Athletics SA not giving up on troubled long jumper Luvo Manyonga

Athletics SA has not given up on troubled long jumper Luvo Manyonga competing internationally again.

Manyonga won the long jump silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, gold at the 2017 World Championships in London and gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia, but has struggled with drug addiction for more than a decade.    

In 2021 Manyonga was handed a four-year ban that runs until midnight on December 22 2024 for not taking doping tests. As a result, he missed last year’s Tokyo Olympics and will also miss the Paris 2024 Games. 

Asked to give an update on Manyonga’s whereabouts, Athletics SA president James Moloi said the association has been in contact with the athlete and his family and is committed to seeing him back in action.

“We met Luvo and his family in May in Cape Town and he told us he was going to do a traditional ceremony but was doing very well,” Moloi said.

“We told the family we are not going to disturb or interfere with their traditional ceremony and asked them to report to us at their convenience. They told us they will report to us before the end of December to tell us how far he is.

“The fact that we went all the way to Cape Town to meet him and his family shows that we are available and willing to help him. We need him to come back because his return to action will also serve as an example to other athletes.”

Manyonga is 31 and will turn 34 on January 8 2025, days after his ban ends. Moloi believes the athlete has the ability to return to top competition if he starts working towards it now.

“He is banned until 2024, but if we can start working on him now he will be able to come back after serving the ban,” Moloi said.

“Everybody around the world loves him. He is still very young. When you have a child who is misbehaving you have to help him or her.”

Asked about a success-starved past international season for SA, Moloi admitted it was not good enough from the country’s athletes and said Athletics SA will focus on helping them via the elite programme next season.

“The season was not good, but you learn from your mistakes. The only person who was there and doing well was Akani Simbine, but we have said to the athletes they must tell us what they need so we can give it to them to correct the situation.

“The elite programme is starting next year, the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee [Sascoc] managed to get sponsors and will assist elite athletes.

“We are going to identify athletes for the programme at the end of November. We are going to have a meeting with their coaches first, put the programme together and then send it to Sascoc,” Moloi said.