South Africa Delivers Strong Performances at the 2025 World Relays in Gaborone
On Sunday, the South African relay squads turned heads at the World Relays held in Gaborone, Botswana. Both the men’s 4×100 m and 4×400 m teams set new national records and walked away with silver medals, while the mixed 4×400 m quartet earned a berth for the 2027 World Championships in Beijing. The day’s racing highlighted not only raw speed but also the depth and resilience of South African athletics.
Men’s 4×400 m – Silver, National Record and a Historic Split
Botswana’s home crowd roared as their reigning world‑champion squad edged out a fiercely contested battle for gold. South Africa crossed the line in 2:55.07, a new national best and the third‑fastest time ever recorded in the event. The winning Botswana team posted a championship record of 2:54.47, just shy of the United States’ world‑record 2:54.29 set in 1993.
The race unfolded with Mthi Mthimkulu holding second place after the opening leg. Lythe Pillay then delivered a blistering second lap, clocking 42.66 seconds – a split that, if verified, would surpass Michael Johnson’s legendary 42.91‑second relay leg from 1993 and claim the fastest relay lap in history. Pillay’s surge moved South Africa into the lead before the baton was handed to Leendert Koekemoer.
Koekemoer held his ground until Bayapo Ndori of Botswana overtook him on the backstraight. Zakithi Nene anchored the South African effort, dueling 400 m world champion Collen Kebinatshipi and finishing with a solid 43.65 on the final lap. Kebinatshipi’s own leg was timed at 43.09, the second‑fastest split of the race.
Compared with their gold‑winning run at the 2025 World Relays in China (2:57.50), the Gaborone performance was almost two and a half seconds quicker. It also eclipsed the bronze‑medal time from the Tokyo World Championships the previous year by a similar margin, underscoring a clear upward trajectory for the squad.
Men’s 4×100 m – African Record and a Narrow Miss for Gold
Earlier in the programme, Akani Simbine anchored the men’s 4×100 m relay to an African‑record 37.49 seconds. The effort secured silver behind the United States, who clocked 37.43. The time places South Africa as the sixth‑fastest 4×100 m relay in history, trailing only Jamaica, the United States, Great Britain, Japan and Canada.
The squad entered the race dealing with the absence of Bayanda Walaza and Sinesipho Dambile due to injury. Despite those setbacks, the baton exchanges between Mvuyo Moss, Cheswill Johnson and Bradley Nkoana were executed with precision. Simbine chased down American Pjai Austin on the final straight, breathing down his neck until the very end – a photo‑finish that ultimately favoured the U.S. by just six hundredths of a second.
The performance illustrates both the team’s current depth and the promise of a fully healthy lineup for future global championships.
Mixed 4×400 m – Qualification for Beijing 2027 Secured
The mixed 4×400 m team also delivered a noteworthy result. Bradley Maponyane, who replaced Lythe Pillay on the third leg, helped the quartet clock 3:12.77. Although the time was 1.5 seconds slower than the Saturday lineup (which featured Pillay instead of Maponyane), it was sufficient to earn one of the automatic qualification spots for the 2027 World Championships in Beijing.
Marlie Viljoen displayed impressive resilience after surrendering the lead to Nigeria on the backstretch; she stormed back to help secure the win. The achievement adds the mixed relay to South Africa’s growing relay contingent, which already includes the men’s 4×100 m and 4×400 m squads.
Women’s Squads – Building for the Future
The women’s 4×400 m team, composed largely of emerging athletes, fought hard in their heat to finish third with a time of 3:27.78. While the result did not advance them to the final, the performance demonstrates progress and gives the unit a clear benchmark for the upcoming season.
In the women’s 4×100 m relay, the squad placed fourth with a clocking of
