Bayanda Walaza Completes Sprint Double With An Impressive 200m Win At The Under-20 World Championships

South Africa’s most famous teenager, Bayanda Walaza, claimed a sprint double after winning the 200m title at the Under-20 World Championships.

Walaza’s performance was the highlight of Friday, 30 August 2024, as the wonderkid sprinted to clinch a second gold medal after claiming the 100m title earlier this week in Lima, Peru.

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How Bayanda Walaza Clinched The Sprint Double Following His 200m Win

Walaza burst out of the blocks with an explosive start that left his competitors trailing, securing his victory with a time of 20.52 (-0.7m/s).

Australia’s Gout Gout made a solid push to close the gap, and his powerful finish earned him the silver medal with a personal best of 20.60. The 16-year-old broke his own area U18 best and the national U18 record with this time. Jake Odey-Jordan from Great Britain took the bronze, finishing in 20.81.

At the Paris Olympics, Walaza was also part of South Africa’s silver medal-winning 4x100m relay team.

In the women’s 200m, two other Olympians were expected to compete for the title—Adaejah Hodge of the British Virgin Islands and Torrie Lewis of Australia, who had reached the 200m semifinals in Paris. Ultimately, Hodge claimed the title with a time of 22.74 (0.0m/s), improving on the silver medal she won in the 100m earlier in these championships.

Sports Minister Gayton McKenzie celebrated Walaza’s victory:

“We must go find super champs in villages, informal settlements and every nook and cranny of South Africa. I wanna thank the parents and coaches of Bayanda Ice Cream Walaza 🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇”

“Next Big Olympics Star”

People online are ecstatic over the ace’s sprint double at the Under-20 World Championships.

John:

“Great to see Africa producing more talented sprinters. The Simbines, Omanyalas, Tebogos, and Walazas are such a breath of fresh air.”

Waleed:

“100m and 200m WORLD JUNIOR CHAMP. That does not happen every day. Congrats.”

Sibo:

“I feel like South Africa is entering a golden generation for sprinting. Nkoana, Walaza, Richardson, Maswangani. Mind you, Richardson ran a time of 9.86 not so long ago and is still 22. I feel like for the next few years, it won’t just be Jamaica and the US battling it out. A golden generation is on the rise

Ngamla:

“I love his head movement it’s like a propeller 👌👌”