South Africa’s Mpumelelo Mhlongo has etched his name in history, clinching the nation’s first medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games and emerging as a new sporting hero, reports Cape {town} Etc.
Also read: Paralympics social media faces backlash over ‘insensitive’ clips
According to Team SA, Not only did Mpumelelo Mhlongo secure South Africa’s first medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games, but he did so in spectacular fashion, blazing to gold in the T44 100m final at the Stade de France in Paris on Sunday night.
Cape {town} Etc discount: Looking for things to do in the city, at half the price? Get exclusive offers here.
‘I didn’t execute the race perfectly and at 60m I told myself ‘I have to wake up’. But it’s job done. We got the gold and hopefully the floodgates will open,’ said the 30-year-old Team SA athlete.
Johannesburg-based Mpumelelo Mhlongo, the race favourite, lived up to expectations, dominating the T44 100m final from start to finish.
Running in lane four, he subdued Cuba’s Yamel Vives Suarez, crossing the line in 11.12 seconds, just shy of his 11.00 world record. Mhlongo later admitted he had been close to challenging that mark.
✅ World Championship gold
✅ Paralympic goldMpumelelo Mhlongo knows how to dominate the Men’s 100m T44 😤🇿🇦
He won the race in a seasons best of 11.12 🔥#Paralympics pic.twitter.com/GoQqfWNHpC
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) September 1, 2024
‘I’ll take the gold though,’ he said, draped in the South African flag.
As one of Team SA’s flag-bearers at the opening ceremony, Mpumelelo Mhlongo felt the weight of expectation in the blocks.
But as the national anthem echoed through the packed stadium, he celebrated his victory with a joyful jig on the podium, transforming that pressure into a golden moment.
Mhlongo delivered, however, on the greatest stage in Paralympic sport.
‘There is a difference on every occasion,’ he said about his race.
‘This time, with my wife in the stands, my mother here for the first time ever, and my mother-in-law. Having my family here is everything I could have asked for.’
𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐜 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧 🇿🇦
Mpumelelo Mhlongo is all smiles while receiving his gold medal in the Men’s 100m T44 💪🔥#Paralympics pic.twitter.com/sn8gA1gv6s
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) September 1, 2024
‘It’s one step at a time. We did the 100 and got the job done. Time to recover and refocus as if it never happened and execute the plan we have been preparing for three years.’
Puseletso Mabote positioned himself as a gold medal contender by equaling the Paralympic record in the T63 100m heats with a 12.05-second run, making him the fastest qualifier for the final.
He aims to continue South Africa’s recent sprinting success, which includes Olympic relay silver, World U20 golds, and Mhlongo’s Paralympic triumph.
In other finals, Khumo Pitso finished fifth in the men’s T24 high jump with a 1.98m leap, while Liezel Gouws placed eighth in the women’s T37 long jump with 3.62m.
Find your perfect set of wheels with these incredible deals on cars for under 100k. Find car listings here.
Also read:
Meet the Paralympic Squad representing South Africa in Paris
Picture: Team SA