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Bayanda Walaza became the ninth South African to run under 10 seconds over 100m at the weekend.
Junior sprinter Bayanda Walaza after setting a new personal best at the Gauteng North provincial championships in Pretoria on Saturday. Picture: Cecilia van Bers
South Africa’s sprinting revolution over the last decade or so has been absolutely incredible, and with Bayanda Walaza’s latest performance, it’s clear that the country’s fastest athletes are still making progress.
Over the weekend, Walaza shattered the national U20 100m record to win the Gauteng North provincial senior title in Pretoria.
Walaza clocked 9.99 seconds, becoming only the seventh junior athlete to ever run under 10 seconds, breaking the SA U20 record of 10.03 which was set by fellow Olympic relay medallist Bradley Nkoana last year.
What is most promising, however, is that Walaza is only the latest in what has been a long list of phenomenal sprinters who have emerged on SA soil over the last decade.
Since Simon Magakwe became the first SA athlete to dip under 10 seconds in 2014, a total of nine individuals have gone under the barrier. And the latest generation looks ready to break new ground at international level.
With the backing of experienced campaigners Akani Simbine and Shaun Maswanganyi, the likes of Benji Richardson, Walaza and Nkoana will give national relay coach Paul Gorries a headache at this year’s World Championships (in Tokyo in September) because he’s going to have a very difficult choice on who to leave out.
With a full-strength squad, South Africa will line up among the favourites for gold, while the likes of Simbine and Richardson will be chasing medals in the individual 100m sprint.
It’s strange to think that just 11 years ago we didn’t have a single sprinter under 10 seconds and our relay team was struggling just to qualify for major championships.
While the likes of the United States and Jamaica are still considered the powerhouse nations on the global sprinting circuit, South Africa has narrowed the gap significantly.
And if our athletes get any quicker, with our incredible depth, the US and Jamaica should be shaking in their racing shoes.
We’re not an emerging sprint nation anymore. We are now a powerhouse, and if the rest of the world can’t see it yet, they’ll find out at this year’s World Championships.
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