South African long jumper Luvo Manyonga is set to compete at the World Indoor Championships in Poland on 22 March, marking his return to the global stage after seven years. The 35-year-old, who has overcome addiction and two suspensions, achieved a season-best jump of 8.11m recently.
Luvo Manyonga, training at Hoërskool Transvalia's high performance centre in Vanderbijlpark, prepares for his first global championship appearance since 2019 under coach Herman Venske. The athlete, who won Olympic silver in Rio 2016 and gold at the 2017 World Championships in London—the first African long jump world champion—faced setbacks from addiction to tik and two bans: an 18-month suspension in 2012 for a positive drug test and a four-year ban from 2020 to 2024 for whereabouts failures. After losing mentor Mario Smith in a 2014 car accident and periods of homelessness and rehab, a violent community incident became his turning point. Signed by World Wide Scholarships in early 2025, Manyonga lives with Venske, lost 16kg through discipline, and placed sixth at the 2025 South African Nationals with 7.68m before his 8.11m jump in Arkansas, ranking him 17th worldwide. 'I got the fame at a young age... nobody was there to assist me with all the pressure,' Manyonga said. Venske described him as 'an exceptional young man' exploited early in his career. Manyonga competes at 8.12pm South African time, aiming for a medal: 'My goal... is just to go collect what is mine.'
