15 Facts About Luvo Manyonga

Luvo Manyonga was born on 8 January 1991 and is a South African track and field athlete who specialises in the long jump.

Luvo Manyonga won the 2017 World Championship in London and the 2018 Commonwealth Games title in the Gold Coast, Australia.

Luvo Manyonga was the Olympic silver medallist in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.

Luvo Manyonga competed at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, placing fifth.

Luvo Manyonga was the runner-up at the 2016 African Championships in Athletics.

Luvo Manyonga had his first international success at the 2009 African Junior Athletics Championships.

Luvo Manyonga arrived on the senior international scene in the 2011 season.

Luvo Manyonga was runner-up at the DecaNation in his last top level performance of the year.

In 2012, Luvo Manyonga opened his season with an eight-metre jump but struggled with the pressure of managing his prize money, as friends and family became financially dependent on him.

Around this time, Luvo Manyonga became addicted to tik, a local form of crystal meth, which he had first tried in 2011.

That same year, Smith died in a car crash on his way to visit Luvo Manyonga, who, spiraling again, missed the memorial after relapsing.

Luvo Manyonga faltered at the South African Athletics Championships, mistiming his jumps and ending in 13th place.

Luvo Manyonga entered the 2016 Rio Olympics ranked in the world's top ten jumpers.

Luvo Manyonga won the gold at the 2017 World Championships in London, jumping 8.48 metres.

Luvo Manyonga went to win the gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, jumping a games record of 8.41 metres in the final.