Mabote lights up Nationals with a world record

Puseletso Mabote delivered a performance that left the Toyota SASAPD National Championships crowd roaring in disbelief. Mabote broke the men’s T63 400m World Record with a blistering 60.74-second run.

The Stellenbosch University student crossed the line with the kind of explosive finishing speed that has become his trademark, shaving precious time off the previous global standard.

Pending official ratification, the performance cements Mabote’s position as one of South Africa’s brightest para-athletics stars.

Before his record-breaking effort, Mabote had won the T63 100m in 12.23.

For an athlete who first seized global attention with gold at the 2025 World Championships in New Delhi, this form suggests Mabote is ascending to new heights. The South African now holds world records in both the 200m and 400m T63 categories, and several African records in the long jump.

Despite the euphoria that engulfed Coetzenburg Stadium as Mabote’s time flashed on the scoreboard, Mabote said: “It’s a bittersweet feeling. You work so hard to push the boundaries of what’s possible in an event, only to find out you won’t have the stage to represent your country in it at the next major games.”

The source of his frustration? The 400m T63 event has been excluded from the upcoming 2026 Commonwealth Games programme.