South African triathlete in hospital after attackers attempt to saw off legs

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A top South African triathlete was left with severe injuries after several assailants tried to cut off his legs with a blunt saw.

Mhlengi Gwala, 27, was riding his bike up a hill in Durban just before dawn Tuesday morning when three people attacked him with a handsaw and began cutting into his right leg.

"He thought they were coming to rob him, stopped, and gave them his phone, but they didn't want his phone, didn't want his watch or bicycle," Gwala's training partner, Sandile Shange, told the BBC. "They dragged him to the side of the road to some bushes, took a saw and started cutting his legs.

"They kept on cutting and when they got to the bone, because the saw was not sharp, the saw got stuck. When they saw it was getting stuck, they started on the other leg."

After the attackers fled, Gwala crawled to the side of the road before hailing a car to take him to hospital, according to the Associated Press. He is now in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.

Dennis Jackson, the director of the elite athlete program for KwaZulu-Natal province, added that surgeons are likely to save Gwala's severely injured leg. But he was still left with damage to the muscle, nerves, and bone.

"I have never heard of any enemies that he may have," Jackson said. "He is a wonderful ambassador for the sport."

Gwala has twice represented South Africa on the international stage.