Pretoria athlete will go for gold in 200m sprint at the Tokyo Paralympic Games

Not that he ever would, but Ntando Mahlangu can claim he had achieved more in 19 years than most people would in a lifetime.

When only 14, he won a silver medal over 200 metres at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio. In 2017 he won a silver medal in the 200 metres at the World Championships. Two years later, he was a world champion. This year he set a world record.

And he has just started. It is a given that Mahlangu will get faster and better and that countless records will tumble over the next 10 or so years. If nothing unforeseen happens, the Tuks-based athlete will win gold during the Tokyo Paralympic Games 200 metres (T61).

Mahlangu is, however, not one to fall into the trap of getting distracted about what could happen. His focus is always on the now. That is why only one thing matters. It is to be competitive on Saturday (August 28) when he competes in the long jump.

During the 2016 Paralympic Games, he finished fourth. He was, however, forced to take a sabbatical because of the impact long jumping had on his lower back. As a result, he has only been jumping for the last seven weeks again.

Mzansi, we don't seem to give as much attention to our #Paralympics athletes as we do others, so I'll introduce them to you.

Meet Ntando Mahlangu. He ran an incredible 200m final at the Rio 2016 games claiming 🥈. He was just 14 at the time 🔥🇿🇦⚡#MeetOurParalympians pic.twitter.com/Rz0inpmxQh

— Cash N Sport (@CashNSport) August 15, 2021

Mahlangu has got a personal best distance of 6.90 metres. It compares favourably to what the world’s best are jumping.

“I don’t like making predictions. The aim is to enjoy what I do. It would be nice to get some of the athletes riled up with one or two of my jumps. At every Olympic Games, there is that one athlete that causes a major upset. Maybe it is going to be me,” he said during an interview before the team’s departure to Japan.

As far as the 200 metres is concerned, Mahlangu thinks he got a real chance to win.

“Breaking the world record, running 22.98s in Gqeberha this season was a confidence booster. A week later, at Tuks, I ran 22.88s, which would have been another world record had I not stepped outside my lane,” he remarked.

According to Mahlangu, he gets absolute joy from running.

“I often get asked if I hear the people cheering me on. The answer is no. When I run, it is just me. Nothing else matters. It is as if I am all alone for that few seconds. It is a fantastic feeling. That is why I run,” he said.

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 Hemimolia. In layman’s terms, it meant that from birth, his legs hadn’t fully developed below his knees.

His life changed in 2012 when Jumping Kids, a charity that helps children with disabilities in South Africa, offered to assist him with prosthetics to walk.

“When I got this opportunity, I decided I got to make the most of it,” he concluded.

@JohanSnyders, Cathy Landsberg and #NtandoMahlangu before the #Tokyo2020 #Paralympics Opening Ceremony starts #TeamSA #BringingBackUbuntu pic.twitter.com/yetUpoqQqD

— Jumping Kids (@JumpingKidsSA) August 24, 2021