A great year for Athletics South Africa in the relay events

The year’s biggest highlights came at the World Relay Championships in Guangzhou, China, where South Africa’s men’s 4x100m and 4x400m teams, along with the women’s 4x400m squad, delivered outstanding results by securing two gold medals and a bronze.

Those performances set the tone for the World Senior Championships held in Tokyo, Japan, in September.

South Africa arrived in Tokyo having not won a medal at the global showpiece since the 2019 edition in Doha, Qatar.

That drought was finally ended when the men’s 4x400m relay team claimed a bronze medal on the final day of the nine-day championships, racing on a rain-soaked track. 

Wayde van Niekerk, Zakithi Nene, Udeme Okon and Lythe Pillay ensured that Team South Africa returned home with a long-awaited medal.

Overall, South Africa reached eight finals from a 40-member squad, a respectable return that included several personal best performances.

Gift Leotlela was among the standout athletes, clocking 9.87 seconds in the heats and 9.95 seconds in the final of the men’s 100m to secure his first major international final.

The 27-year-old showed clear signs of taking his career to the next level.

READ: Team SA top African Youth Games medal table in Angola

There were also encouraging debuts on the big stage. Jo-Ané van Dyk and Sinesipho Dambile reached their respective finals, with Dambile making the men’s 200m final on debut, while Van Dyk finished a commendable fourth in the women’s final—results that gave South Africans plenty to be proud of.

With Botswana set to host the World Relay Championships from 2–3 May, optimism is high that Team South Africa can once again produce world-class performances on the international stage.

Speaking to SABC Sport, Wayde van Niekerk and Akani Simbine both stressed that increased investment in the relay programme could unlock even more success, while dismissing the idea that South Africa relies solely on relays for medals.

“If they can invest more in the relays, we stand a great chance of winning more medals. We are performing well as a team, and we seem to have mastered the relay. We just need more training camps and support,” said Simbine.

Van Niekerk echoed those sentiments, adding: 

"While the relay is important and perhaps our best chance of winning medals, we are not relying only on the relays. We have a lot of talented athletes who are capable of winning medals. With the right support for these young athletes, we can do amazing things going forward.”

At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Team South Africa claimed a silver medal in the men’s 4x100m relay, and the discipline continues to prove itself as one of the country’s strongest medal prospects at major global championships.