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Mhlongo wins gold in Paris─── MORGAN PIEK 20:00 Sun, 01 Sep 2024
“It’s one step at a time. We did the 100 and got the job done. Now it’s time to recover and refocus as if it never happened, and execute the plan we have been preparing for three years.”
The sprinter, Mpumelelo Mhlongo, won South Africa’s first gold medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris.
Mhlongo ran his season’s best time to win the men’s 100m T44 final on Sunday night for the country’s first medal at the 2024 Paralympics. He won the race in 11.12 seconds to beat Cuba’s Luis Yamel Vives Suares by 0.08 seconds for the gold. Eddy Bernard of the USA took the bronze medal in 11.58 seconds.
?? GOLD for Mpumelelo Mhlongo! ??
— Team South Africa (@OfficialTeamRSA) September 1, 2024
Mpumelelo takes the Men’s 100m T44 Final in a season-best time of 11.12 seconds! ?? A brilliant race for a brilliant athlete. Let’s celebrate this incredible achievement together! ??????#TeamSA #ForMyCountry #MpumeleloMhlongo #Gold pic.twitter.com/jWpPlqIbXo
Mhlongo said being able to win the gold with his family present made the victory even more special. “There is a difference on every occasion. This time, with my wife in the stands, my mother here for the first time ever, and my mother-in-law. Having my family here is everything I could have asked for.
“It’s one step at a time. We did the 100 and got the job done. Now it’s time to recover and refocus as if it never happened, and execute the plan we have been preparing for three years.”
Meanwhile, on Monday morning at 10:11, Louzanne Coetzee will be running in the women’s 1500m T11 final after finishing second fastest in the heats on Sunday morning. The 31-year-old from Bloemfontein will be looking to add to her silver medal in the event she won at the Tokyo Games.
