The 2021 Toyota South African Sports Association for the Physically Disabled (SASAPD) National Championships showcases outstanding athletes – such as Mpumelelo “Mpumi” Mhlongo, Puseletso Mabote and Simoné Kruger …
Mpumelelo “Mpumi” Mhlongo, Puseletso Mabote and Simoné Kruger all have to things in common: resilience and determination.
Mpumi was never expected to walk, let alone run, when he was born with amniotic band syndrome, resulting in clubfoot and a right leg that was shorter than his left.
Growing up, though, Mpumi’s close-knit community of family and friends fostered his spirit of resilience and he took his first steps at the age of six. “My mother was my childhood protagonist, making decisions to push me to go out and find my inspiration,” he says. “I learned to be prepared to seize any opportunity. For athletes, I think dreams are vital, but it is also important to focus on setting goals to which you can hold yourself accountable.”
This sentiment shows what makes Mpumi such a significant role model for all South Africans, regardless of any disabilities or interests in sport. In fact, his favourite recent career highlight didn’t even take place on the track, as he was incredibly proud to be awarded the 2020 Ministerial Commendation Award, in recognition of his services to sport and the community.
Away from athletics, Mpumi is set to complete a PhD in chemical engineering at the University of Cape Town (UCT) this year. He also does a lot of advocating for South Africa’s disabled community, including starting the #someonwhocares online campaign in 2019 to shine a light on those persons living with disabilities.
You can expect to hear much more from this impressive young man, who in 2019 alone was named Western Cape Sportsman of the Year with a Disability, one of News 24’s “100 Young Mandelas”, and one of the Mail & Guardian’s “100 Young South Africans”.
Puseletso Mabote’s story is equally inspirational. When he was just five years old, a truck driver lost control of his vehicle and rammed into Puseletso on his way to school. Puseletso lost his right leg above the knee and spent the next three years struggling to get around on crutches. Despite this considerable challenge, Puseletso has become a successful athlete – and his goal is to inspire young South Africans living with physical challenges.
“It was a traumatic experience for my whole family,” says the Grade 9 pupil, who will be competing in the men’s T-63 100m and long jump events at the Toyota SASAPD National Championships. “In 2013, my Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr. Brooke Puttergill, referred me to the Jumping Kids Prosthetic Fund. Thanks to her, I became a beneficiary of the fund.”
With the fund’s support, Puseletso was fitted with his first high activity prosthesis (also known as a blade) and was introduced to track and field athletics to help strengthen his core muscles and assist him to get a handle on his new prosthetic equipment.
Puseletso wasn’t really interested in athletics until Jumping Kids founder Johan Snyders introduced him to it, but suddenly a whole new world opened up to him: “I was shy, and I didn’t have much confidence. Becoming part of a team and seeing that being different is okay helped me a lot. Now, I am proud to be who I am.”
Like many others, Puseletso looks up to teammate and role model, Paralympian Ntando Mahlangu. “Just like Ntando inspired me, I want to inspire more kids living with physical challenges to dream big, even though they may be different,” he says.
When asked about his personal career highlight so far, Puseletso has no hesitation. “Definitely when I broke the men’s 200m T63 World Record at the 2019 World Para Athletics Junior Championships in Nottwil, Switzerland. It was unexpected and a great moment,” he enthuses.
Like Puseletso, Simoné Kruger has overcome adversity and achieved a great deal. At just 16 years old, Simoné Kruger already has a glittering array of successes and medals to her name, having taken part in her first SASAPD Championships in 2016 aged just 11.
The following year, Simoné won four golds and shattered the U/16 National records for discus, shot put and javelin, while in 2018, she won gold medals for both discus and shotput at the senior SASAPD Nationals and the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports (IWAS) Junior World Games in Ireland.
Competing in F-38 shot put and discus, Simoné has continued her upward trajectory, becoming a double world record holder in 2019. She now holds both the junior and senior discus world records as well as the senior African shotput record, breaking the women’s F-38 discus world record four times in 2019 alone.
Simoné has hemiplegia – resulting from a stroke she suffered while still in the womb, which cut off all communication from the left of her brain. This meant that she had to retrain the whole right side of her body. “I needed a stimulation machine to learn to walk,” she says. “Probably my biggest challenge when I started sport was learning how to control my balance. But my faith has kept me strong. ‘Do your best and God will do the rest’ has always been my motivation.”
Glenn Crompton, Vice President for Sales and Marketing at Toyota South Africa Motors, says that people such as Mpumelelo “Mpumi” Mhlongo, Puseletso Mabote and Simoné Kruger are the reason why the company sponsors the SASAPD Nationals. “They are absolute inspirations! At Toyota, we believe that movement and mobility are all around us. Sport has the power to connect people. This is where we learn the true power of sport – it can challenge us, inspire us and, most importantly, unify us,” he says.
“As the Worldwide Official Mobility Partner of the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee, Toyota shares the vision to inspire people to push onward – past their finish line, past their impossible. We have seen so many examples of people achieving the impossible at the Paralympics and also at the Toyota SASAPD National Championships,” adds Crompton.
All eyes will be on Mpumi, Puseletso and Simoné at the 2021 Toyota SASAPD Nationals. Having previously set T-44 world records in the 100m, 200m and long jump, and collecting five international championship medals, Mpumi can’t wait to get back to competing.
“Obviously, the build-up to the Nationals has been incredibly difficult for everyone. With regulations constantly changing, scheduling training has sometimes been a bit of a nightmare,” he says. “But to be honest, I just want to run and hopefully inspire people. Right now, we all need some hope. The Nationals can be the first ray of light that we, as a community, can shine on South Africa.”
Puseletso feels confident going into this year’s Nationals. “Although the coronavirus pandemic halted plans, I remained active and feel like I am in good shape,” he says, adding that he hopes to better his world rankings in the T63 long jump and 100m, for a chance to represent South Africa at the Paralympics.
Simoné feels mentally and physically ready and confident ahead of the 2021 Toyota SASAPD Nationals. She has been working hard on her technique with her coaches: “At this stage, I’m actually throwing further than before lockdown! But there’s still more work to be done for the Nationals and then focusing on the Paralympics,” she says.
We wish all three incredible athletes great success at the 2021 Toyota SASAPD Nationals!
