Sprinter.  Runner.  Soccer player.  Amateur DJ.  Anti-Bullying Ambassador.  Paralympian.

Fibular hemimelia (FH) is a birth defect resulting in a short or missing fibula which hinders leg development.  Quite rare, it occurs in only 1 in 40,000 births.  Bilateral fibular hemimelia, affecting both legs, is even more rare.  For Ntando Mahlangu, South African native, FH would mean spending the first 10 years of his life in a wheelchair. 

At age 10, he attended a mobility clinic and met with physicians to discuss the possibility of wearing prosthetics.  He was told that he would require a bilateral through-knee amputation for the prosthetics to fit and function well.  For Ntando, the choice was an easy one.

“I was 10 and had never walked before, so when they said there was an option for me to walk and run, I told my family that I wanted the amputation so that could happen.” 

He underwent amputation in 2012. After his recovery, he was fitted with prosthetics and took his first step.  Each day, his walking improved, and his confidence grew.  Ntando would happily join neighborhood soccer matches and discovered how he enjoyed running the field from end to end.  Others took notice of his speed and suggested he race competitively.

Within four years, he would earn a place on the South African Paralympic team.  At just 14-years-old – one of the youngest competitors at the 2016 Paralympic Games – he finished second behind defending champion Richard Whitehead in the men’s 200m T42, setting a new African record (23.77) in the process.  Wearing his Cheetah Xtreme, Ntando is expected to continue breaking records as he represents South Africa on the world's Para athletics stage.

“My only goal is to be better than I was and to make South Africa and those who support me proud.”

In 2020, Ntando made his film debut as one of nine Paralympians featured in the Netflix Original documentary 'Rising Phoenix'. It tells the extraordinary story of the Paralympic Games, and how it sparked a global movement which continues to change the way the world thinks about disability, diversity and human potential.