Manyonga has Tokyo gold in sights

Ex-tik user plans to remain focused

SOUTH African Olympic long jump silver medallist‚ Luvo Manyonga‚ plans to make up for lost time and reward himself with gold at the Toyko 2020 Olympic Games.

The 25-year-old says the time he spent out of competition after he was banned for the use of tik not only helped him properly evaluate his life as an athlete but also saved him from certain death.

Manyonga missed the 2012 Olympic Games in London and he says the twoyear ban spent in the wilderness was the turning point.

“Everything happens for a reason‚” Manyonga told the Daily Dispatch.

“I think that was a wakeup call – to be suspended.

“If I had gone to London‚ I would probably be dead by now. The money I would have received there‚ I would probably have smoked it on expensive drugs and be dead now

“I’m alive‚ I’m healthy and I’m grateful about that.”

After the second lease on life‚ which saw the Mbekweni-born jumper return to the professional track early this year after beginning training in mid-2015‚ Manyonga is now confident of claiming gold at the next Olympics.

Manyonga‚ who jumped a distance of 8.37m for the Olympic silver in Rio de Janeiro‚ has other goals in his sights and is planning a bid for the world record (8.95m held by Mike Powell in 1991).

“I’d been telling people here in South Africa even before I went there (to Rio) that I believed in myself. I still believe in myself. I know that I am the best longjumper in the world‚” he said. “The next target is a world record. “I still have about three Olympic Games in me. I just need to keep focused.”

Manyonga is aware that there are distractions that could side track him from his goals‚ but he is set on not losing focus again.

“I know there will be a lot of distractions in my life‚” he said.

“There will suddenly be people who want to be my friends‚ but I’m going to keep the same company that brought me to the position I find myself in now.”

Manyonga does not allow negative talk to overshadow his achievement and instead hopes that his story will motivate others.

Yesterday the silver medallist returned home to Mbekweni‚ in Paarl‚ where he was to be a guest speaker.

He was hoping to convince users to turn their backs on drugs.

“I could make a movie out of my story and hopefully motivate a lot of kids out on the streets.

“I’m going to be passing a message to my community‚ including the guys I was using with: they can make it in life if they believe in themselves.” — TMG Digital