OPINION: SA relay teams are Olympic contenders, if they’re at their best

With medals likely to be limited on the track at this year’s Paris Olympics, it was promising to see how well the national teams performed at the World Athletics Relays last week, but if they’re going to step on the podium in the French capital they’re going to need to be at their best.

Shaun Maswanganyi was missing from the SA 4x100m squad at the World Relays in Bahamas, due to collegiate commitments in the United States, and without him they struggled in the first-round heats.

After teenager Bradley Nkoana was called up for the final, however, he combined well with Bayanda Walaza, Benji Richardson and Akani Simbine to win their Olympic qualifying repechage in a time (38.08 seconds) that would have earned them a bronze medal if they had reached the final.

With some training camps having been held in the build-up to the World Relays, the team’s changeovers were clean enough in Bahamas to give us confidence that a full-strength quartet can step on the podium at the Games.

In Paris, however, the competition is going to be tougher when the global elite are at their peak, and the SA squad are going to have to be quicker.

Not only do they need the services of Maswanganyi, but they also need every member of the team to be hitting their straps.

4x400m contenders

And while a medal is possible in the short-sprint relay, the country’s best hope on the track is likely to be in the men’s 4x400m event. But, again, everyone in the squad will need to be at their best.

What was most promising at the World Relays was that a quartet without Wayde van Niekerk – consisting of Gardeo Isaacs, Zakithi Nene, Antonie Nortje and Lythe Pillay – earned silver in the final, proving that they can get through the heats in Paris without the world record holder.

As well as they ran in Bahamas, however, the silver medal-winning quartet had three other nations snapping at their heels down the home straight, and Van Niekerk might be needed if they are going to put up a fight in the final in the pressure-filled Olympic cauldron.

It remains unclear whether Van Niekerk will be willing to compete over three rounds in the individual 400m event and two rounds of relays in Paris, but with a medal on the line he will be expected to take part in the 4x400m relay final.

And while he withdrew from the final in Bahamas with a back niggle, he did compete in the heats, after making himself available for his first international relay appearance in eight years.

So their performances at the World Relays suggest the SA men’s relay teams will be competitive at the Paris Games, but we have more quality than depth, and we need our best to be at their best if they’re going to have a real chance.