I promise, no more false starts, says Bayanda Walaza after South Africa’s gold rush at World Relays

The South African 4x100m relay team continued from where they left off at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, as they went a step further to claim the gold medal at the World Relays in Guangzhou, China, a week ago.

South Africa bagged an impressive tally of three medals (two golds and one bronze), and they will be one of the teams to watch out for in the upcoming World Championships in Tokyo this September.

The other winners were the 4x400m men’s team, who claimed gold, with the women’s 4x400m team claiming an SA record-breaking (3:24.84) bronze-medal win.

Part of a rising generation of South African sprinters, Walaza has moved from promising to proven – claiming world junior titles in the 100m and 200m, and adding an Olympic silver medal to his growing list of achievements.

Walaza was in the company of superstar and anchor Akani Simbine, Bradley Nkoana, and Sinesipho Dambile, and they were all thrown a curveball early on in the race before romping to a world-lead time of 37.61 seconds.

“I was at a point where I thought we could win this, and I was over-excited about it,” Walaza reflected on the race upon his arrival back home this week.

The final almost turned into heartbreak for Walaza and his teammates when a potential false start by the 19-year-old threw their chances into doubt.

But after a tense wait, they were cleared to compete as officials handed them a green card.

“I was too excited and started feeling fear. It overtook my body because I had so much adrenaline, and I was not used to it. I wanted to come out of the blocks fast as I knew we were capable of winning,” Walaza said.

“I thank the Lord that I didn’t move the second time around. I wanted to move, but I reminded myself that the gun had not gone off.

“So, I could control how I was feeling then, and I am happy about it.”

Walaza expressed his joy with the progress South Africa have made in recent years, particularly in relay events.

But he emphasised the need to carry that success into individual competitions as well.

“As our teams have brought these medals, I also believe that it will bring in the spirit of wanting to bring medals as individuals. We can see that in our relay teams we are actually better than some of these countries,” he said.

“It also makes me want to attempt to get a medal individually. We must use the mentality we used in relays in our individual events, and we will be one of the best countries around.”

The 19-year-old believes that from his wins and losses, he always takes away a lot of lessons that will help him as he continues to grow in the sport.

“Each and every time I qualify, I learn something new. I believe that this is the route the Lord is showing for me and the whole team. For me, getting these medals – I should use that as comfort to be more of myself,” Walaza said.

“Winning a medal can easily change who you are at some point. When I was in China, it was unexpected, but I had a huge fan group.

“Everyone wanted to take a selfie, and I felt like a star.

“But I am still learning and getting into that zone, and I promise not to have any false starts anymore.”