Manyonga bids Tuks and Pretoria farewell
The current world long jump champion, Luvo Manyonga, decided to leave Tuks and Pretoria and move to the Eastern Cape to be closer to his family.
World long jump champion, Luvo Manyonga, has decided to cut his ties with the University of Pretoria and move to Port Elizabeth.
His agent, Lee-Roy Newton, indicated that one of the main reasons for Manyonga’s decision is because he wants to be closer to his family.
Toby Sutcliffe, the acting CEO of TuksSport, said he respects Manyonga’s decision.
“We wish Luvo all the best for the future and hope that he will continue to dominate the world of athletics. I think it has been an exciting two years for everyone at TuksSport who has been involved with Manyonga. Together with Manyonga they indeed shifted the boundaries of international long jumping,” said Sutcliffe.
Manyonga became the first male athlete from TuksAthletics to win a world title when he won the long jump in London earlier this year. The only other Tuks athlete to have won a world title since 1992 was Caster Semenya by winning the 800m in 2009 in Berlin.
The star athlete did more than just to win a title. He revived international long jumping by becoming the first athlete since 2010 to go past 8.50m. His best effort of 8.65m is an African and South African record. He also has one of the longest winning streaks. After winning the Diamond League Final in Zurich, he extended his unbeaten record to ten victories.
Another highlight for Manyonga and his TuksSport support team was winning a silver medal at last year’s Olympic Games in Rio.
His coach, Neil Cornelius, also made local athletics history by being the youngest South African coach (aged 29) to have coached a world champion.
Manyonga’s decision to leave Tuks means that he is no longer eligible for accolades at the TuksSports Colours and Awards function. The recipient of this coveted award is expected to be a brand ambassador for the University of Pretoria for the next twelve months.
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