Manyonga in line for Laureus recognition
South Africa’s world champion long jumper Luvo Manyonga is in contention for the Laureus Best Sporting Moment of the Year in the November competition.
Manyonga overcame addiction to the deadly recreational drug ‘tik’ and leapt to glory at the World Athletics Championships in London in August, rounding off one of the most incredible sporting moments of 2017.
Manyonga now considers himself as an example to young South Africans, believing that if you set your mind to something positive, the opportunities are endless.
“It’s an honour for me to be in contention for such a meaningful award, one which celebrates everything positive about sport and its ability to do good around the world.
“I would like to send a message to young people around the world to believe in themselves and that with hard work and resilience, they can be whatever they want to be in life.”
Each month, from August to December, the public can select their favourite moment from a shortlist of six videos, chosen by the sporting legends of the Laureus World Sports Academy.
The five monthly winners will then go head-to-head in a final public vote, with the winner being announced at the 2018 Laureus Awards ceremony.
Another South African Ron Rutland and his Hong Kong-born partner Adam Rolston are also in the running for the November award. Rutland and Rolston have been nominated for the ‘The Longest Hole’ after they completed golf’s longest hole in 80 days across Mongolia.
Their jaunt came to an end in September and it helped to raise funds for Laureus, which runs children’s sports charities worldwide