South African Olympic silver medalist [men’s 4x100m] – Bayanda Walaza has broken the 10-second barrier in the 100m dash, becoming the ninth sprinter from the rainbow nation to do so.
Walaza [19yrs] who stole the headlines at the 2024 World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima, Peru having won gold in the men’s 100m and 200m crossed the finish line in 9.99 seconds in the Gauteng North championships at Pilditch Stadium in Pretoria on Saturday, March 15, 2025 to set another milestone in his career.
The Gauteng born sprint star looked focused right from the bullet to the tape, beating Gift Leotlela [10.17] and Emile Erasmus [10.26] to take the provincial title.
On 9 August 2024, Walaza won an Olympic silver medal as part of South Africa’s 4 x 100 metres relay team at the Paris Olympics while still only 18 years old, becoming the first South African to win an Olympic medal while still in high school.
Walaza’s winning time [9.99] also made him only the seventh under-20 athlete in history to break the 10-second barrier, joining Botswana star – Letsile Tebogo, the second-fastest at 9.91, in this elite group.
By Amos Amoako
