Tragedy of losing beloved uncle fuels SA sprinter Sinesipho Dambile's powerful return to form

Daily Maverick

25-05-2025

The 23-year-old former junior world champion was rewarded with gold after fending off injury issues and losing his paternal uncle.
It's been a whirlwind month for South African sprinter Sinesipho Dambile. In the build-up to his much-anticipated return to the South African Track and Field Championships after a lengthy injury lay-off, Dambile lost one of the most important people in his life – his paternal uncle.
The relationship between the pair was no ordinary one: Dambile says he considered Zimnyamana Dambile his father because of the role the elder played in steering him down the right paths and constantly supporting him.
He said if it were not for the influence of the senior Dambile – who had once harboured dreams of conquering the world with his feet too – he may not have gravitated towards athletics.
Hence, when Dambile made a winning return to the sprinting circuit after recovering from injury by reclaiming the 200m national title, which he first won in 2022, he dedicated the victory to his late uncle.
With the blessing of his family, Dambile had taken the tough decision to remain in Potchefstroom and compete in the race instead of attending the funeral in the Eastern Cape.
In the end it proved to be a worthwhile sacrifice for the 23-year-old as he powered back after a slow start to overtake Naeem Jack, Abduraghmaan Karriem and Benjamin Richardson for gold, in a time of 20.11 seconds. This saw him qualify for the World Athletics Championships, which take place in Tokyo, Japan, in mid-September.
It's all for him
'Everything I've been doing was for him, because of the support I always got from him. I got into the sport because of him. That's what he wanted me to do. I was good as a rugby player; I was good as a soccer player as well.
'So, all he wanted was me achieving my goals in track and field – that was once his goal too, growing up,' Dambile said.
'So, being able to go out there and perform at my best was also for him – for having him protecting and carrying me through the races. The races I've run [since he passed away] have been magical. I believe he has carried me, especially in the last 100m of that 200m race. I just got that boost and I didn't know where it was coming from. I'm definitely blessed,' Dambile added.
In addition to his exceptional display individually on the national stage, Dambile took his early 2025 form to the global stage, helping South Africa to claim gold in the 4x100m at the World Athletics Relays in China. A team consisting of Dambile, Akani Simbine, Bayanda Walaza and Bradley Nkoana fended off competition from the US and Canada to earn their victory.
Dambile says that apart from the tragedy of losing an important mentor, he is elated at how his year has started, especially after struggling with injury in 2024.
'I'm in a great space right now. After the nationals I flew straight home and spent some time with the family before I went to the training camp for the relays. I grieved and mentally it got me [in shape for the challenge of running in China]. I was ready and I knew I was going to perform at my best.
'I feel amazing being part of the guys that did the job in China. We had [great] preparation and we worked on certain things. Then we made no mistakes when we got there. We were ready and we did a great job with the guys.
'I'm very grateful for the opportunity to be able to go out there and perform, to run for my country and not just for myself,' Dambile continued.
'It's a bit more fun to run relays – there's less pressure because you have people that you trust around you.
'I'm now happier as a 200m sprinter, excited about the future, excited about going out there and giving out great performances.'
Healthy competition
Apart from the quartet that sprinted to gold in Guangzhou earlier this month, South Africa also has sprinters such as Shaun Maswanganyi (who was part of the silver medal-winning team at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris), and 21-year-old Benjamin Richardson.
Athletics South Africa's high-performance manager, Hezekiel Sepeng, believes this pool of short-distance runners has the potential to result in South Africa really entrenching itself in global sprinting in the build-up to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Dambile is a vital part of this.
'Dambile is in good shape this year. He's come in extremely good and he's very important for the team,' Sepeng said, before lauding the sprinter's commitment amid a tumultuous time.
'This started at the national championships, when he participated knowing at the back of his mind that there is a funeral at home. I know that after the national championships he went home to do some traditional things, to atone for not being there,' Sepeng said.
'For him to be there… he was a very important member of the team.
'We did not have Shaun Maswanganyi and Benjamin Richardson. And the back straight is a long straight, so you need somebody who can run at high speed for a very long time. So, ideally, you need somebody from the 200m background,' he explained.
Bowling and relationship building
Dambile grew up in the Eastern Cape township of Dimbaza before matriculating from TuksSport High School in Pretoria in 2019.
The former 200m junior world champion counts compatriot Simbine as one of his role models and someone who plays the role of an older brother in his life.
He says with all the excitement surrounding South Africa's current crop of runners, it's important that they foster healthy relationships even off the track. He plays a major part in facilitating these bonding sessions.
'I do a lot of bowling. I even attend tournaments. That's what I've always preached to the guys on the circuit – for the chemistry. I tell them let's go out bowling, have fun and just enjoy each other's company.
'That's what makes it easier to even run together, because off the track we still have relationships,' Dambile said.
Having qualified for the global championships later this year, Dambile will continue to sharpen his skills over the next few months while also hoping to remain free from injury.
Throughout this journey, the memory of his 'father' will be a constant motivator, as it was during his golden month. DM
This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.