Mhlengi Gwala: Triathlete on road back from chainsaw attack

Three years ago, Mhlengi Gwala was on an early morning training run in his native South Africa. At the time, he was a professional triathlete.

What happened next is scarcely believable mainly because of its brutality.

Three men dragged him into bushes at gunpoint and tried to saw off his legs.

"They tried to cut my leg off... only 20 percent was left on my leg," Gwala said.

"The doctors, they tried to reconnect everything. I was ok for a year. Then I had an infection that was really bad.

"I was in and out of hospital. I was admitted like five times.

"On the sixth time, because the pain was so bad and it was swelling and maybe the infection was going up, the doctors and I decided to amputate."

First time on new leg

After his attack, Gwala had hoped he would be able to compete again as an able-bodied athlete.

But his injuries were too much to overcome. Now he uses a prosthetic leg.

"The first time (I wore the prosthetic leg), I nearly cried because it was hard because the leg wouldn't go into the prosthetic.

"But time goes and you get much better and now I'm fine. I can wear my prosthetics, I can run on them, I can cycle on them so it's much easier now. There's no pain in the stump. It's going so small."

The attack happened in Durban, but the perpetrators have never been found.

"I'm still living in fear,"Gwala said.

"But I have a belief that people only attack once. If they fail then they run away.

"They never found anyone, and the case is still open. But I don't belong to them, I belong to God."

Despite the attack, the 30-year-old's sporting dreams are not over.

He wants to compete in para sport, but faces the challenge of shin splints, as more of his load when moving travels down only one leg.

"Triathlon is so different because most of the races are in Europe, and it's hard for us to get there," he added.

"But it's not on my mind because I am still in my recovery period."

Although this summer's Paralympics in Tokyo may come too soon for Gwala, his hope to represent South Africa remains.

"If I don't make it to this one, there's still more chances for the Commonwealth Games next year - which is happening in the UK - and you still have the 2024 Paralympics (in Paris).

"So if I get there, it would be a big honour. But I don't want to put pressure on myself, because I'm still trying to transition from normal body to disabled - so I'm still trying to figure how to run, how to cycle.

"I'm still learning."

Gwala's first race as an amputee will be at the South African championships in Bloemfontaine on 21 March. After that - should it go successfully - the African Championships in Egypt in June will be his first chance to gain qualification points for Tokyo.

This article originally appeared in BBC Sport

Photo: BBC Sport