Mahlalela pushing for gold in Paris to build his family a home 

By Doreen Mokgolo

Collen Mahlalela, a 400-metre para-athlete, has a dream for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games – to win a gold medal and the R400,000 prize money to build a proper house for his family. 

He is one of the 26 athletes representing South Africa in the international games, which will run from 28 August to 8 September in France.

Mahlalela, 28, was born without his right arm and won a silver medal in May at the Para Athletics World Championships in Kobe, Japan, with a time of 48.66 seconds. 

This achievement took his international ranking from 28th to fourth.

In an interview with Scrolla.Africa, Mahlalela said he was excited about reaching this milestone. 

“Every athlete wants to be seen competing on this stage. This is a dream come true for me as I have been working hard towards this goal for four years,” he said. 

Mahlalela’s goals go beyond the track, as he hopes to improve his family’s living conditions through his performance in Paris.

“I plan to win the gold medal and use the prize money to build a house for my family and maybe start a small business to sustain us. 

“No one in my family works; we survive on my disability grant and the social grant for my sister’s children. The money is not enough to sustain a family of six,” he said. 

“I have been working towards this dream since I started running professionally in 2021 and keep pushing myself hard to make it a reality.”

Pictured above: Collen Mahlalela  

Source: Supplied