Mpumelelo Mhlongo

Paralympian athlete Mpumelelo Mhlongo was born with amniotic band syndrome which is a rare condition caused by strands of the amniotic sac that separate and entangle digits, limbs, or other parts of the fetus. He has a deformed club foot.

The 25-year-old from Klaarwater in Durban competed in his first Paralympic Games in Rio in 2016.

He has been instrumental in lobbying the International Paralympic Committee to revisit their classification rules and separate blade runners and jumpers from people with lower limb deficiencies.

Mpumelelo competed in the 100m, 200m and 300m long and high jump events. He is the world record holder for long jump at the Grosseto Grand Prix that took place in Italy in June.

Mpumelelo is pursuing his PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University of Cape Town.

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