Ntando Mahlangu snatches another gold medal at the Paralympic Games
Although slow out the blocks, Ntando Mahlangu made the final stretch count to win gold in the men’s 200m (T61) final on Friday at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
South Africa’s Ntando Mahlangu and Great Britain’s Richard Whitehead racing to the finish line in the T61 Men’s 200m race at the Tokyo Paralympics. Picture: @TeamSA2020/Twitter.
JOHANNESBURG/CAPE TOWN – South Africa’s Ntando Mahlangu claimed his second gold medal of the Tokyo Paralympics on Friday by winning the 200m in the T61 category after he had won one in the long jump days earlier.
The 19-year-old, who is a record holder in the event, sped to the finish line in a time of 23.59 ahead of the two-time men’s 200m (T61) Paralympic gold medallist and four-time world champion Great Britain’s Richard Whitehead.
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A smiling Mahlangu said after the race: “The gold medals aren’t mine, this one represents home. I hope these medals can bring a lot of positivity back home. Coming into this competition, I had a lot to do with not running for myself but running for Team South Africa and I think that’s the most important thing.”
He went on to say: “I hope the people back home have a nice weekend. I think this is a good way to start the weekend.”
South Africa now have four gold medals and six in total – the team are now sitting in 28th place on the medals table.
Mahlangu had won silver in this distance back at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio.
Friday’s race was a reversal of the gold and silver medal from the Rio 2016 Games when Ntando – at the age of 14 – come second to Whitehead.
In other track action, Tebogo Mofokeng finished fourth in an African record 50.09sec in the men’s 400m (T62) final, with fellow Team SA athlete Daniel du Plessis placing seventh in 53.56.
And Charl du Toit finished fourth in his men’s 200m (T37) heat in 24.04sec and narrowly missed out on a place in the finish.
26 years between them
Ntando Mahlangu
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