How Gift Leotlela was rebuilt into a world-class sprinter

Gift Leotlela is flying high with his maiden Diamond League win still fairly fresh in his legs, yet every stride the sprinter takes symbolises a giant step in medical history.

His career nearly ended when he collapsed soon after the start of a 100m race in March 2023. “I felt something behind my knee, like someone shot me,” recalled the 28-year-old.

One of the three hamstring muscles in his right thigh had completely torn.

Injuries had always hampered talented Leotlela, who was just a schoolboy when he was selected for the national Olympic squad in 2016. He also won 200m silver at the under-20 world championships in Poland that year.

Despite struggling with stress fractures in the lower back and hamstring problems, he dipped under 10 seconds in 2021 and reached the Olympic 100m semifinals in the Tokyo Games, where he tore a hamstring.

The 2023 injury was different, however, with physiotherapist Karen Gibbs describing the damage as catastrophic. “He completely tore off the hamstring tendon. You cannot surgically fix that,” she said.

Extent of damage

This is the first time Leotlela and Gibbs have spoken about the extent of the damage and what it took to overcome.

There was no research on that type of injury in elite sport and no guarantee he could get back to his best with just two hamstring muscles in the right leg. “I was very clear to him that retirement would not be the coward’s way out. I said ‘there is no textbook, we are going to have to create’. Truly I was hoping he was going to say he didn’t want to.”

But Leotlela and his agent, Lee-Roy Newton, were keen. “I didn’t want to stop [then] later on regret not giving it a try,” said the athlete, admitting he did think about a career outside athletics and putting his B Information Science degree to use.

Everything is calm in my life right now. I love what I’m doing and seeing how far we can go. I am in my prime now. I really think we haven’t fully reached my potential yet

—  Gift Leotlea, SA sprinter

Gibbs, who got some advice from international experts in return for her records on Leotlela’s progress, emphasised there was no rehabilitation. “It was a rebuild.”

Sprinters use six hamstring muscles to power down the track; Leotlela had to learn to fire on five.

Up to six days a week for 10 months Leotlela did specific exercises to restore strength. “Some days he was crawling on the floor…

“The nice thing about it is that we managed to fix a lot of the [problems from] between 2017 and 2023, the mechanical issues. He’s literally rebuilt, re-engineered.”

Started to believe

The acid test came when Leotlela returned to the track a year after the injury. “He ran 30m and then jogged and he ran 10.34. That’s when we started to believe,” said Gibbs.

But Leotlela fell ill, struggling with a persistent cough and losing around 9kg of muscle mass over the next several weeks. It turned out he had TB, which meant another round of recovery and rebuilding, using a heart monitor on a Watt bike to ensure he didn’t risk cardiac arrest.

But Leotlela was ready for the 2025 national championships in Potchefstroom, clocking 9.95 in the semifinals for his second career sub-10.

“He comes to me and everybody’s slapping him on the back and he just goes ‘ma’am, I’ve got a problem now’.”

Gibbs prepared herself for the worst news as the sprinter, speaking softly, explained his predicament: “I’m really emotional and I want to cry and I don’t want anybody to see me.”

Long journey

She led him to the far side of the grounds and they sat under a tree and spoke about their long journey through uncharted terrain.

Then Leotlela went back to the track for the final and won the national crown in 9.99.

He became the first South African to go sub-10 in all three rounds of a major competition at last year’s world championships in Tokyo, where he ended fifth and posted a 9.87 best.

“He is a completely different athlete,” said Gibbs.

Leotlela is preparing for his next Diamond League assignment at the Prefontaine Classic on July 4. “Everything is calm in my life right now. I love what I’m doing and seeing how far we can go. I am in my prime now. I really think we haven’t fully reached my potential yet.”