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18-year-old sprint star Bayanda Walaza was honoured to a hero's welcome in South Africa following his historic feats at the World U20 Championships in Lima.
World's fastest teenager Bayanda Walaza arrived to a hero's welcome in South Africa following his exploits at the World U20 Championships in Lima, Peru.
The teen speedster was one of the best performers in Lima, having won two gold medals in the 100m and 200 events, thus becoming the first South African sprinter in history to attain such a feat in the championship history.
Walaza blazed to the 100m title in 10.19s, finishing ahead of Thailand's Puripol Boonson who clocked 10.22s to win the first-ever medal for Thailand at the World U20 Championships, while pre-championship favourite and Walaza's compatriot Bradley Nkoana settled for the bronze medal in 10.26s.
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12:33 - 29.08.2024
Bayanda Walaza: South African Olympic silver medallist becomes world's fastest teenager with historic 100m gold in Lima
High school student and Olympic silver medallist Bayanda Walaza blazed his way to the World U20 title in Lima to become South Africa's first 100m champion in the history of the championship.
In the 200m, the 18-year-old produced an even better performance with a stunning run of 20.52s to defeat Australia's highly talented youngster Gout Gout.
By winning both titles, Walaza became only the fourth athlete in history to complete the sprint double at the World U20 Championships behind the legendary Ato Boldon (1992), ex-Nigerian sprinter Francis Obikwelu (1996), and Christian Malcolm (1998).
Noteworthy is that Walaza's exceptional outing in Lima was a follow-up to his brilliant display at the Paris Olympic Games, where he and Nkoana formed part of South Africa's silver medal-winning team in a new African Record of 39.57s.
The youngster's breakout 2024 season is a testament to his unbelievable talent and he's on the right path to be a strong force in the sprint world a few years from now.
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