Long Jump Superstar Khotso Mokoena Wins Olympic Silver Medal

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South Africa’s long jump superstar, Khotso Mokoena, earned a 2008 Beijing Olympics silver medal with his impressive 8.24 meter jump on Monday 18 August. As the first South African to win a medal at this year’s Olympics, Khotso Mokoena has ensured that the South African Olympic team will not leave Beijing empty-handed.

With a notable list of achievements proving that he is a hard-working and talented sportsman, Khotso stood a good chance of winning a medal right from the outset, despite the stiff competition he faced. His achievements include a first place in the triple jump and second place in the long jump at the 2004 World Junior Championships held in Grosseto, Italy. He was placed second in the triple jump at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia, and won second place for both the long jump and the triple jump at the 2006 African Championships in Mauritius. In 2007 he won third place at the All-Africa Games in Algeria and third place in the World Athletics Final in Stuttgart – both for long jump. Earlier this year he won first place for long jump at the World Indoor Championships held in Valencia, Spain. His personal best for the long jump is 8.39 meters and for the triple jump is 17.25 meters.

This medal-winning champion has a host of supporters in his neighborhood of Ratanda near Heidelberg in the Gauteng province of South Africa. There was great excitement as his fans watched him on television as he took the jump and then took his place on the winner’s podium to receive his silver medal. Khotso’s father, Phakiso, and his mother, Sonto, are thrilled with his achievement and can’t wait for him to be back on South African soil so that they can congratulate him face to face.