Mbulaeni Tongai Mulaudzi OIB (8 September 1980 – 24 October 2014) was a South African middle-distance runner, and the 2009 world champion in the men's

800 metres The 800 metres, or 800 meters (American and British English spelling differences#-re.2C -er, US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of a ...

. His first global medal was a silver at the

2000 African Championships in Athletics The 12th African Championships in Athletics were held in Algiers, Algeria between 12 and 15 July 2000 at the Stade 5 Juillet 1962. Men's results Field Women's results Track Field Medal table See also *2000 in athletics (track an ...

. He later won a bronze at the

2003 World Championships in Athletics The 9th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held from 23 August to 31 August 2003 in the streets of Paris and the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis, F ...

, which came a year after his victory at the

2002 Commonwealth Games The 2002 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XVII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Manchester 2002, were an international multi-sport event for the members of the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth held in Manchester, England, ...

. Mulaudzi was a gold medallist at the

2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships The 10th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) were held in the Budapest Arena, Hungary between March 5 and March 7, 2004. A total off 139 countries were r ...

and won two further silver medals at the competition in 2006 and 2008. He was a runner-up at continental level on three occasions, taking the 800 m silver at the

African Championships in Athletics The African Championships in Athletics is a continental athletics event organized by the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA), the continental association for the sport in Africa. Since its inaugural edition in 1979 it was at first organis ...

in 2000 and at the

All-Africa Games The African Games, formally known as the All-Africa Games or the Pan African Games, are a continental multi-sport event held every four years, organized by the African Union with the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa and the ...

in 2003 and 2007. He carried the flag for his native country at the opening ceremony of the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

, where he became an Olympic silver medallist. His personal best for the 800 m was 1:42.86 minutes. He ranked first on time in the 2006 and 2007 seasons, becoming the first Black South African to achieve such a feat.

Career

Born in Muduluni,

Transvaal Province The Province of Transvaal (), commonly referred to as the Transvaal (; ), was a province of South Africa from 1910 until 1994, when a new constitution subdivided it following the end of apartheid. The name "Transvaal" refers to the province's ...

, he had his first success as a teenager at the

1999 African Junior Athletics Championships The 1999 African Junior Athletics Championships was the fourth edition of the biennial, continental athletics (sport), athletics tournament for African athletes aged junior athletics, 19 years or younger. It was held in Tunis, Tunisia, from 22–2 ...

, where he won the 800 m title. His first senior international medal was a silver at the

. He competed at the

2001 World Championships in Athletics The 8th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between 3 and 12 August 2001 and was the first time the event ...

and finished sixth in his first global final. At his first

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

, Mulaudzi was first past the finish line to become the 2002 Commonwealth champion in the 800 m. He won a bronze medal at the 2003 World Championships the following year, in addition to a silver medal from the

2003 All-Africa Games The 8th All Africa Games, also known as Abuja 2003, were held from 5–17 October 2003 in Abuja, Nigeria. 53 countries participated in 23 sports. The main venue was the newly constructed Abuja Stadium. The organizing committee was headed by N ...

. He came to prominence in 2004, when he won at the World Indoor Championships and reached the podium at the

2004 Athens Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

to win an

Olympic silver medal An Olympic medal is awarded to successful competitors at one of the Olympic Games. There are three classes of medal to be won: gold, silver, and bronze, awarded to first, second, and third place, respectively. The granting of awards is laid ou ...

. That year he was inducted into the

University of Pretoria The University of Pretoria (, ) is a multi-campus public university, public research university in Pretoria, the administrative and ''de facto'' capital of South Africa. The university was established in 1908 as the Pretoria campus of the Johan ...

Sport Hall of fame. In the 2006 season he ranked number one in the world for the season – South Africa's first black athlete to do so. He was made

South African Sportsman of the Year ''South African Sportsperson of the Year'' are annual sporting awards given to best South African athletes. List of Winners References External linksList of winners {{National Sportsperson of the Year National sportsperson-of-the-year tro ...

in recognition of this. At the 2006 World Indoor Championships he won a silver medal, and he repeated the feat two years later at the 2008 edition. He represented South Africa at the

2008 Beijing Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

but was knocked out of the 800 m at the semi-final stage. He made the 800 m final at four consecutive

World Athletics Championships The World Athletics Championships, known as the IAAF World Championships in Athletics until 2019, are a biennial sport of athletics, athletics competition organized by World Athletics, formerly International Association of Athletics Federations ...

, and won his first gold medal in the event in

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

. He set a lifetime best of 1:42.86 minutes later that year at the

Rieti Meeting The Rieti Meeting is an annual athletics event at the Stadio Raul Guidobaldi in Rieti, Italy that takes place in late August or early September. Previously one of the IAAF Grand Prix events, it is now part of the IAAF World Challenge. It was firs ...

. He returned to competition in 2010 with a win at the

Meeting Grand Prix IAAF de Dakar A meeting is when two or more people come together to discuss one or more topics, often in a formal or business setting, but meetings also occur in a variety of other environments. Meetings can be used as form of group decision-making. Definiti ...

Death

Mulaudzi died in a car crash on 24 October 2014 at the age of 34. He was en route to an

Athletics South Africa Athletics South Africa is the national governing body for the sport of athletics (including track and field, cross country, road running and racewalking) in South Africa, recognised by the IAAF, and also a member of Confederation of African At ...

athletics meeting when his car overturned. His death was confirmed by his manager, Peet van Zyl, who said: "Mr Mulaudzi was surely one of the most decorated track athletes that South Africa has ever seen and unfortunately never had the recognition from the federation for all his achievements, so it is indeed a sad day." The

President of South Africa The president of South Africa is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of South Africa. The president directs the executive branch of the government and is the commander-in-chief of the South African National Defence F ...

Jacob Zuma Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (; born 12 April 1942) is a South African politician who served as the fourth president of South Africa from 2009 to 2018. He is also referred to by his initials JZ and clan names Nxamalala and Msholozi. Zuma was a for ...

, noted his death, saying that he was one of the nation's most talented athletes. Presidential spokesperson

Mac Maharaj Sathyandranath Ragunanan "Mac" Maharaj OLS (born 22 April 1935 in Newcastle, Natal) is a retired South African-Indian politician, businessman, and former anti-apartheid activist. A member of the African National Congress (ANC), he was the ...

mirrored this, saying that the nation had lost a hero and that Mulaudzi had flown the South African flag through his athletics. The

International Association of Athletics Federations World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation and International Association of Athletics Federations and formerly abbreviated as the IAAF, is the international governing body for the sport of athletics, coverin ...

, the governing body for the sport, said it was "deeply saddened" to hear of Mulaudzi's death. The

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...

expressed sadness and sympathy towards the sports family of South Africa and Mulaudzi's friends and family. South African athletes

Caster Semenya Caster Semenya Order of Ikhamanga, OIB (born 7 January 1991) is a South African middle-distance runner and winner of two Olympic medal, Olympic gold medals and three World Athletics Championships, World Championships in the women's 800 metres ...

and

Khotso Mokoena Godfrey Khotso Mokoena OIB (born 6 March 1985 in Heidelberg, South Africa) is a South African athlete who specializes in the long jump and triple jump. Early life and family He started his school education at Shalimar Ridge Primary School in ...

used

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to express their emotions following Mulaudzi's death. Semenya said: "Just lost a brother, a friend very good friend! May your soul rest in peace Mbulayeni Mulaudzi! I love you man will always love you Champ!" and Mokoena said: "I've lost a brother, a friend, and a national hero! Sad news to my soul..."

Personal bests

– 1:42.86 min (2009) *800 metres (indoor) – 1:44.91 min (2008) *

1000 metres The 1000 metres, 1 kilometer run, or 1K run is an uncommon middle-distance running event in track and field competitions. It consists of two and a half laps around an outdoor 400 m track, or five laps around an indoor 200 m track. The 1000 ...

– 2:15.86 min (2007) *

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1500-metre run is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletics since 1983. It is equivalent to 1.5 kilomet ...

– 3:38.55 min (2008)

Honours

Mulaudzi was awarded the

Order of Ikhamanga The Order of Ikhamanga is a South African civilian honour that recognises achievements in arts, culture, literature, music, journalism, and sports. Before the order was established on 30 November 2003, such achievements were recognised by the ...

in bronze (posthumously) in 2015.

Competition record

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mulaudzi, Mbulaeni 1980 births 2014 deaths African Games silver medalists for South Africa African Games silver medalists in athletics (track and field) Athletes (track and field) at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics Commonwealth Games gold medallists for South Africa Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Olympic athletes for South Africa Olympic silver medalists for South Africa Olympic silver medalists in athletics (track and field) People from Makhado Local Municipality Recipients of the Order of Ikhamanga Road incident deaths in South Africa South African male middle-distance runners University of Pretoria alumni World Athletics Championships athletes for South Africa World Athletics Championships medalists Athletes (track and field) at the 2003 All-Africa Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2007 All-Africa Games World Athletics Indoor Championships winners World Athletics Championships winners Athletes from Limpopo Medallists at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Diamond League winners Deaths of competitors in athletics 21st-century South African sportsmen Commonwealth Games gold medallists in athletics