Bayanda Walaza, a 19-year-old South African sprinter, has already made global headlines for his incredible performance, collecting five gold.
Fresh from clocking his personal best of 9.94 seconds at the Zagreb continental tour last weekend, Walaza is in town for the sixth Absa Kip Keino Classic Continental Tour at the Ulinzi Sports Complex.
The speedster began his international career winning bronze in 100m at the 2023 Africa Under-18 Championships in Ndola, Zambia.
In 2024, he competed in his first Olympics in Paris, where he was a member of the 4x100m men’s team that won silver.
In 2024, he competed in his first Olympics in Paris, where he was a member of the 4x100m men’s team that won silver.
He is in Nairobi for the Kip Keino meet, full of confidence after helping South Africa win gold in the 4x100m relay at the World Relays in Guangzhou, China, earlier this month.
On Saturday Walaza will take on Africa’s fastest man Ferdinand Omanyala,the darling of the home spectators who will be keen to make amends after disappointing them last year when he finished outside the podium positions.
Omanayala has a season best of 10.00, which he set at the Botswana Grand Prix.
Mark Otieno of Kenya, Claude ITOUNGUE of Cameroon, Shaun Maswanganyi of South Africa, American Elijah Hall, and Australian Lachan Kennedy are also competing in the 100m dash.
The race will be the final event on Saturday’s schedule, beginning at 5:52pm.
