RISING STAR Bayanda Walaza is emerging as South Africa's next sprint star, potentially succeeding Akani Simbine, following his record-breaking performances and World Athletics Under-20 victories. Photo: AFP
Image: AFP
Bayanda Walaza may just be poised to take up the mantle of South Africa’s top sprinter much sooner than expected.
That mantle, of course, currently resides with Akani Simbine.
Simbine has been one of the best and most consistent sprinters in the world over the last decade, but at the age of 31, time is no longer on his side.
Simbine has also been desperately unlucky during his career. He finished fourth in the men’s 100m final at the Paris Olympics last year.
As well as being the closest 100m final in Olympic history, it was also the fastest men’s 100m final in history, with all eight men breaking 10 seconds for the first time ever at the Paris Olympics.
Team SA’s Simbine took fourth in 9.82 seconds, with Fred Kerley grabbing the bronze medal in 9.81. Noah Lyles claimed gold in 9.79 ahead of Jamaican Kishane Thompson in the same time - ahead by just five one thousandths of a second.
It was the closest 1-2 finish since the 1980 Olympics - and possibly ever since the technology did not previously exist to separate such small margins.
Simbine did, however, pick up his first Olympic medal in the men’s 4x100m relay, alongside Bayanda Walaza, Shaun Maswanganyi, and Bradley Nkoana.
Since the Olympics, Walaza has continued to rise up the sprinting ranks.
Walaza stormed to victory in an SA Under-20 record as he clocked 9.99 seconds in the Gauteng North Provincial Championships over the weekend.
The 19-year-old became the ninth SA sprinter to dip below the 10-second mark and improved the previous Under-20 record of 10.03 held by Nkoana.
After the Olympics, Walaza would go on to win the 100m and 200m titles at the World Athletics Under-20 Championships in Lima.