Nkoana looking to leave his mark at U20 World Athletics Championships
Bradley Nkoana is one of the favourites for the 100m title after he ran a personal best time of 10.03 seconds in the lead up to the Paris Olympics in July.
South Africa's Bradley Nkoana celebrates after competing in the men's 4x100m relay final of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on 9 August 2024. Picture: Martin BERNETTI / AFP
JOHANNESBURG - The 20th edition of the World Athletics U20 Championships will run from 27-31 August in the Peruvian capital of Lima.
Olympic relay silver medallists Bradley Nkoana and Bayanda Walaza are among the 26 athletes that will be representing South Africa at the Championships.
Both sprinters will be competing in 100m and 4x100 relay while Walaza will also run in the 200m event. The heats in the 100m event will take place on Tuesday followed by the semi-finals and final on Wednesday.
Nkoana is one of the favourites for the 100m title after he ran a personal best time of 10.03 seconds in the lead-up to the Paris Olympics in July. Despite his recent achievements, he isn’t putting pressure on himself to run even faster and break the 10-second barrier at this event.
"It’ll come, I can’t rush it, I can't chase it. It’s something that just happens naturally. Your body will tell you if you’re ready for it or not because it’s such a huge bracket to break through. Once you go sub-10, your body starts needing things, your recovery has to be on point. I just feel like if I’m ready for it, I’ll know," said Nkoana.
Motswana superstar Letsile Tebogo won the 100m final at the last 2 editions of the Junior Championships in 2021 & 2022, while South Africa’s Benjamin Richardson won a silver and a bronze in those same competitions.
Nkoana said his goal at this edition of the World Juniors is to prove his quality on the world stage. He also has a bit of a point to prove after he was unable to compete at the last championships in Colombia two years ago due to an injury
"Being here at this championship, I’m really grateful for it. I’m looking to bring my A-game and just show that I’m one of the best as well," Nkoana said.
The taste of success that Nkoana had in Paris is fueling his hunger and determination to succeed in Peru this week.
"Coming into this championship, I feel like I’m more ready, I’m more focused and I have high expectations of myself as well," said Nkoana.