Mpumelelo Mhlongo
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Mpumelelo Mhlongo (born 1994) is a South African para-athlete.
Early life and education
Mhlongo was born in 1994 with amniotic band syndrome. He grew up in Pinetown, South Africa and was educated at Kearsney College.[1] At Kearsney College, he was the head of choir and won a gold medal at the World Choir Games.[1][2] For further education, he went to the University of Cape Town and studied chemical engineering.[3] In 2021, he completed his PhD in chemical engineering.[3]
Mhlongo is multi-lingual and speaks six languages, including Afrikaans, isiXhosa, isiZulu, English, French, and Portuguese.[1]
Career
Mhlongo took up regular sports in 2001.[3] In 2009, he was injured and remained unhealed which compelled him to classify as a para-athlete.[4] He participated in para-athletics in 2014 at the University of Cape Town Athletics Club.[3]
In 2015, he made his debut for South Africa when he was part of World Championship squad in Doha and competed in the 100m, long jump and high jump events.[3][4]
In 2016, he competed in Paralympics for the first time.[5][6] Following year, he participated in World Para Athletics Championship held in London.[3]
In 2019, at the World Para Athletics Championships in the T64 class, he received a silver medal.[7] During the same championship, he set a record in T44 class by finishing 100m race in 11 seconds and long jump of 7.07m.[8] In the same year, he set a new record in long jump category at the Grosseto Grand Prix.[9]
In 2021, he participated in Tokyo Paralympics and came at fifth position in a mixed class which included T44 and T64.[10] In T44 class, he made a world record after finishing 200m race in 22.81 seconds.[11][12]
In 2022, it was announced that Investec will support Mpumelelo Mhlongo for a three-year period.[8] Mhlongo is already working as an employee for Investec South Africa.[8]
Awards
- Sportsman with a Disability of the Year (2019)[3]
- SA Sports Award (2022)[13]
- Sportsperson of the Year[3]
References
- ^ a b c Mchunu, Vernon. "Pinetown-born all-rounder to compete in Tokyo Paralympics finals". www.iol.co.za.
- ^ "New Paralympic record goes to SA local!". www.capetownetc.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Mpumelelo Mhlongo - Athletics | Paralympic Athlete Profile". International Paralympic Committee.
- ^ a b https://mg.co.za/article/2019-08-02-00-the-accidental-record-breaker/
- ^ "Mpumelelo Mhlongo". mandela100.news24.com.
- ^ Villette, Francesca. "SA Paralympic team ready to showcase talent in Rio". www.iol.co.za.
- ^ Villette, Francesca. "Para athletes do SA proud again at world champs". www.iol.co.za.
- ^ a b c "Investec sponsors employee and Paralympian Mpumelelo Mhlongo". Investec.
- ^ "Mpumelelo Mhlongo (25)". June 26, 2019.
- ^ "Plan comes together as Louzanne Coetzee wins silver at Tokyo Games". TimesLIVE.
- ^ "SA looks ahead to Paris as Tokyo recedes". TimesLIVE.
- ^ "Records tumble at disabled championships in Gqeberha". DispatchLIVE.
- ^ "Schoenmaker, Kolisi and Mahlangu lead SA Sports Awards nominations". TimesLIVE.