The world has been warned! “If I could put myself together, I could be one of the fastest in the world,” a 19-year-old South African phenom claimed after his sensational performance in Zagreb this weekend. As he ran a 100-meter race against a -0.3m/s headwind at the 75th Boris Hanzekovic Memorial, the track world was stunned by the timing he clocked. He did what many can’t with a tailwind! However, a track and field analyst feels that this is just the beginning of his incredible capabilities. He’s all set to be the next Akani Simbine for South Africa. Is this an honest take on his potential or a far-fetched suggestion? Read further and be the judge!
As you may have guessed, we’re talking about Bayanda Walaza here. This teen just ran a wind-legal 9.94s 100m at a World Athletics Continental Tour meeting in Zagreb and left jaws on the floor with his performance. None in that lineup with him even dipped below the 10-second barrier. While Walaza? Oh, he just took #1 spot on the U20 men’s 100m world lead list for 2025 and #3 on the one across all ages, with this time. No wonder, a sports analysts sees him stepping into some big shoes for South Africa soon.
May 27, Anderson Emerole uploaded the latest video of “The Final Leg Track & Field” podcast where he said, “The big thing here is that you have Akani Simbine who’s still the leader of of course South African sprinting, but also like the world right now. But I feel like Walaza is kind of the leader of the next generation of South African sprinters…”
This story is developing…
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