"Driven by possibility, not circumstance."
 
Mpumelelo “Mpumi” Mhlongo is a South African Paralympic sprinter and long jumper whose story embodies the spirit of resilience, excellence, and boundless possibility. Born with Amniotic Band Syndrome (ABS) and a clubfoot, Mpumi defied medical expectations to become a two-time Paralympian, multiple world record holder, and global ambassador for hope and human potential.
 
Competing in the T44 classification, Mpumi has rewritten the history books of para-athletics. He holds world records in the 100m, 200m, and long jump, maintaining an unbeaten streak in major competitions for over a decade. At the 2024 Paris Paralympics, he made history once again — winning gold in the 100m T44 (South Africa’s first medal of the Games) and bronze in the 200m T64, shattering yet another world record. His achievements earned him the Shield of Jove, South Africa’s highest sporting honour, presented by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
 
Beyond the Paralympic stage, Mpumi is the reigning world champion in the 100m T44 from both the 2023 Paris and 2024 Kobe World Para-Athletics Championships. His dominance in track and field has been recognised with numerous accolades, including being named South Africa’s Sportsman of the Year with a Disability for two consecutive years (2024 and 2025) at the African Union Sports Council Region 5 Annual Sports Awards.
 
But Mpumi’s brilliance extends beyond the track. He is a doctoral candidate in Chemical Engineering at the University of Cape Town, specialising in waste-to-energy conversion — a field that bridges science, sustainability, and innovation. In recognition of his academic and social leadership, he was listed among the Mail & Guardian’s Top 200 Young South Africans and News24’s 100 Young Mandelas in 2019. He also received the 2020 Western Cape Ministerial Commendation Award for outstanding contributions to sport and community upliftment.
 
In 2022, Mpumi became an Investec-sponsored athlete, a partnership that symbolises his alignment with Investec’s ethos of “out of the ordinary” performance and purpose. As he continues his journey of excellence, Mpumi represents more than athletic prowess — he stands as a beacon of African excellence, global innovation, and the transformative power of perseverance.
 
From the lanes of global stadia to the halls of academia, Mpumelelo Mhlongo continues to inspire audiences worldwide with his message: “Greatness is not about what happens to us, but how we choose to respond.”

Highlighted Corporate Keynote Addresses:
 
1. Adidas Leadership Conference 2026 – Phuket, Thailand
2. United Nations Global Africa Business Initiative 2025 – New York, United States of America
3. Boschendal’s 340th Anniversary Celebration – Franschhoek, South Africa
4. DGB National Conference 2025 – Somerset West, South Africa
5. Forvis Mazars Conference 2026 – Sun City Resort, South Africa
6. CSEM 2025 Conference: 2nd College of Sports and Exercise Medicine of South Africa – Sandton, South Africa
7. Spar Regional AGM 2025 – Gqeberha, South Africa
8. Attacq National Conference 2025 – Midrand, South Africa
 
Highlighted Corporate Panel Discussions:
 
9. October Health x GIBS Workplace Wellbeing Index Launch 2025 (Panel: Leadership in the age of mental fitness)
10. Vodacom - Conversations in Leadership 2025
11. GIBS MBA Panel – Leadership in Sport 2025

"Driven by possibility, not circumstance."
 
Mpumelelo “Mpumi” Mhlongo is a South African Paralympic sprinter and long jumper whose story embodies the spirit of resilience, excellence, and boundless possibility. Born with Amniotic Band Syndrome (ABS) and a clubfoot, Mpumi defied medical expectations to become a two-time Paralympian, multiple world record holder, and global ambassador for hope and human potential.
 
Competing in the T44

PRESENTATIONS by Mpumelelo Mhlongo
At the centre of my talk is a lived truth: no meaningful success is ever built alone. I am the product of a community that chose possibility over limitation. A family, teachers, teammates, and coaches who consistently saw who I could become, not only what I was born with. Their belief created the conditions in which my own belief could take root.
 
As a child born with a disability, I was raised by people who refused to define me by absence or deficit. In school, teachers helped translate the disciplines of sport (focus, consistency, accountability, etc.) into the academic classroom, proving that excellence is transferable when environments are intentional. In sport, coaches and teammates built a culture where preparation was shared, standards were collective, and success was planned together. World records, championships, and Paralympic titles were never individual achievements; they were the outcome of a system built on trust, commitment, and unwavering dedication.
 
My talk, at its core, represents what becomes possible when communities operate from abundance, when effort is multiplied through collaboration, and belief is reinforced through belonging.

Further Detailed Breakdown:
 
Typically, I invite the audience to engage with a principle that elite sport has taught me repeatedly: lasting success is less about chasing outcomes and more about deliberately becoming the person capable of sustaining them. Medals, titles, and targets are by-products. Character, habits, and values are the real work. When we focus only on outcomes, we lose the joy of mastering the basics. When we focus on who we are becoming, performance follows.
 
The first part of the talk speaks to my formative years. I was born with a disability, into a world that quietly expected limitation. My mother responded by naming me Success. That decision shaped my earliest understanding of leadership and identity: the words we use define the standards we live by. Confidence, I learned, is not loudness or bravado, it is alignment between belief and action. Doubt destroys more futures than failure ever will because failure refines us, while doubt prevents us from starting. This part challenges the audience to interrogate the internal narratives that shape their decisions, behaviours, and values.
 
The second part unfolds in high school, where my life changed not through talent, but through structure and accountability. Sport taught me discipline, feedback, and consistency, skills I learned to apply in the classroom and beyond. It was here that I discovered a critical leadership truth: ambition without action creates anxiety, and growth demands coachability. The most impactful people I encountered, particularly my teachers, did not lower standards; they raised them. This part reframes excellence as a daily practice rather than an inherited trait.
 
The final part traces a ten-year journey to our 3rd Paralympic Games. While medals are the visible outcome, the true work happened far from the spotlight. Elite performance requires deep-rooted self-belief, mental resilience, and the courage to prepare without guarantees. Pressure does not build character, it reveals it. I explore why fortune consistently rewards fearless preparation, and how leaders can train the inner stability required to navigate uncertainty, setbacks, and high-stakes decision-making.
 
I would like to think of the above as not a talk about sport. Rather one of the truths on becoming, that sport has taught us, specifically on how elite performers build the internal capacity to perform consistently, lead with integrity, and remain grounded when outcomes are uncertain. These principles belong as much in leadership and life as they do on the track.

PRESENTATIONS by Mpumelelo Mhlongo
At the centre of my talk is a lived truth: no meaningful success is ever built alone. I am the product of a community that cho