Luvo Manyonga has admitted to his constant dedication to staying tik-free. Photo: Roger Sedres/Gallo Images.
Olympic long jump silver medallist Luvo Manyonga flaunted his remarkable talent on Friday, smashing the African long jump record on the first day of the Gauteng North provincial track and field championships in Pretoria.
After opening his season with a leap of 8.46m at the Speed Series meeting in Bloemfontein last week, Manyonga launched a massive 8.62m jump with his first attempt at Tuks Stadium.
The 26-year-old athlete, who returned to competition last year after a four-year hiatus due to a doping sanction and recreational drug addiction, shattered his personal best of 8.48m, set late last year, as well as Khotso Mokoena’s eight-year-old continental record of 8.50m.
He climbed into a tie for 12th place in the global all-time rankings, producing the longest leap in the world since June 2009.
Already tipped as a potential world record holder, Manyonga inched closer to the mark and was just 33cm shy of the 26-year-old global mark of 8.95m held by American Mike Powell.
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