2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow. On one side stood the United States, home to many titans of athletics. On the other side was Jamaica, often called the sprint capital of the world. Usain Bolt won gold in the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay. Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce mirrored this feat in the Women’s division. After the race, The Jamaica Gleaner declared, “The debate is dead! In the fight to determine the official sprint capital of the world, Jamaica scored a decisive knockout over arch-rival United States (US) and the rest of the globe at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics (WCA) here.” But the plates are now shifting. With aging legends, fresh talent, and new nations catching up, the debate is taking a new shape. How?

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Team USA showcased unparalleled dominance in track and field, securing 34 medals, including 14 golds, the highest by any nation. Standout performances from athletes like Noah Lyles, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, and Sha’Carri Richardson contributed to this. Citing the achievement, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe remarked, “I’m hoping that people in America are sensing that in track and field, certainly this is the golden generation.” But that golden generation may have already peaked. The thing to notice is not that Jamaica fell behind, or that the USA led the medal tally. The real shift is that the sprint rivalry, once dominated by just these two nations, is no longer the whole story. A new era is brewing—and the track and field community is starting to take notice.

The r/trackandfield subreddit had an interesting question on board: “Besides Jamaica and USA which nation has the best sprinting athletes?” Many answered in variance. But the theme remained common. Like this person commented, “The South African men performed really well so far this season.” Akani Simbine himself alone has been undefeated this season as of May 2025, currently he is running on a streak of 6-0 in the hundred meters. His latest win includes his third Diamond League win in Rabat on May 25, clocking 9.95 seconds. The rise of the South African athletes, with the likes of Simbine, is challenging the domination of the USA and Jamaica, which has already been fading since the Paris Olympics. 

During the Paris Olympics, Key Jamaican athletes like Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shericka Jackson, and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce were sidelined due to injuries, leading to Jamaica’s absence from the women’s 100m and 200m podiums for the first time since 1988. Despite individual brilliance from sprinters like Noah Lyles, the U.S. couldn’t overcome its chronic relay issues, continuing a 24-year Olympic gold drought in this event (last won in 2000).

This is also a championship year. The 20th edition of the World Athletics Championships is scheduled to take place in Tokyo, Japan, from September 13 to 21, 2025, at the Japan National Stadium. In such a scenario, the rise of a new force in track and field is a major threat to the already fading domination of the USA (defending champions) and Jamaica. The fans have started to pick their favorites. In the same lines, one user wrote “Canada and Japan hands down. South Africa are always threats as well. Botswana has a young promising squad led by Tebogo”– a clear warning on the rising teams!

Track and Field community picks their favorites other than the US and Jamaica

On the subreddit thread following the question, one of the members commented, “Canada usually locks in on relays, but South Africa is looking pretty dangerous this season.” At the 2025 World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, Canada clinched bronze in the men’s 4x100m final. Despite a challenging baton exchange, De Grasse’s strong anchor leg propelled the team to a podium finish. In the same event South African team, anchored by Akani Simbine, recorded a world-leading time of 37.61 seconds, narrowly edging out the United States and Canada.

Replying to this comment, one other member said,  “I feel like Japan typically gets the most performance out of their relay teams.” At the Paris Games, Japan led into the final straight of the men’s 4x100m relay but ultimately finished fifth with a time of 37.78 seconds. Another one of them noted, “Historically, Canada, recently Botswana has been producing some top talents in the 200-800m in particular.” In the past, Canada has given athletes like Donovan Bailey, who won the 100m gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and was part of Canada’s 4x100m relay team that clinched gold in the same Games.

Today, Letsile Tebogo is a sprinting sensation from Botswana, he has even challenged the domination of the US in 4×400 events. He made history by winning the 200m gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, setting an African record of 19.46 seconds. This victory marked Botswana’s first-ever Olympic gold medal and the first African to win the Olympic 200m title. Hard to debate with this comment also, which reads, “South Africa for the men, they’ve got the current worlds best sprinter Simbine and arguably the worlds best youth sprinter Bayanda Walaza.”

Simbine has been red hot this season. He achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first athlete to run sub-10 seconds in the 100m for 11 consecutive seasons, surpassing Usain Bolt’s previous record of 10 seasons. At just 19 years old, Bayanda Walaza has emerged as a promising talent. In 2025, he became the first South African U20
athlete globally to break the 10-second barrier in the 100m, clocking 9.99s at the Gauteng North Provincial Championships. What do you think? Is South Africa the new emerging superpower in track and field?