Young South African track and field athlete Shaun Maswanganyi set a new indoor sprint record in Texas; something he respects as both his own hard work and the result of incredible mentorship from Olympic legend, Carl Lewis:
Global (17 June 2024) – South African track and field athlete Shaun Maswanganyi is reaching greater heights in his career after he cracked a new sprint record in the USA, something he largely attributes to his legendary mentor, the American Olympic champion, Carl Lewis.
Clocking in with a time of 20.41 at an indoor track and field meet in Texas, the young runner has shown that he has more than “potential” and a hunger to succeed.
When it comes down to it, though, good mentorship also forms an integral part of achievements like this, and Maswanganyi has that, thanks to his coach and mentor. Winning nine Olympic gold medals in a career spanning from 1979 to 1996, Lewis made history and is generally regarded as one of the best athletes of all time!
The young athlete reflected on his recent record as a “work in progress” as he was not accustomed to running indoors in SA.
“It’s not as easy as it may sound because there’s a lot of technicalities when it comes to indoor racing and you’ve got to run the race more to gain experience,” he reflected. But, with determination fuelling him, he ended up reaching his goal!
“We just tried to become more technical with the 200m indoors, and in doing so, I was able to go out there and execute. Overall, I am grateful for my coach and I’m grateful for the consistency, everything comes in due time.”—Shaun Maswanganyi.
On Being Coached by Lewis
Maswanganyi reflected on having Lewis as his guide and how much that has helped with his performance, sharing:
“To have Carl Lewis as a coach is definitely special. I speak about it all the time, he’s more than just a coach to me. He’s more than a mentor. He’s a father figure in many aspects,” he told SportsBoom.com.
The athlete heaped loads of adoration for Lewis, showing appreciation for the fact that their relationship doesn’t end after practice sessions, but rather that he is someone Maswanganyi feels he can lean on, even outside of the sport.
“He’s always there for me, and at the end of the day he’s done everything that i probably aspire to do in athletics so he’s the man for the job and I’m just grateful to have him in my life and I just pray that our relationship just keeps getting stronger and stronger and he keeps being my mentor on and off the track,” Maswanganyi adds.
On the Upcoming 2024 Olympic Games
Maswanganyi is currently preparing for the 2024 Olympic Games next month, with hopes to improve from the Tokyo Games he participated in three years ago. Having elevated his game even more, he has even been named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list!