Paralympian breaks the mould
Mpumelelo 'Mpumi' Mhlongo is an exceptionally talented all-rounder and leader. He grew up in Pinetown and matriculated with seven distinctions in 2012 from Kearsney College.
LOCAL athlete and Kearsney Old Boy, Mpumelelo ‘Mpumi’ Mhlongo set a new Paralympic record for the T44 class in the men’s 100m T64 final at the Paralympics in Tokyo on Monday, August 30.
Finishing fifth in 11.03 secs in the final, he broke his own Paralympic record. He also holds the T44 world record of 11.00 secs, which he set in 2019 for that distance.
Mhlongo competed in the long jump this Wednesday, September 1.
An exceptionally talented all-rounder and leader, Mhlongo grew up in Pinetown and matriculated with seven distinctions in 2012 from Kearsney College.
He was head of house, head of the acclaimed Kearsney College choir that won gold at the World Choir Games, captain of the school’s 2nd soccer team and a top academic, achieving academic honours Cum Laude.
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Mhlongo speaks six languages, English, Afrikaans, Xhosa, isiZulu, French and Portuguese, and is a five-time Sportsperson of the Year at the University of Cape Town, where he studied for a PhD in chemical engineering, focusing on converting recycled plastic to diesel.
He was born with a congenital disorder that left his right foot severely deformed and the chance of amputation strong, and the development of his fingers was also affected.
His commitment to athletic training at the highest international level, while completing his PhD, was undertaken in tandem with raising awareness for those with disabilities, as well as seeking to improve the healthcare space in South Africa.
In 2019, his recognition as a Young Mandela, and being included on the Mail and Guardian 200 Young South Africans list, were the result of his lobbying of the International Paralympic Committee to revise their classification rules, and to separate blade runners and jumpers from people with lower limb deficiencies.
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