19-year-old Bayanda Walaza clocked 9.99 sec in 100m

South African sprint sensation Bayanda Walaza has become the ninth athlete from his homeland to break the 100m mark in under 10 seconds. The 19-year-old sprinter clocked 9.99 sec in a race in Pretoria.

He is only the seventh sprinter in history to break the 100m mark under the age of 20. He joins Letsile Tebogo (the fastest under-20 100m runner with a time of 9.91 sec) in this prestigious category.

This indicates that Bayanda Walaza is making consistent advancements and is in good form to deliver further outstanding performances as the season unfolds, particularly in anticipation of the World Championships in Tokyo.

Last year, Bayanda Walaza was part of South Africa’s 4x100m relay team that won historic silver medals at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

He is also the reigning under-20 world champion in the 100m and 200m.