Ntando Mahlangu streaked to a second gold medal this afternoon, winning the men’s T61 200 metres in 23.59s at the Tokyo Paralympic Games in Japan.

He timed his acceleration to perfection. With 50 metres to go, Mahlangu was still in second place, trailing Britain's Richard Whitehead by about two metres. But when he went into "turbocharge mode", there was no stopping him.

Whitehead clocked 23.99s, Germany's Ali Lacin was third in 24.64s.

"What a great race. Coming into it, I had to make a lot of decisions without talking to my coach. The track was slippery. I almost came down when I did a warmup started. So I decided to 'give away' my start in the actual race. I am sure my coach will not be too happy about that. But I decided to back myself on my top-end speed."

On winning two gold medals, the Tuks based athlete said it was a dream true. He immediately added that his medals were not his alone. 

"I dedicate my medals to the people of South Africa. Hopefully, it will bring a bit of 'positivity' to the people of South Africa. Personally, it is important to me to remain humble."

Mahlangu won the long jump setting a world record with a leap of 7.17 metres.

Cathy Landsberg, who coaches Mahlangu, can be forgiven if, for the briefest of moments this afternoon, she thought, "I love it when a plan comes together". 

Two weeks ago, she had predicted that the Tuks-based athlete will win the 200 metres. Her confidence partly sprouts from the fact that Mahlangu set a world record in April, running 22.94s. 

But it was not only his "raw speed" that excited her. "Amazing" is the word Landsberg uses when asked how it is to coach Mahlangu.

"Ntando is one of the most disciplined and dedicated athletes I have ever worked with. It does not matter how tired he is. He is always willing to do more, and he always gives 100%," said Landsberg, who has been coaching Mahlangu since he was 13. 

She is the one who guided him to win his first Paralympic medal when he was only 14. Mahlangu finished second in the 200 metres during the Rio Games. Then, two years ago, he won his first world title.

Landsberg is possibly the coach who best understands what it takes for Mahlangu to perform at his best as she is an amputee herself. When she was 26, she worked at stables in Switzerland. One day she went for a horse ride. 

"I was not a very good rider at the time. It led to me taking a tumble.  I managed to land on both legs, but still, my right leg broke on impact. Unfortunately, due to medical negligence, gangrene set in. It led to my right leg being amputated below the knee. 

"It has helped me to have a better understanding of what the needs of Paralympian athletes are," said Landsberg, who had gone on to represent South Africa at para-equestrian events. 

Landsberg decided to qualify herself as an athletics coach because she wanted to better understand what it takes for the athletes to compete at the highest level. 

"I also wanted to understand why athletes get injured. One of my biggest challenges is to ensure that Ntando ends his athletics career unscathed." 

Mahlangu's performances are truly inspiring, considering that for the first ten years of his life, he was in a wheelchair owing to a condition called Hemimolia. In layman's terms, it meant that from birth, his legs hadn't fully developed below his knees.

His life changed in 2012 when Jumping Kids, a charity that helps children with disabilities in South Africa, offered to assist him with prosthetics to walk.

"When I got this opportunity, I decided I got to make the most of it,” said the Tuks based athlete.