Mhlengi Gwala, the triathlete who tried to cut off his right leg, with his sights set on the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games
He was brutally attacked by three criminals with a chainsaw suffering serious damage to his right leg
Last year, the South African Mhlengi Gwala He was brutally attacked by three criminals with a chainsaw in his hometown of Durban suffering serious damage to his right leg, he was even about to lose it.
Mhlengi, who was 26 when the incident happened, thought they were trying to rob him. He gave them his phone and some money, what he had on him, including his bike, but that was not what the attackers wanted.
The assailants immobilized him, took out a chainsaw and tried to cut off his right leg. They smashed his nerves, blood vessels and severed the three main muscle groups in his limb. According to the medical report, they reached the bone, but the poor state of the weapon did not allow them to finish amputating the limb.
As news of the shocking incident spread around the world, the triathlon family swathed him in, the wave of support helping him with the costs of rehab and moving from one desperate situation to another. Now he sees himself able to run again and dream of representing his country at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo 2020.
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The South African Mhlengi Gwala He came to the triathlon at the age of 23 years, but he recognizes that sport helped him to leave a conflictive moment in his life. His natural talent and dedication have allowed him to compete as an athlete in age groups in the WTS Grand Finals in 2015 and 2017, but in 2018 his life changed forever.
Photo: stadium.ec
