Bayanda Walaza leads South Africa's young sprint stars at 2025 African Championships
Young sprint star Bayanda Walaza will lead the South African charge at the 2025 CAA African Under-18 and Under-20 Championships from July 16-20 in Abeokuta, Nigeria.
The team includes 14 girls in the U18 division and 19 women in the U20 age group, as well as 17 U18 boys and 20 U20 men.
The world-class squad is spearheaded by U20 world 100m and 200m champion Walaza, who will compete in the junior men's 100m event.
Walaza broke the South African U20 100m record in Zagreb, Croatia, on May 24. His time of 9.94 seconds was also just 0.03 seconds off the U20 world record held by Botswana's Olympic gold medallist Letsile Tebogo.
The 19-year-old SA sprint sensation was also a key part of the SA 4X100m relay team that stormed to gold at the World Athletics Relays in China earlier in May.
He ran the lead-off leg, with veteran sprinter Akani Simbine anchoring the team that finished in a world-leading time of 37.61. They became the first African team to win gold in this event at the World Relays.
Walaza also won silver in the 4X100m relay alongside Simbine at last year's Paris Olympics.
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