In March 1996, long-distance runner Josia Thugwane was shot in the chin during a hijacking, only months before he was due to compete at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics in the United States (US).

Not only did he recover in time to compete in the Olympics marathon, but he also became the first black South African to win an Olympic gold medal.

Thugwane was born on 22 April 1971 in Bethal, Mpumalanga, a town in the country’s coal mining region.

Like many black South Africans who grew up under apartheid, Thugwane received little formal education and only learned to read and write after his Olympic success.

Before his Olympic glory he worked as a security guard and maintenance worker at the Koornfontein coal mine in Mpumalanga.

However, he had always been passionate about sport and played for a local football team before taking up marathon running to support his family. Fortunately, the mine where he worked also had a running club.

Through competing in races, Thugwane caught the attention of national selectors, who chose him to represent South Africa at the Potsdam-Berlin Ekiden marathon in 1992, where he placed third.

In 1995, he competed at the World Half Marathon Championships in France, where he finished fifth, while the South African team placed 12th.

However, it was his victory at the Honolulu Marathon in Hawaii later that year that truly caught the attention of South Africa’s Olympic selectors and secured his place in the squad travelling to the US in 1996.

Just five months before he was due to represent South Africa at the Olympic Games, Thugwane was hijacked and shot, with the bullet grazing his chin and leaving a scar roughly an inch long.

He also injured his back after jumping from his moving car. Fortunately, the coal mine company that employed him covered the costs of his treatment and rehabilitation.

Despite his injuries, Thugwane was able to compete in the 42km Olympic Marathon on Sunday, 4 August, alongside fellow South Africans Lawrence Peu and Gert Thys, against 121 other athletes from 78 countries.

The race began at 07h05 because of the heat and humidity later in the day, with around 60 athletes forming a leading pack that included the South Africans.

After the 27km mark, Thugwane made a move to break away from the group and was followed by South Korea’s Lee Bong-ju and Kenya’s Erick Wainaina.

The three continued to lead the race, swapping positions several times, before Thugwane surged ahead outside the Olympic Stadium and maintained his lead to the finish line with a time of 2:12:36.

Bong-ju and Wainaina followed close behind and placed second and third, respectively, in what is still the closest finish in Olympic marathon history, with the third-placed Wainaina finishing only eight seconds behind Thugwane.

Thugwane returned home a hero and one of only two South Africans to win gold at the Atlanta Games. Penny Heyns, a swimmer, was the other gold medallist, winning two golds, in the 100m and 200m breaststroke.

Thugwane became a household name overnight, with Koornfontein coal mine general manager Ben Zietsman later recalling that he spent days acting as Thugwane’s public relations officer while fielding calls from sports agencies and potential sponsors.

Thugwane continued competing until 2007, winning several other major events, including the Fukuoka and Nagano marathons in Japan in 1997 and 2002, respectively, the Great North Run in the UK in 1998, and the Two Oceans Half Marathon in 2002.

Today, he lives on a farm in rural Mpumalanga with his wife and four children, tending cattle and crops while largely remaining outside the public eye.