nothing unforeseen happens, the Tuks-based athlete might win a gold medal during the Tokyo Paralympic Games 200 m.
Mahlangu’s performances are truly inspiring, considering that for the first ten years of his life, he was in a wheelchair owing to a condition called hemimelia. He got around either by wheelchair or on his hands and knees. In layman’s terms, it meant that from birth, his legs had not fully developed below his knees. Nine years ago he made the decision to amputate the legs that were holding him back.
Mahlangu does not allow himself to get distracted. His focus is always on the present moment. When competing in the long jump, only one thing matters: he does his best and tries to win.
His life changed in 2012, when Jumping Kids, which is a charity that helps children with disabilities in South Africa, offered to assist him with prosthetics to walk. When he was 14, he won a silver medal in the 200 m at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio. After the Games, he was forced to take a sabbatical because of the impact long jumping had on his lower back. In 2017, he won a silver medal in the 200 m at the World Championships. Two years later, he was a world champion. This year he set a world record. Mahlangu will get faster and better in the years to come and I believe that
Mahlangu has got a personal best distance of 6.90 m. It compares favourably to what the best in the world are jumping.
‘I enjoy what I do. It pleases me if my jumps get my competitors riled up. At every Olympic Games, there is always one athlete that causes a major upset. Maybe it is going to be me. I think I have a fair chance of winning the 200 m.’ Breaking the world record by running 22.98 s in Gqeberha this season was a confidence booster. A week later, at Tuks, I ran 22.88 s, which would have
been another world record had I not stepped outside my lane. I love running. Yet, when I am running, I do not hear people cheering me on. I am alone on the track for those seconds and it is a fantastic feeling. I know I have run a good race when my blades “flash” past my ears,’ he says with a twinkle in his eyes. He made the most of the opportunity. Mahlangu has great respect for the senior athletes of the 2016 Paralympic team. ‘Guys like Charl du Toit, Mpumelelo Mhlongo and Arnu Fourie took me under their wings and guided me. I will be forever grateful for what they did. The time will come when I will be the senior athlete and hopefully, I too will be a role model. Of course, I am also very grateful to my family and friends who always encourage me. I don’t think people realise what it means when you got a disability, and people believe in you. The words: Don’t worry, you can do it, you just got to believe it, can change a life.’
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