Bayanda Walaza flies out of the blocks to do sprint double at World Athletics U20 Championships
There is just no stopping South Africa’s teenage sprint sensation Bayanda Walaza after he capped off the month of his life by achieving the 100m and 200m sprint double at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima.
Walaza blew away his competitors in the 200m in the early hours of Saturday morning SA time to win in a time of 20.52. The 200m gold came a couple of days after he won the gold medal in the 100m.
After flying out of the blocks, his competitors had to play catch up, but Australia’s Gout Gout’s hard-charging finish could only earn him the silver medal in a personal best time of 20.60. Jake Odey-Jordan of Great Britain took the bronze in 20.81.
It’s been a month to remember for Walaza, who also formed part of the South Africa’s silver medal-winning 4x100m team at the Paris Olympics in France.
The 100m champ becomes the 200m champ ‼️
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 31, 2024
🇿![CDATA[]]>🇦's Bayanda Walaza is the sprint king of Lima 👑#WorldAthleticsU20 pic.twitter.com/0fw3txwkHW
Walaza had replaced the injured Benjamin Richardson in the team, famously giving up ice cream to come to the party and help South Africa earn the second place behind Canada.
Walaza also became the first man since Christian Malcolm of Great Britain to win the 100m and 200m titles at the championships. Nigerian Francis Obikwelu at Sydney 1996 and Ato Boldon of Trinidad and Tobago at Seoul 1992 are the other men to do the sprint double at the age-group championships.
South Africa has now won three gold medals at the event after Udeme Okon also won the the 400m earlier this week
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