By Razeen Gutta
Olympic silver medallist Bayanda Walaza, 18, has turned down offers from three US universities and will continue his education and athletic career in South Africa.
Walaza had an outstanding season, winning three global championship medals.
He was part of South Africa’s 100-metre relay team that won silver in Paris and later took home double sprint gold at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Peru.
After returning home, Walaza said his Olympic experience helped him perform better in Peru.
He was also happy that media attention was focused more on senior athletes, which allowed him to compete without pressure.
“It helped being an Olympian. Some competitors already knew me because of my Olympic medal, but I was glad the media didn’t focus on me as much as they did on Bradley [another athlete],” he told News24.
Walaza, who admires fellow South African sprinter Akani Simbine, has chosen to stay in Pretoria and continue training with his current coach rather than move to the US.
“Switching coaches now would be risky. What if I go to the US and end up running slower?” he said.
He believes this is the start of his journey and hopes to inspire future generations of South African athletes.
“I want to put South African sprinting on the map so people recognise we’ve produced one of the best sprinters, like Akani Simbine.”
Pictured above: Bayanda Walaza.
Source: @africafactszone
