Team SA ends medal drought with bronze in men's 4x400m relay in Tokyo

South Africa’s men’s 4x400m relay squad made history by clinching a bronze medal at the 2025 World Athletics Championships held on Sunday in Tokyo, amidst rainy conditions.

The team, consisting of Lythe Pillay, Udeme Okon, Wayde van Niekerk, and Zakithi Nene, successfully ended the nation's medal drought in a thrilling race.

Nene expressed his pride in the team’s performance, saying, “We had our objectives for the relay and I think we delivered, as expected. The guys ran pretty well, set me up, and I was glad I was able to deliver my side of the job. I’m proud of my brothers and we’re looking forward to the journey that still lies ahead.”

In a significant achievement for the continent, Botswana secured the first-ever gold medal in the Men's 4x400m relay, while the silver went to the USA.
Botswana finished the race in an impressive time of 2:57.76 seconds, closely followed by America’s Rai Benjamin and South Africa’s Nene, who both clocked in at 2:57.83 seconds—just 0.002 seconds apart.

Pillay highlighted the importance of teamwork in their success, noting how they were overjoyed to break an eight-year medal drought at this prestigious event. He also acknowledged the contributions of reserve athletes Leendert Koekemoer and Gardeo Isaacs, who played vital roles in securing their first-round heat the day before.

“It's still sinking in. I'm chuffed, and we couldn't have done it without this team. Even behind the scenes, Leendert and Gardeo ran the heats for us, but Mthi was in the background for us as well. It was a team effort from the seven of us,” Pillay remarked.

This remarkable achievement marks a pivotal moment in South African athletics and sets the stage for future competitions as the team moves forward with confidence and camaraderie.