Latest news with #WorldRelays
TimesLIVE
3 days ago
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Zakithi Nene joins sub-44-second club with speedy victory in Nairobi
Zakithi Nene has become the second South African after Wayde van Niekerk to run the 400m under 44 seconds, clocking a 43.76sec world lead in Nairobi. He won the 400m there by more than a second, with Nigerian Chidi Okezie finishing in 44.98. Nene, who anchored the South African 4x400m team to gold at World Relays earlier in May, eclipsed American Jacory Patterson as the fastest one-lap competitor in the world so far this year. Patterson had been the only man to have been under 44.00 with the 43.98 he clocked in China in early May. Nene's effort on Saturday lifted him to 16th on the all-time list, which is topped by Van Niekerk with his 43.03 world record. Van Niekerk has been quicker than Nene on only four occasions.
Daily Maverick
5 days ago
- Business
- Daily Maverick
Aleck Skhosana and James Moloi in two-horse race for Athletics SA president despite poor records
It will be a showdown between the incumbent Athletics SA president James Moloi and the man he defeated four years ago – Aleck Skhosana – during the federation's election on Saturday. The battle for the top seat within Athletics South Africa (ASA) is set to be a two-horse race between current president James Moloi and the man he ousted to gain the seat in 2021 – Aleck Skhosana. These are two men that have less than stellar administration records and have presided over embarrassing messes in athletics in the past. Under Skhosana's presidency, KZN Athletics went bankrupt in 2011. Allegations of fraud, corruption and mismanagement led to the board being removed in 2012, with millions of rands said to have been plundered by the federation's employees before the rot was exposed. Skhosana was later cleared of any direct wrongdoing. However, that aspect of his 12-year spell as KZN Athletics boss continues to follow him – with some remaining suspicious of him. Under Moloi, the ASA was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC). The deregistration in February 2025 was a result of the ASA failing to file its annual returns and pay its company fees, despite numerous reminders from the CIPC to comply. When the CIPC notified the ASA that it had been deregistered, it was because the athletics body had last filed its returns in 2021, when James Moloi became its president. Despite the gravity of the matter and the bad light in which it put the ASA, management sought to downplay the issue, with Moloi calling it a 'minor problem'. Moloi's administration pointed the finger towards Skhosana's leadership for the deregistration blunder. However, Moloi's rival is having none of it. On why he felt the need to return to the ASA, Skhosana said that he wants to replenish the ASA's public image – which has taken a blow in recent months due to some administrative ineptitude under Moloi. '[I want] to restore the image and integrity of Athletics South Africa. You saw in April in Parliament, where the sports portfolio committee declared the ASA as an embarrassment, a disgrace and a mess,' Skhosana said on Newzroom Afrika. 'So, we cannot be able to sit back and watch whilst we are capable of adding value. We once participated and we once resolved these problems in the past. I want to make South African athletics bigger and better. To restore corporate governance,' the presidency hopeful added. For Moloi, the deregistration debacle is a major blemish on his four-year tenure as the ASA boss. However, it has since been resolved. But these blemishes do not inspire any confidence. Others Moloi cut a proud fatherly figure recently as Team SA returned from the World Relays. The South Africans claimed two gold medals and a bronze at the global tournament. Despite the aforementioned administrative struggles, South Africans athletics is clearly in a healthy state currently. Whoever takes over the reins will be expected to further improve on this solid foundation instead of undoing it or stagnating it. Although others, such as Moloi's vice-president Shireen Noble, have raised their hands for the top job as well – when the ASA's quadrennial general meeting takes place on Saturday, 31 May, it is expected to be a tightly-fought contest between Skhosana and Moloi. In addition to the two favourites and Noble, Harold Adams is also in the running. John Mathane was part of the candidates list, but he has since pulled out. Mathane remains in the running for the deputy president position though. He is alongside Noble, Adams, KZN Athletics president Steve Mkasi, as well as Karabo Mabilo and Sticks Stiglingh in the race for the ASA lieutenant. Skhosana's unfinished business Skhosana first became the big boss of South African athletics in 2014. He was installed after the intervention of World Athletics following a protracted internal battle involving the executive of then president James Evans, as well as an interim board led by Sello Mokoena. The interim board had surfaced after the impeachment of Evans for allegedly using the ASA's funds for his own benefit. Evans denied this, but the intervention of World Athletics resulted in the federation convening for a special general meeting. This is when Skhosana and a new board were elected. However, they could only serve for two years since Evans had vacated his role prematurely. When that short term ended, Skhosana was re-elected – this time to serve a full term. Considering some of the cleaning up he did upon replacing Evans, Skhosana knows how to lead. But him throwing his name into the hat for re-election four years after being ousted raises the question of whether there aren't any new faces who harbour ambitions of leading such a federation. Recycled administrators For all its 'against all odds' victories on the global stage – South African sports sometimes find themselves recycling the same old faces when it comes to administrators. However, Skhosana says his desire to become the ASA president for the third time is within the constitutional parameters of the national athletics body. He also highlights some of his accomplishments during his six-year tenure. This includes being deliberate about sending South African athletes to international competitions between Olympic Games, something which did not happen as often prior to Skhosana's ascension to power. Under the KZN-born administrator talents such as Caster Semenya and Wayde van Niekerk thrived. How much they thrived because of the ASA's leadership, or in spite of it, is debatable. Moloi, who established training camps for the athletes during his term, has promised to continue implementing similar strategic projects should he be reinstated. 'I want to go for the second term because I didn't finish my plans. So, the second term is for the implementation of whatever plans I've got and to bring in [sponsors],' Moloi told SABC Sport. 'I've been negotiating with different companies to sponsor Athletics South Africa. But if you leave or you are not there, they are not going to come because now, they are relying on you. 'So, it will be an advantage for Athletics South Africa if I can go back for the second time and implement whatever plans that I've got,' the former Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) president added. Ahead of the elections, there has been some controversy. The CGA and Athletics Free State have both pulled their nomination lists for the various positions set to be contested on Saturday. The councils of the federations say the lists were not properly vetted prior to submission. In anticipation of possible skirmishes between the various camps, Moloi wrote to the South African Police Service on 23 May, asking for 'increased police visibility' and hoping this will 'help maintain order and promote a sense of safety throughout the duration of the event'. DM
The Citizen
27-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
OPINION: A flailing and bobbing rocket, Bayanda Walaza is on the rise
This season, 19-year-old Walaza has already secured a gold medal at the World Relays and twice broken the SA junior 100m record. Bayanda Walaza in action for Tshwane University of Technology at the USSA national student championships in Pretoria earlier this month. Picture: Cecilia van Bers/Gallo Images When I first saw Bayanda Walaza run, my initial thought was 'this kid isn't gonna make it'. His raw talent was clear, but in every other way, he was all wrong. When Walaza hits top speed, his arms start flailing and his head begins bobbing, and he doesn't display anything you want to see in a sprinter. But one thing I've learned from watching Walaza run is that technique can be deceptive. The 19-year-old prodigy is super quick out the blocks, and when he hits his stride he is bizarrely efficient. Last season he won a historic 100m/200m double at the World U20 Championships and helped the SA 4x100m relay team earn the silver medal at the Paris Olympics. Future star? However, raw talent only takes an athlete so far, and the reality is that most junior stars don't make it at senior level. So coming into the 2025 season, I expected Walaza to hit a plateau and ultimately vanish into obscurity, as so many do. Oh how glad I am, at least on this occasion, to have been proved wrong. Opting not to fiddle too much with Walaza's style, his coach Thabo Matebedi seems to have made a wise decision by allowing him to run naturally. If Walaza was great last year, this season he has been spectacular. Superb season thus far Already in 2025, he has formed part of the quartet who won gold in the 4x100m final at the World Athletics Relays, and he has twice broken the SA junior 100m record, lowering the mark to 9.94 in Zagreb at the weekend (just 0.05 outside the world U20 record). It might seem premature to suggest he could be the next global sprinting superstar, but Walaza's early progress has been impressive, and he is remarkably consistent. Both a polite young man and a ball of raging energy, he also has the character to become a crowd favourite across the world, and he could be a wonderful ambassador for our country. How he does it, with flailing arms and a bobbing head, is far less important than what he does, and Walaza already has the medals and records to show he has what it takes.
The Hindu
25-05-2025
- Sport
- The Hindu
Sneha Kolleri
Quartermiler Sneha Kolleri has been forced out of the Indian team for this week's Asian Athletics Championships in South Korea after testing positive for dope. 'I came to know that she is not coming to Korea because she failed a dope test,' National chief coach Radhakrishnan Nair told The Hindu from Gumi, the Asian Championships venue, on Sunday. No details regarding the prohibited substance or when the test was taken were available. Suffered an injury: Sneha When contacted, Sneha denied she had failed a dope test. 'I suffered an ankle twist and am unable to run,' said the 26-year-old from Thiruvananthapuram. National camper Sneha was part of the Indian mixed relay team at the World Relays in China two weeks ago, her first major international event, and had been named for the Asian Championships team in both the women's and mixed relays. The Kerala athlete was the fourth fastest Indian 400m runner this year — behind Aishwarya Mishra, Rupal Chaudhray and Vithya Ramraj — and had claimed the bronze in last month's Federation Nationals in Kochi clocking a personal best 53.00s which also put her eighth in this year's Asian list. Till last year, her personal best was 53.51. She had also clocked a 200m personal best (23.59) in the Indian Grand Prix in Thiruvananthapuram on May 17. Sandramol also misses out It is learnt that another quartermiler, Sandramol Sabu, could not travel to South Korea as she had suffered a knee injury. That could further weaken the mile relay team. Strangely Aishwarya Mishra, the country's fastest quartermiler this year — 51.12 while winning the National Games gold in Dehradun in February — and last year's fastest 400m runner Kiran Pahal (50.92s) skipped the Federation Nationals which was the Athletics Federation of India's qualification event for the Gumi Asians.
Eyewitness News
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Eyewitness News
Bayanda Walaza flies to the finish line in Zagreb
The three faster under-20 runners are Issamade Asinga of Surinam (9.89 in 2023), Botswana's Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo (9.91 in 2022) and American Christian Miller (9.93 in 2024). The 19-year-old is now fourth on the all-time age-group list and joint fourth on the overall South African roster, alongside Wayde van Niekerk and training partner Gift Leotlela. Walaza continues to show why he's one to watch, having won Olympic silver in the 4x100m relay in Paris, taking the 100m-200m sprint double at the 2024 under-20 world championships in Lima, Peru, and winning 4x100m gold at the World Relays in China earlier this month.
