Luvo Manyonga Returned From Meth Addiction To Earn Olympic Silver

Luvo Manyonga Returned From Meth Addiction To Earn Olympic Silver

Three years ago, Luvo Manyonga suffered from a meth addiction. This summer, he returned to earn an Olympic silver medal. Donald McRae detailed his inspiring story in The Guardian.

Dec 6, 2016 by Taylor Dutch
Luvo Manyonga Returned From Meth Addiction To Earn Olympic Silver
Luvo Manyonga may be 25 years old, but he has already overcome an immense struggle to reach the top. Donald McRae of The Guardian wrote a feature that details the South African's journey from meth addition to an Olympic silver medal, and it is awe-inspiring. 

"Manyonga talks with a Bolt-like conviction which only a gifted young athlete can carry off with style when he smiles as easily as this reborn Olympian," McRae wrote. 

Three years ago, Manyonga was deep in a meth addiction, which left the 2011 world finalist isolated and near-death. But with the help of former Irish street-sweeper and Coney Island strongman John McGrath, Manyonga was brought back to health and is now jumping better than ever before. 

In Rio this past summer, Manyonga made his comeback by finishing second to Jeff Henderson of the United States and ahead of defending world champion Greg Rutherford of Great Britain. Manyonga's jump of 8.37m was a then-personal best and marked his first competitive season since 2012. He continued the momentum post-Olympics with a shocking 8.48m victory at the Brussels Diamond League meeting. For Manyonga, "a miracle happened" in the moment when he smashed his personal best yet again and completed a triumphant return.
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"I can be the best jumper in the world right now," Manyonga told McRae. "It won't take me long. By next year you will see flames."

From the University of Pretoria's High Performance Center to the meth-riddled township of Mbekweni in South Africa, McRae interviewed those involved in Manyonga's comeback--the first being McGrath who went "looking for Luvo" in 2013 at a time when his success had been a distant memory. The two spent a few hard years working together in which Manyonga regained the strength to begin competing again. 

McRae interviewed McGrath despite being discouraged from emphasizing the role of anyone who may have helped Manyonga get through his addiction. McRae details the conversation he had with Manyonga's current agent Lee-Roy Newton, who explained to McRae the need to "change the narrative" for fear of negative stories turning away potential sponsors. 

In response, McRae wrote honestly, "I respect Newton's professionalism and desire to create fresh opportunities for Manyonga--but it would be pointless to write about the athlete in a vacuum. There are countless other Olympic medalists but interest in Manyonga stems from his admirable ability to overcome his mistakes and years of adversity."

Read McRae's full feature in "From Crystal Meth To Olympic Glory: The Recovery And Rise Of Luvo Manyonga."