Bayanda Walaza secures gold at World Athletic u20 Championship

by Nomonde Simelane

It did not take Bayanda Walaza very long to return to the podium as the teenage sprinting sensation has secured his title as the fastest teenager in the world currently. The World Athletic u20 championships are underway in Lima, Peru and the competition has not disappointed early on set.

Formerly known as the World Junior Championships, the World Athletic U20 Championships are an international tournament consisting of 45 track and field events. The previous tournament took place in Cali, Columbia back in 2022.

With an electrifying time of 10.19 seconds, Bayanda secured the gold for the men’s 100m sprint, his countryman and teammate Bradley Nkoane taking the bronze with an impressive 10.26 seconds finish.

 

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Expectations were extremely high for Bayanda and Bradley, as the youngsters were an integral part of South Africa’s 4x100m men’s relay team that participated and won the silver at the Paris Olympic Games. Fortunately, the moment was not too big for them as they came out victorious with two podium finishes, proving any doubters or nay-sayers wrong.

Bayanda has earned himself the nickname ‘the country’s lastborn’ as he was the youngest member of that relay team. He has made his country extremely proud, including the Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton Mackenzie, who shared the exciting news via X(formerly Twitter).

The minister also congratulated Bradley Nkoana for his equally impressive bronze medal finish:

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