Bayanda Walaza wins Universiade 100m crown on profitable day for SA
The world junior champion crossed the line in 10.16sec as he downed Puripol Boonson of Thailand, the same man he beat at the under-20 global competition in Peru last year.
Anaso Jobodwana was the first South African to win this crown in 2013 and Akani Simbine followed in 2015 — and now there's 19-year-old Walaza, who has added the Universiade title to his age-group crowns and Olympic 4x100m silver medal.
But it wasn't all plain sailing for the Tshwane University of Technology student, who survived anxious moments in the semifinals.
Walaza escaped a false start after one of his rivals twitched in his blocks before his own indiscretion.
Then the field was called back for a faulty start and when they finally got under way for real at the third firing of the gun, Walaza didn't get away as cleanly as normal.
But he did enough to win his heat by one-hundredth of a second.
He made no mistake in the final to cap a profitable day for South Africa with no fewer than four medals on the day.
In the women's 100m Gabriella Marais ended third in 10.51, seven-hundredths of a second behind Australia winner Georgia Harris.
Colette Uys took bronze in the women's shot put with a heave of 17.34m, just 1cm in front of compatriot Mine de Klerk.
Olivia Nel landed her third medal of the gala as she claimed bronze in the women's 50m backstroke in 27.91sec, breaking her own African record set earlier in the competition.
Then she won the first semifinal heat of the women's 50m freestyle, clocking 24.96, the second-fastest time of the evening.
Nel's podium finish added to the two bronze medals claimed in relay races, one of which she won alongside twin Georgia, in the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay.
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