Two South African records were broken on Saturday – one on Cape Town roads by Jessica Groenewald and another in Zagreb, Croatia by rising sprints star Bayanda Walaza.
Walaza won the men’s 100m race at the 75th Boris Hanžeković Memorial, a World Athletics Continental Tour meeting in Zagreb, improving his PB to 9.94 – into a -0.3m/s headwind – to finish ahead of Germany’s Owen Ansah, who took second place with 10.20 seconds.
The 19-year-old continued to impress in the 100m, breaking his previous national U20 record of 9.99 set in Tshwane in March and moving to fourth position in the world junior rankings.
“It was something my coach and I were planning, to come here and show up and show that South Africa is one of the strongest countries,” said an elated Bayanda Walaza after the race. “We were not expecting this result – maybe 9.98, but it was 9.94.
“To be one of the fastest juniors feels like an honour and makes me want to work more, be strong and win. If I could put myself together, I could be one of the fastest in the world.”
Elsewhere in Zagreb, Ethiopia’s world 10,000m champion Gudaf Tsegay won her first 1500m race since the world indoor title in Nanjing. She responded to compatriot Birke Haylom‘s final lap surge, winning in a meeting record of 3:58.14 to Haylom’s 3:59.19.
In the men’s 5000m, World U20 3000m silver medallist Denis Kipkoech from Kenya, 18, overtook compatriot Andrew Kiptoo Alamisi and Ethiopia’s Biniam Mehary in the final stretch to win in a personal best time of 13:03.17.
Alamisi, 17, finished second in a huge PB 13:03.30, ahead of 18-year-old Mehary (13:03.57) in third, with world 1500m bronze medallist Narve Gilje Nordas fourth, 10 seconds behind.
Groenewald smashes SA 35km Race Walk record
Jessica Groenewald sets a new national women’s record at the 2025 ASA 35km Race Walking Championships in Cape Town, South Africa.
Representing Athletics Central North West (ACNW), Groenewald triumphed in 3:10:40, cutting 10 minutes off the previous SA 35km record of 3:20:25 set by Natalie le Roux at the 50km World Race Walking Championships in Taicang in 2018.
Nthatisi Mokhele secured silver for Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) in 3:56:10, one minute ahead of Marizel Meintjies (ACNW), who took third in 3:57:10.
Tumisang Pule won the men’s race for Athletics Gauteng North in 2:54:20, ahead of teammate Thando Lumkwana, who claimed silver in 3:21:40. Cassius Matseba (CGA) earned bronze with 3:25:50.
“We are thrilled by the performance of our athletes who are raising the stakes in their respective events,” said James Moloi, the President of Athletics South Africa. “Judging from the time shaved from the previous records one can tell they both meant serious business.
“We are happy for the athletes, coaches and support staff for these achievements. We are also wishing well all our athletes who will be competing in the Diamond League meeting in Rabat, Morocco on Sunday,” he added.
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