On-Form Akani Simbine and Bayanda Wazala to Lead South Africa’s Hunt for World Relays Titles

Akani Simbine will captain Team South Africa at the World Relays Championships.

On-Form Akani Simbine and Bayanda Wazala to Lead South Africa’s Hunt for World Relays Titles

Joel Omotto 21:36 - 01.05.2025

Akani Simbine and Bayanda Wazala, the two fastest runners in the world this year, are among a strong team of 19 selected by South Africa for the World Relays Championships.

Akani Simbine and Bayanda Walaza, the only runners to clock dip under 10 seconds in 100m this year, will lead South Africa’s charge at the World Athletics Relays Championships.

The two are among 19 athletes selected into Team South Africa for the global event set to take place in Guangzhou, China from May 10-11.

South Africa will compete in four events, the men's 4x100m, the men's and women's 4x400m and the mixed 4x400m.

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Simbine will anchor the men’s 4x100m team, joined by Walaza, Bradley Nkoana, all three who were part of the team that won Olympics silver over the distance in Paris last year, while Sinesipho Dambile, Retshidisitswe Mlenga and Tsebo Matsoso will complete the line-up.

The men’s 4x400m has Zakithi Nene, world junior 400m champion Udeme Okon, former world junior champion Lythe Pillay, Gardeo Isaacs, Tumisang Shezi and Mthi Mthimkulu while the women's 4x400m relay team has Miranda Coetzee, Zeney Geldenhuys and Hannah van Niekerk, as well as Shirley Nekhubui, Precious Molepo and Jada van Staden.

Meanwhile in the mixed 4x400m, Isaacs, Coetzee and Nekhubui will form part of the team alongside Leendert Koekemoer, who broke the South Africa U20 men's 400m record, when he clocked 45.03 seconds at the ASA Senior Track and Field Championships in Potchefstroom in April.

Simbine and Walaza have been in great form this season with the former managing 9.90 at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix before 9.99 at Xiamen Diamond League last weekend while the latter clocked 9.99 in Pretoria in March.

A training camp for the team is planned between May 3 and 6 at the University of Johannesburg.