The world has been warned! “If I could put myself together, I could be one of the fastest in the world,” a 19-year-old South African phenom claimed after his sensational performance in Zagreb this weekend. As he ran a 100-meter race against a -0.3m/s headwind at the 75th Boris Hanzekovic Memorial, the track world was stunned by the timing he clocked. He did what many can’t with a tailwind! However, a track and field analyst feels that this is just the beginning of his incredible capabilities. He’s all set to be the next Akani Simbine for South Africa. Is this an honest take on his potential or a far-fetched suggestion? Read further and be the judge!

As you may have guessed, we’re talking about South African sprinter Bayanda Walaza here. This teen just ran a wind-legal 9.94s 100m race at a World Athletics Continental Tour meeting in Zagreb and left jaws on the floor with his performance. None in that lineup with him even dipped below the 10-second barrier. While Walaza? Oh, he just took #1 spot on the U20 men’s 100m world lead list for 2025 and #3 on the one across all ages, with his time. No wonder a sports analyst sees him stepping into some big shoes for South Africa soon.

May 27, Anderson Emerole uploaded the latest video of The Final Leg Track & Field podcast, where he talked about how Walaza’s recent performance exceeded his expectations. He then said, “The big thing here is that you have Akani Simbine, who’s still the leader of, of course, South African sprinting, but also like the world right now. But I feel like Walaza is kind of the leader of the next generation of South African sprinters…” Well, Akani Simbine is truly the flag bearer for South African sprinting, but Walaza, who just set a new SA junior record and tied the fourth fastest time ever run by a South African in Zagreb, is not far back from taking the top spot when the day comes. 

Emerole meant that “You have a lot of guys in South Africa, very young guys, who are on the rise, who are consistently getting faster and faster and kind of building this group of like, ‘listen, we’re coming to potentially take over you know some of those spots in the finals at World Championships, at Olympics Games…'” So Bayanda Walaza, to him, is the leader of these kinds of phenoms- the ones we call the next generation and the ones who will get the torch passed onto them from Akani Simbine and the seasoned pros. Well, after struggling for some years, South Africa’s athletics department is looking in prime form this time around, and it’s these athletes they ought to thank for that!

But what is it that makes Bayanda Walaza so special? Well, rest assured, it’s not one sole in Zagreb that all of this is based upon. This teen has repeatedly shown that he’s fleet-footed and adept at delivering when put in the spot. No one will say he’s been through a lot in life, with the ease and candor he shows on the track.

Akani Simbine’s South African junior is a powerhouse

If one goes through Bayanda Walaza’s track record this season, the question, “Has he forgotten how to lose?” might not seem farfetched to ask. Much like Akani Simbine’s 100m history this season, Bayanda Walaza is also cruising ahead, month after month, undefeated. Not unchallenged, just undefeated. Heats, semis, or the finals he hasn’t finished off the podium in a single out of the 25+ races run in the first 5 months of 2025.

Walaza has been on the top of the U20 2025 list before, in March, when his 9.99s performance at the Athletics Gauteng North (AGN) meet set the tone for what was to come in the early parts of the season. It made him the first man to run sub-10 seconds in 2025. And now, he’s outdone that. In fact, per Anderson Emerole, he’s also a rising star face for South Africa, after Akani Simbine because he has those two World U20 golds to his name from 2024. He’d excelled both in the 100 and 200 meters, proving that he’s got what it takes. Well, only time will tell if this prophecy comes true and Walaza takes over as RSA’s next sprint leader. What do you think? Let us know below!