By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
South African Olympic Silver medalist in the 4x10mm relay and current World U20 champion in the 100m and 200m set a South African U20 record and became the first South African junior to run under 10s in the 100m when he ran a blistering 9.99s at Pilditch Stadium in Pretoria on Saturday.
Walaza, 19, had reently dominated the 100m and 200m at the World Athletics U20 Chmapionships in Lima.
The U20 world 100m and 200m champion beat Gift Leotlela (10.17) and Emile Erasmus (10.26) to take the provincial title, and by clocking under the 10-second mark, he became only the seventh U20 athlete in history to break that milestone.
He joined Botswana star Letsile Tebogo, the second-fastest at 9.91, in this elite group.
With the World Championships in Tokyo fast approaching in September, Walaza’s performance serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining the national relay team’s competitive edge.