Long-jumper Manyonga vows to reclaim world title after doping ban

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Former long jump world champion Luvo Manyonga has vowed to compete again and reclaim his world title at next year’s World Championships in Japan after his four-year doping ban ends, at the end of the year.

The former Olympic Games silver medalist was slapped with the ban by World Athletics in 2021 for failing to avail himself for three mandatory doping tests.

The 33-year-old, who’s had a well-documented battle with recreational drugs, has been clean for six months and is currently a Clinix Health Group ambassador. Together they aim to help foster empathy and destigmatize addiction and substance use disorders within communities.

Manyonga had the world at his feet when he won the silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Brazil and then became a world champion in London the following year. But everything came crashing down very quickly.

His life spiraled out of control due to his addiction to methamphetamine, a recreational drug he spent millions of rands on.

With his ban set to end in December, he aims to return to the track, because he has unfinished business in athletics. He is targeting the World Championships in Japan next year where he wants to reclaim his title.

“I was big and the world wanted to see me perform. I need to put the last bar next year. It’s World Champs so I want to go and take my gold medal back and after that I will start coaching.”

Despite his advanced age of 33, Manyonga believes he can still compete against much younger athletes on big stages.

“They can say that, but I don’t believe in that as long as you stay healthy and train well, anything is possible. It’s just a theory that people believe in, if you go back to 1991, Mike Powell and Carl Lewis broke world records when they were my age.”

He has been clean for six months but cannot guarantee that he will not relapse.

“I won’t say that I am in a position that I won’t relapse anymore because addiction is something that we fight with every day, so I have been clean for about six months before I came to the Eastern Cape.”

But for now, the former long jump champion feels that he is on the road to recovery as he looks to rebuild his life and revive his career.

“I mean when I was using my life was not clean you can see I look healthy. I am a normal person people can recognize me because I had to carry an ID to support that I am Luvo Manyonga.”

Manyonga may also be venturing into coaching soon.

He was approached by Queens College in Komani to assist in long jump coaching but the college is still waiting for approval from Athletics South Africa to take him on board since he is still serving a ban.