It was a weekend of speed and history in Brescia as Bayanda Walaza claimed the 100m title and Leendert Koekemoer produced a record-breaking run in the men’s U20 400m.
South Africa (02 September 2026) – There was no shortage of South African speed on show in Italy this weekend, with Bayanda Walaza and Leendert Koekemoer both producing performances worth talking about at the Grand Prix Brescia.
Walaza walked away with the senior men’s 100m title after powering across the line in 10.00 seconds at the Centro Gabre Gabric on Sunday. The 20-year-old held off a strong international field, with American Courtney Lindsey finishing second in 10.09 and fellow American Trayvon Bromell taking third in 10.16.
The victory is another encouraging step for Walaza, who already boasts an impressive personal best of 9.89 seconds. He was among a stacked line-up in Brescia that included several sprinters with sub-10-second personal bests, but when it mattered, the South African was the quickest of the lot.
While Walaza was making his presence felt in the 100m, Koekemoer was putting together a performance of his own.
The University of Johannesburg sprinter stormed to 44.52 seconds in the men’s Under-20 400m, breaking a South African junior record that had survived for 31 years.
Riaan Dempers had held the record since running 45.15 seconds in 1994, but Koekemoer took a huge chunk off that mark with his explosive run in Brescia.
Going under 45 seconds at junior level is no small feat, and Koekemoer’s performance puts him among an elite group of young 400m runners capable of producing world-class times.
Two sprinters, two standout performances and plenty of reason for South African athletics fans to keep watching.
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