‘We would blow R300 000 in two days on drugs’: Troubled Olympic silver medallist Luvo Manyonga opens up about how he lost it all
Every I Blew It story has a common denominator or more – they are cars, alcohol and women. However, every so often, drug addiction also rears its ugly head and plays a major role in someone’s downfall. For Luvo Manyonga, an Olympic long jump silver medallist, his addiction to crystal meth saw him lose it all.
The 33-year-old athlete – who is also the African long jump record holder – opened up on the Mzansi Magic documentary series about how he blew R84 million in a couple of years
I Blew It looks into the lives of South Africans who struck gold when they received an unexpected good fortune, but blew it all in an instant.
LUVO MANYONGA ON ‘I BLEW IT’
Manyonga’s life changed for the better after his endorsement deals with Nike in 2017 and 2018, which saw him pocketing an astounding R84 million. These came after he had been suspended in 2012 when crystal meth was detected in his urine.
“They suspended me for 18 months. After the ban I continued using drugs and things started going South. I was smoking, robbing people until 2015,” Manyonga explained.
That year he relocated to Pretoria to train for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics which were held in Brazil in 2016. During that tournament, Manyonga won a silver medal.
“The country gave me R250 000 and in 2017 I got a big deal from Nike for R42 million… In 2018 also, plus minus the same amount,” he said.
