SAMAAI Ruswahl

General
DOESN'T LIKE JUMPING
He says he has a love-hate relationship with his sport. "I hate jumping. I don't like jumping at all. I don't like practice sessions and I actually hate the technical part of jumping because you have to think all of the time and everything has to be perfect. I love the running part of it. I can run all day. I know it sounds funny, but I'm a long jumper who doesn't like jumping." (iol.co.za, 15 Mar 2016; iol.co.za, 18 Dec 2018)

FRIENDLY RIVALRY
He has a strong rivalry with fellow South African long jumper Luvo Manyonga, but says the two always support each other. "The rivalry is amazing. It's positive, it's nothing negative at all. When we are on the circuit, he [Manyonga] always comes to me and says, '[Let's finish] one and two, one and two'. So I say, 'Why not?'" (The VillageGuy Paarl Youtube channel, 22 Feb 2019)

INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION
He says that athletes competing in the long jump do not get a lot of exposure, but that he wants to use his profile to help children, especially where he grew up in Paarl, South Africa. "With the bit of exposure that we do get, we try to inspire the next generation. For me, that's one of the biggest driving forces. I try to be a role model for up-and-coming athletes. That's something that I'm planning on doing. It is going to help the next generation, not just athletes. I would call it like a [big] brother / sister [mentorship] thing, where you teach them the morals of life, what life is about. I think we lack leaders in the community of Paarl. [I am] trying to get [young people] off the street. Like a mentor programme, where you can get your breakfast, your lunch. You do your school work and be there [training] as late as seven or eight [at night] till when your parents come fetch you." (The VillageGuy Paarl Youtube channel, 22 Feb 2019; (iol.co.za, 18 Dec 2018)