Meet Maxcel Amo Manu, Italian “thunderbolt” and breakthrough star

For Maxcel Amo Manu, 2023 was without a doubt his breakthrough year. The Italian sprinter shot to stardom in his World Championship debut, winning two gold medals to earn recognition as an athlete to watch at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.

But according to the 31-year-old athlete, 2023 was a “difficult year” in which he struggled with an injury. He injured his stump just a month before the Paris 23 Para Athletics World Championships in July, and did not imagine that he would finish ahead of a star-packed field in both the 100m and 200m T64 at Stade Charlety.

Five months after his triumph, which marks roughly two years since his first Para athletics race, Manu is now gunning to repeat his triumph again in Paris. He is eager to share the special moment with his family, who has supported him in his Para sports journey.

“My goal for 2024 is obviously the Paralympics. I think it’s every athlete’s dream,” he said. “(Paris 2024) will be my first Games that I’ll take part in, so I’ll work hard to be as prepared as possible.”

Thunderbolt in the City of Light

The final of the men’s 100m T64 event at Paris 23 is one of the top moments of the year. Manu fought off the fastest Para athletes in his class, including the reigning Paralympic champion Felix Streng of Germany and silver medallist Sherman Guity of Costa Rica. 

It was “unexpected” and “hard-earned victory” Manu said of the race. He was coming off an injury and he needed time before the race to sort out an issue with his prosthetic leg. Guity was first off the blocks, but Manu overtook him to finish in 10.71 seconds. 

“I had hoped for it a lot and although the start is not my strong point, I managed to catch up and cross the finish line,” Manu said. “I crossed the line with a sense of duty and full strength beside me. It was really emotional for me. I almost cried.”

Following his race, he quickly ran to his wife and two children who were watching and cheering from the stands. And five days later, he topped the podium in the 200m, winning with a time of 21.36 seconds.

“My family is happy. They told me that they were emotional. Even my wife, she started crying after the race. You can see it in the video (of the race) and my kids were really happy,” he said.

“It’s like a dream, it’s like I’m still dreaming. It seems like it’s not true, but it’s true. It’s really strange for me to accept that but it’s true.” 

Sprinting to the podium

Manu, who grew up in Ghana, has lived in Italy since he was 11 years old. In 2017, he was involved in a motorcycle accident on his way to work as a warehouse worker. His left leg was caught in the guardrail and underwent below-the-knee amputation as a result.

“When I went to try out a prosthetic leg to start walking, I was told to try and do some sports. I just started running and running, and now I am here,” said Manu, who participated in his first training two years after the accident. 

“One of the biggest challenges I faced was learning how to run. You have to learn to know and use the prosthetics, and it’s not as simple as you see in video clips of other athletes,” he shared.

After he started training, he faced difficulties with his physical condition. Due to a health condition of his stump, he was not able to train in 2020 and only returned to the tracks in April 2021. 

Two weeks later, he competed in his first race and never stopped from there.

“What I really like about this sport is the tension and everyone is hoping you would win everything,” Manu said. “Sport has really changed my life because before starting sport, I was working multiple jobs. Right now, I do sports and stay with my kids, my family and my team coach who is always with me.” 

Waving the Italian flag

Currently Manu trains about six times a week and follows a healthy diet in hopes of taking the podium at Paris 2024. Having moved to Italy when he was a child, he says it is a “dream” to represent the country in the world’s third largest sporting event.

“It’s the best thing ever for any athlete who runs in Italy. It’s a dream for everybody on a national team,” Manu explains. “I hope I won’t have any problems and I hope everything will go how I want. I want to take another gold medal, for me and for my team and for my family.” 

“My family supports me every day - they are always there for me even when I lose. They always tell me not to give up. They always try to keep me up and trust myself that I can do anything.”