SPORTING ACTION BY KOKETSO MAMABOLO
South African Paralympic star Mpumelelo Mhlongo lives up to his name
F
or sprint and long jump athlete Mpumelelo Mhlongo the Paralympic Games 2024 will certainly be one to remember. Most athletes would be happy with breaking just one world record - he broke two, in the T44 200m and the T44 long jump events, which by extension also gave him the Paralympic Games and African records. Mpumelelo, who was one of Team SA’s flag bearers along with swimmer Kat Swanepoel, took home two of South Africa’s six medals, winning gold in the T44 100m final and bronze in the T64 200m.
This isn’t the first time Mpumelelo, whose name means “success”, has set the Paralympic Games alight. At Tokyo 2020 he broke the T44 200m world record and set the Paralympic
Games records for the T44 100m and long jump. He holds the 100m record. Earlier this year Mpumelelo was named Sportsman of the Year with a disability at both the SA Sports and Athletics South Africa awards ceremonies. What makes his achievements even more remarkable is that sprinters are usually at their peak between the ages of 25 and 27, but the 30-year old is showing no signs of slowing down. In the field events, 19-year old discus thrower Simoné Kruger, the current world record holder and champion, won gold and broke the Paralympic Games record with an impressive 38.70m throw which was almost 5m further than the gold medal-winning throw from the Tokyo 2020 games. The win was certainly one of many milestones Simoné will reach in a
44 | Public Sector Leaders | September 2024
journey which has been on for around a decade, with the help of her father, who became her coach after the passing of long-time mentor Pierre Blignaut. Team SA, which placed 46th overall on the medals table, won bronze through middle distance runner Louzanne Coetzee, wheelchair tennis duo Lucas Sithole and Donald Ramphadi (who was nominated for Sportsman of the Year alongside Mpumelelo Mhlongo), and cyclist Pieter du Preez. With the Olympics season over, attention now turns to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, which will be held in the United Arab Emirates in October, the knockout rounds of the Currie Cup and the start of the popular UEFA Champions League competition. The Proteas Women