The SA men's 4X400m quartet of Udeme Okon, Mthi Mthimkulu, Leendert Koekemoer and Zak Nene finished first in their heat at the Debswana World Relays Gaborone 26 on Saturday, advancing to Sunday's final and to the world champs in Beijing.
Image: Athletics South Africa
With their tickets to next year’s world championships secured, South Africa’s men’s 4x100m and 4x400m teams have shifted focus to defending their titles at the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone, Botswana.
Mvuyo Moss, Cheswill Johnson, Bradley Nkoana and veteran Akani Simbine won their men’s 4x100m heat at the Botswana National Stadium on Saturday, stopping the clock at 37.68 seconds. They were the third-fastest qualifiers overall, booking their place in Sunday’s final as well as securing qualification for the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing, China.
The performance once again underlined the depth of South African sprinting, achieved in the absence of established stars such as Bayanda Walaza, Shaun Maswanganyi and Sinesipho Dambile, and reinforced their status as contenders for the gold medal they won last year.
"I have confidence in the boys. They showed up, came here with a stacked crowd and qualified for the final. I still believe in them, not only for the final, but also for the future, for next year, and going on," said Simbine, the national men’s relay captain who anchored the team to victory at last year’s World Relays in China.
The SA men’s 4x400m quartet of Udeme Okon, Mthi Mthimkulu, Leendert Koekemoer and Zakithi Nene also won their heat, posting the third-fastest time overall of 2:58.04. The team could be reshuffled for Sunday’s final, with Gardeo Isaacs and Lythe Pillay available from last year’s gold medal-winning line-up. Okon appeared to labour on the opening leg, but Mthimkulu may be difficult to leave out after producing the fastest split of the quartet.
“I think the guys are in very good shape. We handled that heat pretty well. It was very conservative, and it's the second fastest time we've run as a group, but it was our most composed run,” Nene said. “I know we have an extra gear or two in us, so I can't wait for the final battle.”
South Africa did not progress to the finals in the other events, but will have another opportunity on Sunday to chase qualification for the 2026 World Athletics Ultimate Championships and the 2027 World Athletics Championships.
In the first-round heats, the national women’s 4x100m team finished fourth in their race, setting a South African record of 43.22. The quartet of Viwe Jingqi, Kayla la Grange, Gabriella Marais and Joviale Mbisha missed out on a place in the final by just 0.11 seconds.
A strong mixed 4x400m team of Isaacs, Rogail Joseph, Pillay and Marlie Viljoen placed fifth in their heat in 3:11.19, falling 0.59 seconds short of a place in the medal race. In the women’s 4x400m heats, Precious Molepo, Christi Loggenberg, Hannah van Niekerk and Viljoen finished fourth in their heat in 3:26.77. They were ninth-fastest overall and did not advance to the final.