South Africa has found its newest sporting sensation in Mpumelelo Mhlongo, who delivered the country’s first medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. And not just any medal, it was gold, which he won in spectacular fashion at the iconic Stade de France on Sunday.
“I didn’t execute the race perfectly, and at 60 meters, I told myself that I have to wake up. But it’s job done! We got the gold, and hopefully now the floodgates will open,” said the 30-year-old athlete, beaming with pride.
Mhlongo, who lives and works in Johannesburg, entered the men’s T44 100m final as the favourite, and he lived up to every bit of that billing. In front of a roaring crowd of 80,000 passionate fans, he powered his way down lane four, leading from start to finish, to clinch the victory. His time of 11.12 seconds was enough to subdue the fierce challenge posed by Cuban sprinter Yamel Vives Suarez.
Though Mhlongo holds the world record of 11.00 seconds and felt he was in the kind of form to challenge that mark, he was more than happy to take the gold. “I’ll take the gold though,” he remarked, draped proudly in the South African flag.
Having carried that same flag during the opening ceremony, Mhlongo will now be the first South African athlete to have the national anthem, Nkosi sikelel’ iAfrika, played at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. “I can’t wait to sing Nkosi sikelel’ iAfrika,” he said, eagerly anticipating the medal ceremony.
Main Image: Central News
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