'This team is the benchmark for LA2028' - ASA to unveil plan on retaining World U20 talent through to next Olympics
After a successful World Athletics U20 Championships campaign which saw South Africa finish in sixth place out of 66 nations, Athletics South Africa (ASA) President James Moloi says they are moving swiftly to introduce a new monitoring system that will track these athletes who will form the basis of the 2028 Olympic team. The 37-member team returned with a haul of seven medals - three gold, two silver and two bronze. Moloi says they did the nation proud.
"I think the whole of South Africa is excited to see these youngsters. These young kids made us proud. I think it’s the beginning of big things because these youngsters have shown us that we’ve got talent in South Africa. We are meeting as a board on Friday to plan ahead for Los Angeles 2028. This team is a benchmark going forward," he smiled.
One of those who is excited about the future is Hannah van Niekerk. The 19-year-old who matriculated from Afrikaanse Höer Meisieskool last year, won bronze in the 400m hurdles in a new personal best clocking of 56.98. Coached by Maritza Coetzee who led Anja Nel to fourth place at the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships in the same discipline, as well as Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Zeney van der Walt to the gold medal in the 400m hurdles back in 2018, van Niekerk says she is still on cloud nine.
"I was super excited and motivated to come and compete in Lima. My coach Maritza Coetzee and I worked super hard to ensure that I was ready both physically and mentally. Coming here my goal was just to take it round for round and give my absolute best. After making it to the final I knew that I had nothing to lose and that I should just go for it. I cannot explain to you how amazing it feels t go home with a medal and a new personal best. I still can’t believe I was third. It’s truly an amazing feeling. I can’t wait to see what 2025 holds."
In addition to van Niekerk's bronze, Bayanda Walaza's sprint double, Udeme Okon's 400m gold, JL van Rensburg's silver medal in the shotput and Bradley Nkoana's bronze in the 100m, South Africa also won a medal in the 4x400m hurdles. Okon, Sihle Mahlanga, Njabulo Mbatha and Bryan Katoo took the silver medal. Katoo who is currently completing Grade 12 at Nico Malan High School in Humansdorp and was the only athlete from Kouga (Eastern Cape) in the team says the experience in Peru has inspired him to achieve more.
"It feels very good to have a World Athletics medal. To run in national colours is a feeling that can’t really be described. It’s a privilege and an honour. It was interesting to find out that the amount of pressure that an athlete needs to handle to perform at that level is really astonishing. You meet brilliant professional athletes that know what to do and when to do it. It’s excites you to go back and work harder for what you want."
Moloi says their mandate is clear. ASA must raise the requisite funding to support the likes of Katoo and van Niekerk into the senior ranks while working on unearthing more junior talent. "Now we have to go back to the drawing board because this was the last event for the year. We need more athletes. We need a pool of youngsters that can replace the Walaza’s. We want headaches when we have to select the squad. So if we can go to all provinces and speak to the premiers and speak to the City Managers to help us in terms of infrastructure we’ll know that we can have 10 good athletes from each province and know that are well balanced going forward. And then we as management must go out and try to get money and plan ahead. We must move. The money will fund us on the way."
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