When South African sprinter Bayanda Walaza powers towards the finish line, his style often finds an analogy with a windmill. His form and running technique even earned him a nickname, ‘Wobble Wobble.’ In fact, he began his season by setting a national Under-20 record and becoming the joint fifth fastest junior athlete ever in the world over 100 metres. And he credits this milestone to his rather unconventional sprinting style. However, Walaza often finds his running form being compared to that of sprinters like Noah Lyles and Kishane Thompson. Addressing this, the 19-year-old expressed his disappointment. 

As the South African sprint star has been on the rise, his comparisons with Lyles have become inevitable. In this week’s episode of the ‘Go Wild Podcast,’ when asked about how he feels when compared with Lyles, Walaza admitted, “Okay. Truly speaking, it hurts, you know, because of people usually speak bad. But what I’ve learned is that you need to use bad to be good. You need to use it for good, you know, because my running style is what I’m also focusing on changing.”

He acknowledged the uniqueness of his style, noting that it defines his presence on the track, “It is what makes me Bayanda Walaza because everyone notices me everywhere I go. So I find this as a significant thing that people will see me with.” Walaza’s style is particularly noticeable as he gallops forward like a horse with a visible head bob. And his styles has earned him some significant results, including running under 10 seconds in the 100m. 

The 19-year-old sprint prodigy has made waves with performances that turned heads across the track world. He began 2025 by clocking 6.58-seconds in 60m in Pretoria, placing him as the 11th fastest junior over the distance. Then, on March 16, Walaza broke the 10-second barrier, clocking 9.99 seconds at the Gauteng North Provincial Championships. That timing is not only the fastest of the season but also the fifth fastest ever by a junior. Back in 2024, at the U20 World Championships in Lima, Peru, Walaza claimed both the 100m and 200m titles, cementing his status as one to watch. These results propelled him above Thompson and Lyles on the World Athletics rankings, signaling a shift in the sprinting hierarchy.

Walaza also reflected on his ongoing development and the role of his coach Thabo Matebedi. “My coach is one person who doesn’t like forcing things. He’s also scared because it’s his first time having like a pro athlete that is actually going and actually performing like this. So he’s also scared of trying to rush into things and actually messing things up.” Unfortunately, Walaza could not keep up with the good run as his injury made him sit out of the Worlds. 

Bayanda Walaza’s injury woes kept him away from the Worlds Championships

Bayanda Walaza sustained a hamstring injury at the Diamond League Final in Zurich on August 25 and failed to recover in time. Athletics South Africa confirmed on September 10 that “a comprehensive medical evaluation has determined that Walaza’s hamstring injury will prevent him from participating in the Championships.”

The federation emphasized that the decision was taken “in the best interest of the athlete and the integrity of the national team.” Scheduled to compete in both the 100m and the 4x100m relay, Walaza was replaced by Retshidisitswe Mlenga.

Although Walaza did not contest in Tokyo, Walaza’s return too would be something the track world would look forward to. Interestingly. track and field expert Coach Rob even tagged Walaza as a reckoning force and added, “Noah Lyles, Fred Kerley, whoever else, and when they see that young man [Bayanda Walaza] get onto the starting line, they better take him seriously.” 

For Bayanda Walaza, he always wants to leave a mark whenever he steps on the track, and that is the motivation that drives him. And, as he recovers from his injury, the South African will be looking to bounce back stronger in 2026.