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'Don't forget us!' Comrades great Mthembu, on cusp of history, calls on SA sport to 'respect' elites

When Bongmusa Mthembu lines up outside the Pietermaritzburg City Hall on Sunday morning, in his hometown, he will be standing on the verge of Comrades Marathon history. He might not be the favourite to win this year - that honour belongs to defending champion Teta Dijana - but if Mthembu finishes in the top 10, he will land his tenth Comrades gold medal.

To put that into perspective, Nick Bester and Stephen Muzhingi have nine each. Shaun Meiklejohn and Andrew Kelehe have 10. Bruce Fordyce finished with 11. Mthembu finished 54th in his debut race back in 2006. He was 31st in 2008 and 52nd in 2009. The success certainly wasn't immediate, coming instead - as many things do - as a result of a life-long dedication to his craft.

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