'He has a bright future' - Mdletshe signs first full pro contract with Black Diamond after top 20 Comrades finish

Black Diamond Athletic Club runner Njabulo Mdletshe is starting to reap the rewards of running well at the Comrades Marathon. Last weekend, Mdletshe produced a stellar performance as he stuck with the leading bunch of athletes until well after halfway and ended up running a personal best 5:43:43 to finish in 16th position earning his very first Wally Hayward medal. 

On June 16, Youth day, Black Diamond hosted a braai to celebrate the club’s 15 members that participated in 89.98km run from Pietermaritzburg to Durban. As the standout performer, Mdletshe was awarded with the first full professional contract of his running career. Having run 7:27:07 (2023) and 6:00:33 (2024) in his previous two Comrades outings, the man who is employed as a general worker at a hardware store previously fell under the club’s Sub-elite program. The news of his new and improved contract was announced by club Chairman Mbongiseni Ndlela who applauded the discipline that Mdletshe has shown since joining the club in 2022. 

Mdletshe celebrates a maiden Wally Hayward medal after a top 20 finish at the 98th edition of the Comrades Marathon. Photo Credit: Black Diamond AC.

"It has been two years in a row that Mdletshe has been a standout performer for the club at Comrades," he told #TheTopRunner. “This time around we have decided to upgrade him into our elite program because we feel he deserves it. To get a contract will motivate him even further to run even better. We believe with the right assistance, he has a bright future ahead. We are a small club but we are thankful to our sponsor who go all out to keep the club running," explains Ndlela who is himself an eight-time Comrades finisher. 

"I'm very happy to get this contract. The way I ran this year was so good especially because I was running with experienced athletes. There are a lot of things going on in that bunch. The feeling of running with great athletes makes you realise that in future your time will definitely come to at least get a gold medal in the race. It was a huge learning experience  for me," he said. 

Poses for a photo with Black Diamond AC Chairman Mbongiseni Ndlela. Photo Credit: Black Diamond AC.

For Mdletshe, who the man who first grabbed public attention when he ran shoulder to shoulder with Gerda Steyn for much of last year’s Up Run and ended up claiming a 45th place finish, this new contract means so much. He believes that the money that he will now receive from the Durban-based elite development club, brings will show his family that he has a future in the sport.

"My father usually jokes about when I'm going to start winning because I'm always traveling to races in Johannesburg etc and coming back without any prize money. Now he will be happy when I tell him this news. Getting a contract will allow me to have a proper plan on which races I'm going to do. I'm sure it will have a big impact on my family as well because the important thing is to make them proud," he concluded.