Luvo Manyonga

Olympic Medalist

About

Six years ago Luvo Manyonga was a crystal meth ‘tic’ addict. Now he is an Olympic silver medalist and his journey from the townships to ‘flying to Rio 2016 glory’ has been well documented across the web.

Luvo Manyonga | The Legacy Project

I feel so blessed to have recently had the privilege of briefly interviewing this extraordinary athlete, and hugely inspiring human, here on The Legacy Project to try and go a bit deeper to find out what he believes contributed towards his Olympic achievement in Rio, where, now almost 3 years later, he is in his life and what it takes for this supreme South African athlete to keep believing that he will still be the first man ever to jump more than 9 metres.

Contact Us at WeSpeak Global and follow us on Twitter

Interview Questions

I think my definition of success has changed over the years. When I was younger success was probably more about my athletic achievements and being the best in the world in long jump.

Although that is still there, now success for me also incorporates elements like happiness, helping others and giving of your best. I know now that no matter how far I jump, success is defined by so much more in life.

If I can inspire others through not only my athletics career, but through the man I am, I think I will have been successful.

Ever since I first competed in the Long Jump at school I have wanted to make the world record my own, and be the first person to jump over 9m.

Those athletic goals get me out of bed every day and help me push through the hard training. But more than that, I am driven by the need to show people that anything is possible if you commit to something and focus on working hard at that thing. I want my life to be an example to others of what is possible.

I love competing and that’s a large part of being successful. I love the pressure moment and competing in front of a packed stadium – the bigger moment the more I enjoy it, and so instead of becoming tense, I can actually relax more and thrive on the atmosphere.

‘You are made for more than this’ given to me by a friend when I was really struggling. It helped me see that I had so much more to achieve and give in both athletics and life.

We all have some self-doubt and negativity sometimes and for me it was probably when I was making a comeback before the Rio Olympic Games.

After a few years away from the sport I wondered how I would do – but I very quickly found the passion for the sport and competing again, and this helped me to focus on training hard and enjoying every minute of being back in the game!

One of the lessons I have learnt is to just focus on yourself and not worry what others are doing. As soon as you start to focus on everybody else you lose sight of what you should be doing.

I still have the World Record to get!

Of course, I want part of my legacy to be that I broke the World Record and became the first person to jump over 9 metres – I want to be known as the best there has ever been in Long Jump.

But I also want my athletics achievements to leave a more meaningful and lasting legacy – a legacy that inspires people to overcome difficulties in life and reach for their own dreams.

Interview Date

  • 2019-06-02

Country

  • South Africa

Gallery

[everest_form id="26923"]

View further interviews.

The Legacy Project

Gary Kirsten is a former South African cricketer and the World Cup winning coach of the Indian Cricket Team. He played 101 Test matches and 185 One-day internationals for South Africa between 1993 and 2004, mainly as an opening batsman. He has recently established a cricket academy named the Gary Kirsten Cricket Academy (GKCA). Kirsten […]

The Legacy Project

Our dream when we started CA Connect was to be the first private SAICA[1]-accredited CTA[2] in South Africa that offered contact education to students who were not able to study on a full-time basis. We wanted to run a programme that was founded on inclusion, support and genuine care taking a fresh look at education, […]

The Legacy Project

Katie Spotz is an adventurer, acclaimed motivational speaker and a passionate safe water advocate. She became the youngest person to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean and was honoured as ‘Woman of the Year” in 2011 not only for her feat but for the inspiring example she sets to others. Katie Spotz Definition Of Success […]

The Legacy Project

Nigel Saval was motivated by his love for surfing and the pivotal role that this sport played in his life, he started the 9 Miles Project in 2013 with the vision of improving the community. The project works with the youth of Strandfontein, Bayview, San Remo and surrounding informal settlements in the Western Cape and […]

The Legacy Project

Pepe Marais is one of SA’s advertising creative icons with a track-record to make anyone in the local advertising landscape swoon with awe, admiration, and to be honest, in my case, a twinge of jealousy. Together with his business partner, he founded the award-winning, highly acclaimed and sought-after agency, Joe Public, whilst still in his […]

The Legacy Project

Severine Autesserre is an Associate Professor of Political Science, specializing in international relations and African studies, at Barnard College, Columbia University (USA). Severine traces civil war and endemic violence to its roots, and its resolution, in local and interpersonal conflicts. Severine Autesserre is Driven By | I am driven by a visceral hatred of violence […]

The Legacy Project

Willis Raburu is one of Citizen TV’s fast rising journalists, based in Nairobi Kenya. A distinctive and versatile TV journalist, he brings a weekly segment on Citizen TV dubbed “TruthMeter” part of Citizen TV’s weekly new prime-time line-up of programming. My Definition Of Success | Success to me used to mean a good house, a […]

Sara Sutton

Sara Sutton Legacy Project is the CEO and founder of FlexJobs, an award-winning, innovative career website for telecommuting, flexible, freelance and part-time job listings, and founder of Remote.co, a one-stop resource for remote teams and companies, and the 1 Million for Work Flexibility initiative. She was named as a Young Global Leader (class of 2014) […]

  • United States
  • Business
Disclaimer
The profiles and images embedded on these pages are from various interviews conducted by The Legacy Project.

These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.

Our Mission

We are your partner creating memorable and engaging experiences that go beyond the event itself.

© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME