Bayanda Walaza breaks 100m junior record in under 10 seconds: 'He's only going to get quicker!'
His 9.99-second run makes him the fifth-fastest junior athlete in the world.
South Africa's Bayanda Walaza won the 100m event at the U20 World Championships in Lima on 27 August 2024. Picture: @WorldAthletics/X
947’s Robert Marawa speaks with Citizen sports journalist Wesley Button.
Listen below:
Olympic athlete Bayanda Walaza set a national U20 record and became the (joint) fifth-fastest junior athlete in the world over the weekend.
He became only the ninth South Africa with a sub-10 second run, clocking 9.99 seconds to win the 100m final at the Athletics Gauteng North Championships.
Watch Bayanda Walaza 🇿🇦 storm to a South African U20 100m Record of 9.99s (0.7) in Pretoria!!🔥
— Track & Field Gazette (@TrackGazette) March 15, 2025
Interesting technique. pic.twitter.com/rR2goh00sy
“Walaza, at the moment, is the fastest junior in the world and I imagine he is only going to get quicker.”
– Wesley Button, Sports Journalist – The Citizen
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There was controversy earlier this year when the sprinter revealed he would be staying in South Africa after matriculating.
He surprisingly chose to study and train at the Tshwane University of Technology over the University of Pretoria (Tuks).
Many believe it was the wrong choice given Tuks’ record of producing Olympians.
Button says that regardless, this is evidence that South Africa has the resources to develop young talent.
“If you compare South Africa to global sprinting powerhouse nations like the United States and Jamacia, every year we seem to get a bit closer to them and seem to narrow that gap.”
– Wesley Button, Sports Journalist – The Citizen
Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the discussion.