A new generation of South African sprints stars has emerged since the Paris Olympics, with Bayanda Walaza and Udeme Okon among the leading names, and these teens are eschewing offers from US colleges to stay home for university.
Walaza, who won silver at the Olympics 4X100m alongside his idol, Akani Simbine, stunned the athletics world when he chose the University of Pretoria (UP/Tuks) rather than opting to study abroad.
“There were opportunities from outside [South Africa]. There were a lot of [US colleges] that came up to me and said: ‘It will be a good opportunity for you to come this side,'” Walaza, now 18 and finishing high school, told ESPN.
“There were a lot of them, but I came with the decision that I’ll stay here in South Africa.
“South Africa has all the equipment that we need for people to be fast. We have fast people here. Even Akani Simbine – the best sprinter that we have in South Africa – never went to the USA.”
That’s not to say the US isn’t an option for some. Shaun Maswanganyi, another rising star in South African sprinting, opted for the University of Houston under the tutelage of Carl Lewis, recently finishing his senior year.
Walaza, however, wanted to stick with current coach Thabo “Coach T” Matebedi: “The University of Pretoria is near where I’m training. I was looking at it like: ‘Let me not do long-distance trips and all of that. For me, it will be good if I go to school at UP and then just come train here at school.
“It’s just an easy transaction between these things. Also, TuksSport – UP – is one school that is great for sport… Why must I not just go there and continue with the program that I have now with my coach and the support system that I have?
“It’s not easy to trust other coaches. It took me a while to understand Coach T. It took us a whole 3-5 months before we knew each other [in terms of] what we want, planning and all of that.”
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Walaza had ‘a lot’ of interest from US colleges
South African Olympic silver medalist Bayanda Walaza, who was in his final year of high school during the Paris Games, says he had plenty of interest from the US College system, but opted for the University of Pretoria at home instead.
After his Olympic silver, Walaza went on to win gold in the 100m and 200m at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima, Peru. There, compatriot Udeme Okon won gold in the 400m.
Okon is coached by Lyle Wentzel, who like Matebedi is a South African coach. While Walaza will be off to the University of Pretoria after this year, Okon’s final year of high school will be 2025. However, he is already training with the athletics club of the University of Johannesburg (UJ).
On the prospect of going abroad, Okon confirmed he has been subject to enquiries from American colleges. However, he like Walaza wants to remain in South Africa.
Okon, whose father is Nigerian, told ESPN: “At the moment, I’m still thinking about [where to study], but the concept of South Africa – definitely, I will be staying in South Africa.”
Okon does not place significant importance on being a college athlete in the US, because he intends to stay in the sport well beyond his college days in any case.
“I’m looking to be an athlete who stays for very long and not just for four years and then nothing after that,” Okon.
Commenting on the rise of athletes and coaches from his side of the continent, coach Wentzel said: “I think there’s a lot of development and knowledge that has come to pass with this sudden surge.
“You have the likes of [Botswana’s] Tebogo Letsile, who is the 200m Olympic champion. His coach, as I was told, is also quite new into the game as well. I think having a fresh approach into the newer talent is taking off.
“As South Africans and Africans as a whole, we don’t have as much resources as the developed countries, if I can say it, in the world of athletics – such as America and your European countries – Germany and the UK.
“We only have a handful of high-performance facilities that we can actually go to as athletes, but obviously, we don’t have the access to those kinds of facilities. We make use of what we have here and we utilise it to its full potential and efficiency.”
When accounting for the current generation’s success relative to previous years, Okon and Walaza both cited increased motivation to succeed amongst the Southern African athletes of today, driven by frustration at Africa being underestimated.
“I just feel like the drive is there. We want to come out and show that young people – we’re not just going to sit there and watch. We’re coming to change the game,” Okon said.
“I feel like as Africans, we get looked down on, so we want to come out and show the people that even though we’re from Africa, we will come out and do our best.”
Walaza concurred, saying: “The whole African [continent] is underestimated when it comes to athletics. The way I see things, I think the USA and Jamaica are the countries they always put in front…
“I feel like if brands give themselves away to African countries and support African people, we can be on the same level [as the traditional sprinting superpowers].”
