Mhlongo gets surprise 200m bronze after fourth place

Mpumelelo Mhlongo came fourth as he won the 200m bronze dramatically at the Paralympics on Saturday, taking Team SA’s haul to six medals.

Mhlongo, categorised as a T44 athlete and competing in the tougher T64 class, clocked a 22.62sec world record as he crossed the line fourth.

But second-placed German Felix Streng was disqualified for a lane infringement, which promoted Mhlongo, the T44 100m champion in Paris, to the podium.

Sherman Guity Guity of Costa Rica won in 21.32sec, with Levi Vloet of the Netherlands second in 22.47.

Collen Mahlalela ended seventh in the men’s T47 400m in 49.95. 

Earlier in the evening swimmer Christian Sadie had to settle for fifth spot in a tight S7 men’s 50m butterfly final, touching in a 29.94 African record behind Ukrainian Andrii Trusov (28.75), Carlos Zarate of Colombia (29.08) and neutral Russian Egor Efrosinin (29.69). American Evan Austin was fourth (29.89).

Meanwhile, when you’re throwing a discus nearly 40m, 6cm doesn’t sound an awful much but it is. It was the margin that decided the destiny of the women’s F38 discus Paralympic gold medal on Friday night.

Gold went to the brilliant young South African Simone Kruger, the pre-event favourite and a teenager with ice in her veins. She found herself in a dogfight for the medals and yet held her composure like a veteran in front of another huge Paris crowd.

For the past 10 years she has been travelling every Sunday an hour by car to Ruimsig and another hour back home with her dad, and coach, Andries, and the journey to Paralympic gold has taken 12 years.

Now still only 19, Kruger is the world champion, world record holder, Paralympic champion and Paralympic record holder, her winning throw of 38.70m being 4.97m further than Rosa Castro’s gold medal win in Tokyo three years ago.

This was the strongest Paralympic F38 discus field yet, a field of 14 whittled down to eight after three of the six throws. Gold at Tokyo 2020 would only have earned seventh place in Paris, though weather conditions were better here than they were then.

“This gold is for my coach Pierre Blignaut who passed last December. Also for my grandfather who we also lost. There’s so many people who have stood with me on my journey, and this just feels amazing,” Kruger said, draped in the SA flag.

“I wouldn’t have been able to do this without support from home. My mum and my sister made their first overseas trip to see me compete. It made me feel so much more relaxed knowing they were here. It was amazing to have them in the stadium.”

Kruger was in third place after her first effort, moved up to second after the second round and her third attempt was the gold medal winner.