Tiisetso Malungane in action during a middle-distance race. The 16-year-old Pretoria runner is emerging as one of South Africa’s most promising young athletics talents.
Image: Gerrit van der Linde
Sixteen-year-old middle-distance prospect Tiisetso Malungane is rapidly establishing himself as one of South Africa’s most promising young athletes, with the Pretoria-based runner already drawing comparisons to Olympic silver medallist Bayanda Walaza.
Malungane recently delivered a remarkable display at the Curro Podium Grand Finale in Tshwane, where he secured an impressive distance double while also breaking a few records along the way.
Over the past two months, the teenager has produced a series of standout performances. He claimed victory in the boys’ 800m at the Hoërskool Menlopark Invitation Meeting in Pretoria, clocking 1:48.26 — just 0.59 seconds outside the long-standing South African U18 record of 1:47.67 set by Mandla Nkosi more than 26 years ago.
He also shattered the national U17 3,000m record at the Curro Podium Grand Finale and set a new meeting mark in the 1,500m at Pilditch Stadium in Pretoria.
His continued progress has placed him firmly on a long-term development pathway that could potentially lead to the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Competing across two days at Pilditch Stadium this past weekend, Malungane won both the 1,500m and 3,000m events. He first produced a meeting-record time of 3:45.35 in the 1,500m before returning to dominate the 3,000m in 8:21.03. His performances across the meeting earned him a combined 2,000 ASA points.
The 1,500m result also represented significant progress, improving his time by eight seconds compared to his performance at last year’s national age-group championships — a substantial leap for a junior athlete.
Malungane’s rise has been supported by the Ruta Sechaba Foundation, the same programme that previously assisted Walaza on his journey to Olympic silver in the men’s 4x100m relay at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Behind the teenager’s rapid development is his mother, Catherine Malungane, an experienced marathon and ultra-marathon runner who began training him when he was just three years old. As a single mother at the time, she often trained with her son by her side at the track.
“For me to put food on the table, I had to go and run,” she said. “He grew up under me, where everything was about running. When I went to train, he followed.”
“The field was too big for him, but he would cut across just to reach me, and he was fast. That is when I realised this boy can run.”
Today she remains his primary coach, guiding both his training and mindset.
“Leadership starts at home,” she continued.
“You teach discipline, integrity and how to stay calm under pressure. Records are important, but character is more important.”
With his steady progress and strong support structure, Malungane’s trajectory places him firmly on the World Athletics development pathway, with long-term ambitions aligned to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
* Obakeng Meletse is Independent Media’s multi-sport writer. For fresh video content, follow our YouTube channel The Clutch