AFTER a successful five hour operation to repair damage to his lower right leg following an early morning saw attack while training, triathlete Mhlengi Gwala is focused on his recovery.
Gwala’s recovery will be overseen by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Sport and Recreation-backed Elite Athlete Development Programme (EADP), of which he has been a member of since 2016.
Team South Africa’s Olympic Doctor Kevin Subban visited him in his Durban hospital on Thursday to guide his recovery and rehabilitation plans.
“Considering the extent of the injury to his right calf, where he was cut right to the bone through nerves and blood vessels and the three main muscle groups, the surgery took around five hours to complete,” said Subban.
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The 26 year old has already regained feeling in his right foot, which has the medical team optimistic about his chances of recovery.
Subban said Gwala’s strong character would be an asset in his recovery.
“From a personality perspective he is such a brilliant guy. All the other guys that are here and part of the EADP look up to him,” said Subban.
Gwala’s recovery and rehabilitation will be driven by the EADP team at Prime Human Performance Institute based at Durban’s Moses Mabhida Stadium.
“The positive is that the muscles will heal faster but the concern is the neural side. The nerves will take longer to heal and sometimes they don’t heal 100 percent. That, in my opinion, is our greatest concern at this stage,” Subban explained.
Police investigating the attack have yet to give any idea of motive for the incident, but friends and supporters of Gwala says it won’t deter their approach to triathlon training.
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