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Bayanda Walaza might never have become the promising sprinter he is today were it not for a very timely intervention by a psychologist after his father was shot dead when he was just 10.
Bayanda Walaza may be one of the most exciting young sprinters in the world right now, but his journey to the top was nearly derailed by personal tragedy.
The South African speedster has been making headlines in 2025, especially in the 100m dash, where he clocked a blazing 9.94 seconds (-0.3 m/s) at the Boris Hanžeković Memorial—making him the second-fastest African U20 athlete ever, behind only Letsile Tebogo’s world record of 9.91s. That time also puts him fourth on the all-time global U20 list.
But behind those blistering performances is a story of pain, perseverance, and redemption.
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At just 19, Walaza kickstarted his season in emphatic fashion at the Gauteng North provincial championships, stopping the clock at 9.99s. That run not only shattered South Africa’s U20 record—it also made him the ninth South African to dip below the 10-second barrier.
Four days later, he took on the 200m and clocked a stunning 20.08s in Pretoria, breaking Clarence Munyai’s U20 national record set back in 2017. Within the span of a week, Walaza had booked his ticket to the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo in both events and announced himself as a rising global force.
But these triumphs were the product of a comeback years in the making—one that started in heartbreak.
How Therapy Turned Around Walaza’s Life
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“After grade seven in South Africa, you go to high school. I was bright, so I joined a school that was all about academics. But there was no sport—it was just books,” Walaza recalled in an interview with NTV's Sport On.
The absence of sport quickly took a toll. “I started crashing out. I lost interest in school. I didn’t even want to go anymore,” he said.
Concerned, his mother took him to see a psychologist. That’s when the underlying trauma surfaced.
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“My dad was shot when I was 10. The psychologist saw that when I wasn’t playing sport, all I could think about was how he died. The dark thoughts would come back. I felt broken,” Walaza shared.
With no outlet, he began acting out—staying out late, getting into trouble. “The psychologist said I needed sport to cope. At the time, we didn’t even know which one, but I had to go back to grade seven just to be in a school that had sports.”
There, he tried soccer, athletics, and more. Eventually, he landed a scholarship in athletics for grade eight. “That’s when it clicked. I knew athletics was my path.”
How Walaza’s Mother Eventually Embraced Her Son’s Talent
But the emotional scars from his father’s death remained. “Losing him made me feel like life wasn’t worth it. I kept asking, why am I still here when he’s not?” he admitted.
His father had been his biggest supporter—attending every race, cheering the loudest. “My mom worked a lot, so she couldn’t always be there. But my dad? He never missed a race. When he died, it felt like no one was watching anymore.”
Even as he continued competing, it was hard to find joy. “My mom would call and say, ‘Go do your best, my child.’ But since she couldn’t be there, I started resenting the sport. I’d wonder, what’s the point? Who am I doing this for?”
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“At one point, I didn’t even care about sports anymore. I was just living to get by,” Walaza admitted.
But his mother, Tholiwe, recognized what was happening—and took action. “She started making sacrifices—there was even a moment she nearly quit her job just to come and watch me run. That changed everything,” he said.
Her presence revived something inside him. “Because she showed up, I found my love for the sport again. I wanted to make her proud. That’s what brought me back.”
Since then, Walaza has done more than just return—he’s soared.
After helping South Africa to a silver medal in the 4x100m relay at the 2024 Paris Olympics, he closed out the year with a dominant performance at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima, Peru—clinching a rare 100m–200m double.
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