Three years ago Luvo Manyonga knew he must change his life or die. In Poland this week, the former world champion makes an extraordinary return to athletics’ top table
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prawled prone in the dirt, the cold metal of a baseball bat cracking against his skull, spine and down to the legs that had once propelled him to glory, Luvo Manyonga experienced an epiphany. This existence could not continue; he must change his life or die.
Manyonga had been a drug addict for as long as he could remember, seeking recreational highs that provided the opposite of the performance-enhancing shortcuts that some of his deceitful athletics rivals might have pursued.
At times, he just about kept his habit in check. Never for long periods – not even when at his sporting peak. But sufficiently enough for him to win South Africa’s first world long jump title in London in 2017, a year after he had claimed Olympic silver in Rio.
