Nkomazi athlete to participate in Paralympic Games
Collen Mahlalela will fly the South African flag high in Paris and he will continue to put Mpumalanga on the map when he participates.
A professional athlete, Collen Mahlalela, is getting ready for the Paralympic Games Paris 2024.
The games officially start on August 28 and Mahlalela will be part of Team SA.
This medallist from eMasibekela in Nkomazi will be one of those who will fly the Mzansi flag high. He recently won a silver medal in the men’s 400m T47 at the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan, in May.
He participated at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix 2024 in Dubai from February, where he won two medals, a silver and a bronze.
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During an interview with Mahlalela, he said he wants the people of Mpumalanga, the people of Nkomazi and the community members of eMasibekela to know he is going to Paris to get a gold medal.
“I am currently training in Pretoria, getting ready. On arrival, we will go to Montpellier and we will train there until we start with the competition on August 28. I will participate on September 6 and I will be doing my final the next day.”
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Mahlalela is a professional athlete living with a disability.
During a previous interview, he said: “Nothing beats determination and focus. Anyone living with a disability should not allow that to hinder them in any way, because anything is possible if you believe and work on it. My disability was a result of a fire accident that emanated from a paraffin light when I was just four months old. I did not let that deter me from doing what I love and what I am capable of.”
