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.
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
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.
Brian Biro can be described as one of today’s most sought-after professional speakers, but he is so much more. He is also a Teambuilding Speaker, a Motivational Speaker, and a Leadership Speaker with the skills, knowledge and experience to truly deliver exceptional results. Companies and organizations who are truly committed to bringing out the best […]
Ugwem Eneyo | The Legacy Project is Nigerian-American engineer, inventor and entrepreneur, currently serving as the co-founder and CEO of SHYFT Power Solutions (formerly known as Solstice Energy Solutions), a venture-backed, award-winning energy technology company. The company is a bi-product of her research as a former Stanford MS/PhD student in Civil & Environmental Engineering. Prior […]
Stuart Turner is hoping he’ll soon be able to see the more of the world from his bedroom. The quadriplegic computer expert is helping to develop technology that will open up new vistas for those unable to travel by projecting what he calls “the extensible self”. Flying a camera mounted drone using just his head […]
Phil has more than 24 years’ experience in the fast-moving consumer goods industry in various senior positions. Phil has previously served as COO – Africa for Coca Cola SABCO and as an Executive Director at Tiger Brands. My Definition Of Success | Success is two-fold. My job is extremely important to me. That said, as […]
Former founder and CEO of the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Institute, founded as the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management and renamed in 2012 to honor Hesselbein’s legacy and ongoing contributions. Frances passed away in 2022. Hesselbein served as the organization’s founding president and chief executive officer from 1990 to 2000 and most recently served […]
Matt Frazier is a marathoner and ultrarunner from Baltimore. His life as an endurance athlete changed when he found that he could run longer and faster on a vegetarian diet. After going vegetarian in March 2009, Frazier qualified for the prestigious Boston Marathon with a time of 3:09:59, more than an hour and a half […]
Claudio Valladares-Padua has bachelors’ degree in Business Administration and Biology. He started his graduate studies at the University of Florida in August, 1984, completed requirements for a Master of Arts degree in January of 1987 and for a Ph.D. in 1992. Claudio is a co-founder and Vice-President of the Board of IPÊ – Instituto de […]
Jon Mooallem is a a contributing writer at New York Times Magazine and writer at large for Pop-Up Magazine. Jon is also the author of American Hippopotamus and Wild Ones. Jon Mooallem Definition Of Success | I used to conflate success with impressing people and accumulating little tokens of prestige. Now, I see success in […]
These remain the property of its owner and are not affiliated with or endorsed by WeSpeak Global.
Our Mission
© All rights reserved 2025. Created using VOXEL THEME
