At just 14 years old, Ntando Mahlangu, a South African long jumper and sprinter, won a silver medal at the Rio Paralympics men's 200m. He is now ready to take it one step further at the Games in Tokyo.
He is now aiming for gold in the T61 category [for athletes with double-leg amputation above and below the knee] this time.
It is possible to argue that there has never been a South African Paralympic Star better placed than Oscar Pistorius. He was a national hero who murdered his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day 2013.
Pistorius was always compared to Mahlangu (19 years old). Both are double amputees because of fibular hemimelia, where babies are born without calf bone -- Pistorius was amputated below the knee, and Mahlangu was above.
In his last year of high school, Mahlangu insists that there are many differences between them and that his story is the best, even though he has to ignore the Pistorius-shaped elephant.
"It's not logical for me to tell another person's story about how they got there and then try to claim that mine is the same." ESPN's Mahlangu stated that Pistorius and she live in two worlds, with different things.
"I don’t believe it [being compared] should be a problem. It's simply that people connect the dots in the way they choose. People tend to get frustrated and [take it wrongly] if they aren't happy with the process.
"All you have to do is tell people that I am not the person they think I am. This is who I am and what my journey is.
"At a young age, I decided I would call myself Ntando, because I wanted to be the best and I will be the greatest one-day. Not because I'm cocky but because that's what my beliefs are and I want the world to see that you can do anything if your believe in yourself.
"So yes, I would affirm that I am not like anyone else. I am Ntando, the Great.
South Africa's Ntando Mahalangu won T61 200m men's race at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships. He hopes to win it again at the Paralympics Games Tokyo. Moto Yoshimura/Getty Images
Mahlangu, who is now full of confidence, had to learn to believe in himself.
He was wheelchair bound for 10 years until he decided to have his legs amputated. Mahlangu claims that he was bullied by his peers and received prosthetics from charity Jumping Kids.
He said, "It was emotional and physical bullying." It's not uncommon for people to take your stuff and run away. They didn't have legs, so I couldn’t chase them.
"You begin to talk to them, saying, "No, bring back your stuff." It becomes verbal bullying when they say things that hurt you.
"The moment I received my prosthetic legs, I was capable of standing up and saying, "Hey, stop doing that -- it's wrong." I will catch you if you run away.
"I believe the athletic side also had to do my bullying side where I had had to stand up for myself. To get my stuff back, I had to catch him."
Few would have been able, despite being bullied, to see the silver lining in the situation. Mahlangu gained not only athletic prowess but also mental fortitude, and an unshakeable belief in himself.
"It helped me a lot stand up for myself. He said that he believes he is the best T61 athlete anywhere.
"You must say that, and believe it. Because sometimes we don't like to say it. And when you don’t say it, it's impossible to believe it. When people ask me if they want to buy gold, I answer, "Yes, I am going after gold."
Ntando Mahlangu, 10, told his parents that he wanted to have his lower legs amputated so he could get out of his wheelchair. He is seen here looking at his prosthetics just minutes after they were placed. Ntando Mahlangu
However, his motivations have changed. He now looks more outward than ever before and says: "I always give the best when I race, but this 200m I will dedicate to my fellow South Africans in these difficult times. It's not about me. I will run for my country.
"I believe that I won the silver in 2016 for myself. Ntando Mahalangu can also be proud that I achieved that feat. This is so much larger than me right now.
"Watch the 200m on September 3rd, it's Ntando Mahalangu running for a nation. More than 50 million people. It's amazing how important it is to me.
A rule change that placed Mahlangu in the T61 class for amputees with double above-knee has resulted in Mahlangu being exempted from any other sprint events in his class.
Mahlangu stated that he had done long jump since the beginning. However, it was an event that he suffered a lot from, so he stopped doing it.
"Before the classes split, I was able to run in two events. Because I was competing in two events, the 100 and 200, there was no reason to do long jump. They split the class in 2019, so I now only have the 200 and long jump."
Ntando Mahlangu, South Africa, finished fourth in the Men’s long jump T63 final at the World Para Athletics Championships held in Dubai in 2019. KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images
If Mahlangu makes it to the Tokyo podium top step, it will be a proud moment for him and Jumping Kids. It will also be a memorable moment for them both.
Jumping Kids director Michael Stevens stated that he could not be accepted by any school in his province [Mpumalanga], so he was living away from family at a Pretoria school for disabled people, which focuses on mental disability and not physical disability.
There were problems with his education and schooling. We tried to get him into a mainstream school, but no schools would accept him.
"The only alternative we had was Johan (the Jumping Kids founder) fostering Ntando and taking him into his home. Then he could go to the Pretoria school that Johan's children attended."
After his Rio performance, Mahlangu began attending Afrikaanse Hor Seunskool (Affies), a well-respected Afrikaans boys' high school that has a rich sporting heritage and which took note of his athletic achievements.
Mahlangu, who struggled to fit into primary school, was amazed at how warmly he was received at Affies. He said: "They didn’t even care if I was disabled -- they just treated [me] like any other person."
"We had a tradition at school where we were brothers, and they considered me one of their brothers. This tradition is important because you come to school and don't need to teach people how to act. They will treat you just as you are."
Ntando Mahlangu took silver in the 200m T42 race at Rio Paralympics. He was just 14 years old and had only been using prosthetic legs for four years. Alexandre Loureiro/Getty Images
He will be attending the Paralympics while he studies for critical exams that could determine his future. His goal is to study business management at university next year.
Mahlangu, who juggles his athletics and studies, said that it was not an easy job.
Then, I have a week and then I must go back to school. Next, I have two more weeks before I write my final exams. It's extremely difficult - I must study when I'm at Paralympics.
"If it allows me to do what I love, which consists of running on the top stage, then it would be a great thing. Although it was difficult to balance the two, I have reached a point where I can do both. While we all know education is the most important, I try to balance both.
Mahlangu can look up to Samkelo Radebe who won gold in the T42/46 4x100m at Paralympics 2012. Radebe is also an attorney and has achieved success outside of the sport.
Radebe is aware that Mahlangu will face a new challenge if he wins Tokyo gold. Radebe said that he felt "purposeless" as he tried to recreate the excitement of winning in London.
Radebe stated that Mahlangu is under pressure. Richard Whitehead held this title for many years [200 meters].
"[At 2019 World Championships], Ntando took the gold medal at the 200m event, which is fiercely contested in double-leg amputees. Ntando is expected to succeed.
"With his experience, I am confident that he can manage the pressure well after the Games. It is normal and natural to feel empty after a major event. This doesn't necessarily mean there is no purpose to life; it just feels like that.
Ntando Mahlangu has plenty to be proud of in his extraordinary life. He has exams, university and possibly another Paralympics.
