17-year-old Bongani Mahlangu made his mark claiming three medals at the recent 23rd Nedbank National Championships for the Physically Disabled.
The Grade 11 Zimisele High School learner from Rest In Peace, KwaThema, participated in three-day event, hosted by the Stellenbosch University in Western Cape.
Participating in the U/20 category, Bongani grabbed gold medals in both the 100 metre and 200 metre races, as well as a silver for long jump, after leaping a distance of 4.68m.
The 283 medals won by Gauteng athletes where enough to secure the province the leading position.
Bongani is one of the lower limb amputees, involved with the Icexpress Progressive Prosthetics and Jumping Kids Fund whose members collected 28 medals.
This was Bongani’s third appearance in the championships since he started in 2012, and he has been coming home with medals since then.
He says prior to his car accident, he never played any sport, and says his talent was only discovered when Icexpress gave him a running blade and tested his running speed.
Bongani admits that he has not developed any formula or training schedule and has been relying on talent and hard work on the day to win.
Bongani also adds that he is waiting for the KwaThema Stadium to be reopened, as he is excited about going to train there.
“Having performed well in this championship, I’m now looking to qualify for International competitions, including the 2016 Rio de Janeiro,” concludes the confidant young man.
