The condition, which affects the development of the legs below the knees, didn’t stop the South African native having dreams and aspirations, but another bump in the road soon followed. Agreeing with medical advice in 2012, he and his family took the tough decision to amputate his legs.
No one could have predicted what would happen next.
Inspired by watching the London Paralympic Games, Ntando soon found his calling in athletics and remarkably, just four years later, the then 14-year-old made his Paralympic Games debut in Rio de Janeiro.
Not only did he become South Africa’s youngest-ever Paralympian, but he also achieved the unthinkable by winning an incredible silver medal in the 200m T42.
Fast forward five years and the delayed Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2021 brought even more success for Ntando. In a Games heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, he once again delivered on the global stage to win an astonishing double gold in both the 200m T61 and Long Jump T63 – the latter in a new world record distance (7.17m).
With the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games less than a year away, Ntando will balance his training for the long jump title defence alongside studying Business at Loughborough University.