The South African men’s 4x100m and 4x400m teams won gold, while the SA women’s 4x400m quartet earned bronze, on a memorable final day of the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China on Sunday.
The men’s 4x400m team were equally superb, with Gardeo Isaacs, Udeme Okon, Leendert Koekemoer and Zakithi Nene storming to gold in 2:57.50.
They ripped 0.62 off the SA record of 2:58.12 set by Nene, Isaacs, Lythe Pillay and Antonie Nortje when they finished fifth at the Paris Olympics. Behind them, the next best team was Belgium, who completed the four-lap in 2:58.19 to take the second spot on the podium.
In the women’s 4x400m final, the quartet of Shirley Nekhubui, Miranda Coetzee, Precious Molepo and Zeney Geldenhuys clocked 3:24.84 to grab the bronze medal. They shattered the national mark of 3:28.01 set by Nekhubui, Molepo, Geldenhuys and Van Niekerk in the heats the day before.
Ahead of them, Spain won gold in 3:24.13 and the United States earned the silver medal in 3:24.72.
The SA mixed 4x400m team of Hannah Van Niekerk, Mthi Mthimkulu, Jada van Staden and Tumisang Shezi, took fifth place in 3:16.29.
The 4x100m quartet of Bayanda Walaza, Sinesipho Dambile, Bradley Nkoana and Akani Simbine, secured victory in the one-lap final in 37.61 seconds.
They were just 0.04 outside the SA record of 37.57 which the national squad achieved when they earned silver at last year’s Olympic Games in Paris. They held off a challenge from the United States, who settled for the silver medal in 37.66.
All four SA squads had reached the finals of their events with solid performances in the heats on Saturday and thus qualifying automatically for the World Athletics Championships to be held in Tokyo in September.
“We are besides ourselves with joy. Ecstatic is probably the best way to describe our emotions. We entered for four events and we succeeded in three.
“When the team left here they were in high spirits and looked good at the three-day pre-departure camp in Johannesburg,” said James Moloi, the President of Athletics South Africa.
“They’ve met the mandate of targeting the podium in each event. You win some and you lose some, and fortune favoured the more prepared.
“We are very grateful and proud of our athletes, our coaches and all members of management for the good work.”
The victorious South African contigent returns home on Tuesday 13 May 2025.
