Umthente uhlaba usamila ngoMahlangu
Ukunqoba indondo yesiliva kukaNtando Mahlangu (14) kumaParalympics azosongwa ngeSonto eRio de Janeiro, eBrazil kufakazele isisho sesiZulu esithi ukuwa kwenye indlu ukuvuka kwenye.
Ngesikhathi kuboshwa u-Oscar Pistorius ngecala lokubulala intombi yakhe, iningi kuleli cishe nakwamanye amazwe bese lizitshelile ukuthi ngeke aphinde abe khona omunye umgijimi onezinyawo zokufakelwa oyophinde anqobe izindondo.
Phela ngaphambi kokuthi avalelwe uPistorius ubengelinye lamaqhawe njengoba kusukela aqala ukugijima kuma-Paralympics ngowezi-2004 e-Athens, eGreece unqobele elakuleli izindondo zegolide eziyisi-6. Ngowezi-2012 uqophe umlando eba umgijimi wokuqala okhubazekile ukuncintisana nabasubathi abangenasici sikukhubazeka kuma-Olympics.
Nakuba esekuveze kaningi uMahlangu ukuthi akafuni ukufaniswa noPistorius ngoba uzoba nengcindezi, cishe okwenza abaningi bambone engasivala isikhala sakhe yindlela asheshe walikhombisa ngayo ikhono lakhe.
Akukholakali ukuthi ngesikhathi kudlalwa ama-Olympics ngowezi-2012 eLondon, uMahlangu wayesacathula, efundiswa ukuhamba ngemilenze yokufakelwa. Lo msubathi odabuka eMpumalanga wazalwa nesifo ebesidala ukuthi izinyawo zibe ntekenteke. Impilo yakhe yonke ubesebenzisa isitulo esihambayo. Eneminyaka yobudala eli-10 ucele kubazali bakhe ukuthi anqunywe imilenze ukuze ezokwazi ukufeza iphupho lakhe.
Ukufunda ukuhamba ngowezi-2012, ukunqunywa kwemilenze yakhe ngaphezu kwamadolo nokuqhudelana nezinkakha kulo mdlalo ezifana noDavid Henson, uRichard Whitehead nabanye phezu kokuba eneminyaka yobudala eli-14 nje vo kungesinye sezizathu ebesidala ukuthi anganikwa thuba ebangeni lama-200m T42. Ngesikhathi kuqhuma isibhamu ubonakale ethwele kanzima ejikeni lo mzila wakhe ebelibukeka linzima. Kuthe angaliqeda wabonakala eshwibeka ngamandla kungathi kukhona okumsunduza kumbhekisa emgqeni wokunqoba. Kukhale amakhwela, omama bakikiza kuleli ngenkathi elala indawo yesibili ngesikhathi esiyimi-23.77.
Indawo yokuqala ithathwe uWhitehead ngesiyimi-23.39 bese isithathu salalwa uHanson ngesiyimi-24.74. Ngenxa yeminyaka yakhe yobudala kungenzeka ukuthi amenyezelwe njengomsubathi noma umdlali omncane kunabobonke okwaze ukunqoba indondo kumaParalympics alo nyaka.
Kubukeka uMahlangu ezemidlalo kuyinto azalwe nayo njengoba eneminyaka emibili efunde ukuhamba wanqoba lona isiliva kumaNational Athletics Championships edlala ilong jump.
Nyakenye kumaSASAPD National Athletics Championships uphule amarekhodi amathathu ezwenikazi lase-Afrika kuT42 esigabeni sabangaphansi kwabaneminyaka yobudala engama-20. Kulo mqhudelwano uphinde wanqoba igolide kujavelin Kulo nyaka uphule irekhodi lo mhlaba ebangeni lama-400m T42 enza isikhathi esiyimi-53.19s. Ubengeza kwawaphule ebangeni lama-200m (13.34s), elama-200m (26.20s) nelama-800m (2:14.00s). Phakathi kukaNhlangulana noNtulikazi kuwo lo nyaka kuma-IAWS u/23 World Games uphinde wanqoba igolide ebangeni lama-200m T42 (25.89s) Kanti ngaphambi kokuthi kuqale ama-Olympics unqobe isiliva kumaMuller Annivesary abengoNtulikazi.
Abaningi mhlawumbe bayazibuza ukuthi kungani kuqhakambiswa kangaka ukunqoba kukaMahlangu noma afaniswe noPistorius phezu kokuba bekhona abanye boHlanga asebeke banqobela elakuleli izindondo abafana noTeboho Mokgalagadi, uJohathan Ntuntu, u-Union Sekwailwe nabanye abafana noSamkelo Rodebe. Okwehlukile ngalaba abanye wukuthi kabanqunyiwe imilenze njengoMahlangu noPistorius kodwa banokukhubazeka okufana nokungaboni, ukuba mfishane kwezandla nokunye.
Ngaphandle kukaMahlangu, abanye asebekwaze ukunqobela elakuleli izindondo eBrazil kubalwa uKevin Paul kwezokubhukuda kwabesilisa ebangeni le-100m kubreastroke SB9, uHolton Langenhoven kwabesilisa kulong jump T12, uCharl du Toit kwabesilisa ebangeni le-100m (T37), u-Ilse Hayes kwabesifazane ebangeni le-100m (T13), u-Anrune Liebenberg kwabesifazane ebangeni lama-400m (T45/46/47), umakadebona uFanie van der Merwe kwabesilisa ebangeni le-100m (T37), uTyrone Pillay kwabesilisa kushot put nakuF42 noNtombizanele Situ kwabesifazane kujavelin throw.
Leli phephandaba lilobe elakuleli lilele endaweni yama-27 ngezindondo eziyisi-9. Lisanqobe amagolide amathathu, ezesiliva nezethusi ngesibalo esifanayo.
Indawo yokuqala beyilelwe yiChina ngezingaphezu kweziyi-172, isibili iGreat Britain ngezingama-95, isithathu i-Ukrain ngezingama-81 bese isine kuba yi-United States of America (USA) ngezingama-80.
Izwe lasezwenikazi i-Afrika ebelivela kuqala ekuklelisweni kwamazwe yiNigeria, elele indawo ye-10 ngezili-11, iTunisia ekweye-17 ngezili-14, iKenya ekweyama-36 ngezine bese kuba yi-Algeria ekwayama-39 ngezili-11. Isizathu esidala ukuthi iNigeria neKenya babe phezulu ukunqoba kwabo izindondo zegolide eziningi.
Selokhu elakuleli labuyiselwa kumaParalympics ngowe-1992 eBarcelona, eSpain linqobe izindondo eziyisi-8, ngowe-1996 e-Atlanta, e-USA zibe ngama-28, ngowezi-2000 eSydney, e-Australia zibe yisi-8, ngowezi-2004 e-Athens, eGreece zibe ngama-35, ngowezi-2008 eBeijing, eChina zibe ngama-30 bese kwathi ngowezi-2012 eLondon zaba ngama-29.