Zakithi Nene (23) has been kicking up dust and leaving his opposition ‘in the dust’ on athletics tracks around the country, and also around the world!
Zakithi, who was born in Ladysmith and is currently based in Durban, is the middle child between two brothers.
He discovered his talent for running when he was at primary school, where various sports were offered… Athletics was one of them, which he soon took a liking to. Zakithi attended Monument Primary School, Ladysmith High School (LHS) and then Glenwood High School before matriculating in 2015.
Back in 2009, Zakithi earned his first provincial colours for the 100m event without any serious training. That’s when he realised he should put more effort in and see just how far he could go.
Just a few weeks back, Zakithi took part in the ASA Senior Track & Field Championships in Tshwane, where he won the 400m men’s title in a blistering time of 45.54.
Wayde van Niekerk holds the world record in the 400m with a time of 43.03 at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. However, Wayde did not compete in the event. This performance by Zakithi shows that he is not far off the world record standard.
The youngster has represented SA on numerous occasions already: 2017 – Team South Africa at the CAA African Junior Champs in Algeria; Team South Africa at the FISU World University Games (Taipei 400m men – semi-finalist); 2018 – Team South Africa at the IAAF World Cup (London, UK); Team South Africa at the CAA African Senior Champs (Asaba, Nigeria).
Zakithi is currently doing his postgraduate degree in Business Management at NWU Pukke, having completed his under-graduate degree at UKZN (B.Com Supply Chain & Economics).
He explains that, “My main objective is to compete with the world’s best at this year’s Tokyo Olympics. My next competition is the World Relays, taking place in Poland, where I’ll be seeking automatic qualification to the Olympics. I’m just focusing on bettering myself, as I believe that my best years are yet to come and hopefully I can challenge the times that Wayde has run.”
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