'These kids need you' - Walaza calls on parents on encourage their children to athletic success

It’s hard to believe that this time last year, Bayanda Walaza was a relatively unknown name beyond South African junior athletics. In fact, this time last year, the 18-year-old had just run a personal best 10.36 and was getting ready to compete for his school Curro Hazeldean at the Curro Podium Grand Finale, an annual high school track and field extravaganza bringing together 40 of the country’s best athletics schools for a day of competition at the Pilditch Athletics Stadium in Pretoria. 

How things have changed. Twelve months later the Tshwane University of Technology first year student is once again getting ready to run at tomorrow's (8 February) Grand Finale, only this time he will be taking part as an invitational athlete running in the Simbine Classic Shootout which is a series of non-standard events featuring some of the nation’s finest athletes, run as a sort of to mini-track and field meet inspire the juniors and punctuate the Curro Grand Finale with world class senior excellence.

Walaza with his mother and coach during a special capping ceremony at Curro Hazeldean last July. Photo Credit: MWMedia.

His meteoric rise then which saw him go from a kid from Katlehong to the first South African schoolboy to win an Olympic medal is now the stuff of legend. Yet he doesn’t see himself is particularly special. Walaza explains that his 2024 success which included the sprint double at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Peru last year, all came because of support he received from his parents.

"All the big names were there - people like Akani, Shawn Maswanganyi and Benjamin Richardson. I thought because I was the youngest, I wouldn’t be chosen to run. I got the message the day before. They told me the day before the race that I had to run because Benjamin was injured. I didn't expect what was going on. But once I told my parents, they gave me motivation and told me that they knew I could do it. They gave me that power that I can be something in life."

Walaza celebrates after winning gold at the World Athletics U20 Championships in September 2024. Photo Credit: Supplied.

Speaking to an audience of parents who came to support their children at the Katlehong Athletics Club development awards in December, Walaza challenged the adults to back their primary school athletes in the same way that his mother did when he lined up for that Olympic 4x100m relay at the Stade de France last August.

"These kids need you. They won't tell you what they are going through but just being there to see what they are doing can motivate them. That can create another Mayweather or Walaza," he chuckled. "For example 30 minutes before I ran in the Olympic relay we went to the call room where I saw athletes like Christian Coleman, Fred Kerley and all those fast people. I almost lost the reason why I'm there."

Walaza listens attentively during the Katlehong Athletic Club development awards in December, 2024. Photo Credit: Lifutso Mabua.

"Before I start I did a short prayer. I learnt this from my mom. She told me that I don’t have to anything long. She told me that all I have to do is just ask the Lord to run with me. I told the Lord that I was doing this for my family and asked him to be with me. Everything just went quiet and I felt like I was the only one there. Even when they said on your marks, I felt like I was the only one running. I didn’t think about Coleman behind me or the people from Jamaica."