South African road running legend Sarah Mahlangu is fighting for her life at the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital after being shot at her tavern in the East Rand at the weekend.
According to Mahalgu’s son Thabo, the multiple Soweto Marathon champion and Comrades Marathon gold medallist was shot during an attempted robbery at her tavern in Tsakane on Saturday.
“We are not a hundred percent sure what really happened to her But it appears there was a robbery at her tavern and she was shot. She was injured very badly and she is in hospital waiting for surgery. We have reported the case at the Tsakane Police Station and we have no idea so far how the investigation is going. Our focus now is to ensure she survives this.”
Efforts to get a comment from the Tsakane Police Station proved futile, the officer answering the phone telling IOL Sport to come to the station for information.
Mahlangu’s running club ISMO (Israel Morake) AC expressed shock and sadness at the incident.
“As a club we are hopeful that the perpetrators of such a shocking deed will be brought to book. We are saddened that it has happened to an SA icon and we wish her a speedy recovery,” said administrator Dorah Mngwevu.
Mahlangu is arguably one of the best black female runners this country has ever produced, the 57-year-old having won numerous races in the early 2000s. Arguably her biggest accomplishment is the fact that she won the Soweto Marathon a record four times.
She was only the second black woman to finish in the top ten of the Comrades Marathon when she obtained seventh position with a time of 6:53:41 in 2002. Before her, the only other black woman to have earned the gold medal was Nhlanhla Hlengwa who finished ninth in 7:21:22 back in 1993.
Mahlangu was also champion in the 56km Two Oceans Marathon in 2000 in a time of 3:48:58 having finished in third place the previous year. An ultra specialist, she and won the 50km Om Die Dam Marathonin 2003 and was always competent in the now defunct City2City ultras, finishing in fourth place on at least three occasion.
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