Lythe Pillay – There is a healthy rivalry between Botswana and South Africa

Pillay, alongside team captain Zakhithi Nene, Mthi Mthimkhulu, and youngster Leendert Koekemoer, helped South Africa secure silver in a thrilling race at the World Relay Championships in Gaborone on Sunday. 

The team clocked 2:55.07, finishing just behind hosts Botswana, who won gold in 2:54.47, while Australia took bronze in 2:55.20.

Both neighbouring countries qualified for next year’s World Senior Championships in China and earned prize money of 40 000 and 20 000 dollars for their podium finishes.

Pillay delivered a stunning run, recording the fastest 400m relay split in history at 42.66 seconds, on a day to remember despite Team SA losing their world title to Botswana.

"As much as we have a rivalry with Botswana, it's a healthy one. Even in the corridor right before the race. The first thing we said was, eish! we still have to fight each other to get that medal. I think for us, as countries, we're actually pushing each other. South Africa, after Wayde pioneered that 400-part for us," said Pillay

READ: Akani Simbine proud of 4x100m team after silver medal performance

"We weren't really seen as a 400 nation, neither was Botswana. Now all of a sudden you have two nations, actually two neighbours, you know, batttling it out. And I mean, for us, it's always a thing of, if it's not us, it's you. So I think I ran like a madman."

Multiple South African 400m champion and team captain Nene described the race as highly competitive, saying the team had also set their sights on challenging the world record against the defending champions.

The KwaZulu-Natal star and 2024 Olympic Games finalist said the team’s performance exceeded expectations, praising his teammates for executing their roles almost perfectly.

Nene went head-to-head with Botswana’s anchor Collen Kebinatshipi in a gripping final leg but came up short once again, similar to their clash at last year’s World Championships in Tokyo.

Despite the result, Nene remains confident and is determined to bounce back stronger, adding that competing in Gaborone felt just like racing at home.

Mthimkhulu said he was eager to get the race started and take on the opening leg, confident that he could put the team in a strong position.

He added that the execution matched what they had worked on in training, which gave him great satisfaction.

Youngster Leendert Koekemoer, who produced an impressive run before handing over to Pillay, said his focus was to keep the team in a strong position, knowing how dangerous the Botswana team could be.