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Sprinter Bayanda Walaza has become the fourth-fastest South African of all-time, powering to victory over 100m at a meet in Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, in 9.89 sec.The 20-year-old was in a class of his own on Tuesday as he beat Jamaican Ackeem Blake (10.04) and Canadian star Andre De Grasse (10.05) at the silver label competition. Blake was the 2024 100m Diamond League champion and De Grasse has seven Olympic and six world championship medals to his name. Walaza’s effort, a meeting record, places him behind only Akani Simbine (9.82), Benjamin Richardson (9.86) and his training partner, Gift Leotlela (9.87). Behind him are Shaun Maswanganyi (9.91) and Wayde van Niekerk (9.94). Before Tuesday Walaza had been level with Van Niekerk. In total, 12 South Africans have broken 10 sec. Walaza, a member of the 4x100m team that won Olympic silver at Paris 2024, claimed the 100m-200m double at the under-20 world championships later that year and again at the 2025 World University Games in Germany. Bayanda Walaza 🇿🇦 has just run a Personal Best (PB) of 9.89s (1.0) to win the men's 100m at the TIPOS P-T-S Meeting in Banská Bystrica!He becomes South Africa's fourth man to run under the 9.90s.Behind him, Ackeem Blake 🇯🇲 cane home in 10.04s, while Andre de Grasse 🇨🇦 was 3rd… pic.twitter.com/XboZDAQWJb— Track & Field Gazette (@TrackGazette) July 21, 2026 But he wasn’t included in the Commonwealth Games team to compete in Glasgow from Friday to August 2 because he started his season only on May 30, after the qualifying period set by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc). Even with Richardson switching allegiance to Ireland, South Africa boasts a powerful relay team when at full strength, with Walaza, Leotlela and Simbine being sub-9.9 sprinters and the fourth being Sinesipho Dambile, who has run 19.74 in the 200m.
