On May 24, 2025, in Zagreb, the world witnessed something extraordinary. A 19-year-old South African named Bayanda Walaza blazed down the track at the Boris Hanžeković Memorial, stopping the clock at 9.94 seconds (-0.3 m/s) in the men’s 100m. It wasn’t just a personal best—it was history in motion. Walaza didn’t just win the race; he left seasoned competitors like Henrik Larsson and Owen Ansah trailing far behind, their 10.20s finishes a testament to the daylight between greatness and the rest. The timing, however, has a few more feathers.
In that fleeting moment under the lights, Bayanda became the second fastest African U20 athlete of all time, behind only Letsile Tebogo’s world U20 record of 9.91s. On the global U20 all-time list, he soared to fourth. It was an explosion of raw talent, grit, and speed—“No DNA, just RSA,” as Tumi Sole fittingly said on X. But what the stopwatch couldn’t capture was the story behind that run. The pain. The healing. The love.
Almost five months before that sprint into the spotlight, Bayanda’s mother, Tholiwe Walaza, sat down with IOL Sport and opened up about a past no child should ever carry. When Bayanda was just 10 years old, he lost his father in a violent altercation—he was shot and killed. A tragedy so raw, so close, it left scars not just on the surface, but deep in the heart of a little boy who had to grow up far too fast. “He lost his father in a violent fight, when his dad got shot,” Tholiwe recalled, her voice heavy with memory. “He experienced all that. After that, it was tough. As a mother, I had to do something.” And she did.
In an environment where violence often steals childhoods, Tholiwe refused to let it steal her son’s future. She fought—not with fists, but with fierce love. She turned to counsellors and social workers, and made sure Bayanda received help. “If he saw something violent after that, where we’re staying, if there’s something that triggered that, he would be going back,” she said. “God, counselling, and our family as a strong support system helps to recover.” Meanwhile, she buried her husband, but she refused to bury her son’s dreams.
Through the tears, the prayers, the sessions, and the support, a broken boy found his way back. Not just to heal, but to fight. And every time Bayanda steps onto the track, he runs not only with speed but with purpose. With the memory of his father behind him and the strength of his mother beside him. And the result of these combined forces is in front of everyone.
Bayanda Walaza outran his past
When the 2025 season began, Bayanda Walaza didn’t just show up—he made a statement. In February, still just 19 years old, Walaza kicked off his year with the type of fireworks reserved for legends in the making. At the Gauteng North provincial championships, he scorched the track in 9.99 seconds, breaking South Africa’s U20 record and becoming only the ninth South African ever to dip under the magical 10-second barrier. That time didn’t just win him the race—it catapulted him into the global spotlight, making him the joint fifth fastest junior in 100m history. And he wasn’t done.
Just four days later, Walaza took on the half-lap and etched his name into the record books once more. At a meet in Pretoria, he thundered to a 20.08s finish in the 200m, shaving 0.02 seconds off the previous South African U20 record held by Clarence Munyai since 2017. In less than a week, Bayanda had rewritten two national records, stamped his authority as a world-class sprinter, and set not one, but two qualifying marks for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. But if you think this was the arrival of a new star, you’ve missed the prelude.
By the time Walaza wrapped up his high school career, he was already decorated in international medals. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, he stood on the podium as part of South Africa’s silver-medal winning 4x100m relay team—an incredible achievement for a teenager. He followed that up by dominating the World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima, Peru, where he completed the rare and coveted 100m–200m double, cementing his status as the future of sprinting.
So whenever he crosses the finishing line, it isn’t just a race he has won. It is a battle against grief, trauma, and the odds. So, those are victories for Bayanda. And a triumph for Tholiwe Walaza—the mother who ran her own race in the shadows and never stopped believing.
The post Witnessed Father’s Tragic Death at 10, 19-Year-Old Bayanda Walaza’s Mother Stepped Up to Fuel His Sprinting Growth appeared first on EssentiallySports.