Matthews Motshwarateu (1958–2001) was a South African track, cross country, and road runner. In 1978 Matthews Motshwarateu won the South African 5000m championship, setting a new South African record for the event. He retained his title the following year. Nicknamed 'Loop en Val' (Afrikaans for 'walk and fall') for his awkward style, he set a world 10 km road record of 27:59.3 in Purchase, New York, in 1980. Running for the

University of Texas at El Paso The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stud ...

, he won the 1981 NCAA Cross Country Championship, defeating teammates; future Olympic bronze medalist

Mike Musyoki Michael Musyoki (born May 28, 1956) is a retired long-distance runner from Kenya. He won the bronze medal in 10,000 metres at the 1984 Summer Olympics. Running career Collegiate Musyoki was recruited by University of Texas at El Paso, a school ...

and reigning Olympic silver medallist in the 5000 metres the year before,

Suleiman Nyambui Suleiman Nyambui (born February 13, 1953) is a former track athlete from Tanzania who specialized in various long-distance disciplines. Nyambui won the bronze medal at the 1978 All-Africa Games, the silver medal in 5000 metres at the 1980 Summer ...

. He won the silver medal in the 10,000 metres at the 1992 African Championships. He died in Soweto, outside

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

, in 2001 from wounds sustained in a shooting outside his family home in Molapo, Soweto. The culprits have never been apprehended. Motshwarateu competed for

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahar ...

during the late 1980s as South Africans couldn't compete internationally. He still holds national records in both

and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

References

South African male long-distance runners 1958 births 2001 deaths Sportspeople from Soweto University of Texas at El Paso alumni UTEP Miners men's track and field athletes South African murder victims People murdered in South Africa Deaths by firearm in South Africa {{SouthAfrica-athletics-bio-stub