Mbulaeni Mulaudzi

Mbulaeni Mulaudzi

Mulaudzi at the 2007 World Championships
Personal information
Nationality	South African
Born	(1980-09-08)8 September 1980 Muduluni, South Africa
Died	24 October 2014(2014-10-24) (aged 34) Witbank, Mpumalanga, South Africa
Sport
Sport	Track
Event(s)	800 metres
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	800 metres: 1:42.86 1500 metres: 3:38.5
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  South Africa Olympic Games 2004 Athens 800 m World Championships 2009 Berlin 800 m 2003 Paris 800 m IAAF World Indoor Championships 2004 Budapest 800 m 2006 Moskva 800 m 2008 Valencia 800 m Commonwealth Games 2002 Manchester 800 m African Championships 2000 Algiers 800 m 2002 Rades 800 m All-Africa Games 2003 Abuja 800 m 2007 Algiers 800 m Representing Africa IAAF World Cup 2006 Athens 800 m

Mbulaeni Tongai Mulaudzi (8 September 1980 – 24 October 2014) was a South African middle distance runner, and the 2009 world champion in the men's 800 metres.

His first global medal was a silver at the 2000 African Championships in Athletics. He later won a bronze at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics, which came a year after his victory at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Mulaudzi was the gold medallist at the 2004 IAAF World Indoor Championships and won two further silver medals at the competition in 2006 and 2008. He was runner-up at continental level on three occasions, taking the 800 m silver at the African Championships in Athletics in 2000 and at the All-Africa Games in 2003 and 2007. He carried the flag for his native country at the opening ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics, where he became an Olympic silver medallist.

His personal best for the 800 m was 1:42.86 minutes. He ranked first on time in the 2006 and 2007 seasons, becoming the first Black South African to achieve such a feat.

Born in Muduluni, Transvaal Province, he had his first success as a teenager at the 1999 African Junior Athletics Championships, where he won the 800 m title.

His first senior international medal was a silver at the 2000 African Championships in Athletics. He competed at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics and finished sixth in his first global final. At his first Commonwealth Games, Mulaudzi was first past the finish line to become the 2002 Commonwealth champion in the 800 m. He won a bronze medal at the 2003 World Championships the following year, in addition to a silver medal from the 2003 All-Africa Games.