One way or another, Luvo Manyonga needs help.
The long-jump star this week brushed off suggestions that he had relapsed into drug addiction and insisted he was "100% well", but when he spoke about his athletics future, it was as if he were lost in a maze.
The Tokyo Olympics are just seven months and 10 days away, yet Manyonga, who hasn't competed since September last year, told the Sunday Times in a telephonic interview from the family home in Paarl he didn't know how to resume his career.
Asked about his preparations, the 2017 world champion, who has enjoyed a Nike sponsorship, replied: "No, I'm not training and I don't know the way forward because I'm doing everything on my own, trying to fight my battles and not knowing when Nike is giving me the training gear.
"My clothes are all over the world. I'm changing places to stay, I'm staying in [Paarl], my clothes are in PE [Port Elizabeth] . I don't know what is the way forward for me because my agency hasn't given me the full information."
Manyonga recently demanded on Twitter a full financial reconciliation from former agent Lee-Roy Newton. Now he is also blaming Newton for the hiatus in his career, although other athletes have switched agents without stepping off the track.
PE-based attorney Brendan Weldrick confirmed he was acting for Manyonga, saying he was waiting for a statement from the athlete before opening a criminal case.
Newton has denied the allegations.
Manyonga, the Olympic silver medallist at Rio 2016, dismissed the concerns of his sister, who stays in the same Paarl home, that he had slipped back into addiction, claiming she was paid to say that.
Newton said in a statement the motives behind Manyonga's attacks were "deeply suspicious and malicious".
He said he had "credible information" that Manyonga's Twitter and email accounts had come under the control of criminals with whom Manyonga was "ensnared".
Athletics SA (ASA) president Aleck Skhosana said if Manyonga had relapsed, the federation couldn't step in unless he was willing to accept help.
But ASA or the SA Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc) would be within their rights to ask Manyonga for his Tokyo preparation plan.
If he doesn't have one - which seems to be the case - then they'd be entitled to get involved on that basis. If it's as simple as finding him a new coach and agent, then great.
The priority is to get him jumping again.
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