South Africa’s 4x400m heroines just proved that lightning can strike twice… and when it does, it wears green and gold.
Global (12 May 2025) – South Africa’s women’s 4x400m relay team pulled off something pretty extraordinary. Not once but twice in a single weekend, these phenomenal athletes smashed the South African record and powered their way to a bronze medal at the World Athletics Relays.
It was fast. It was fierce. It was fantastic. And it reminded all of us just how much heart and talent our country holds.
It all started on Saturday in the heats, where Shirley Nekhubui, Hannah van Niekerk, Precious Molepo and Zeney Geldenhuys lined up, focused and fired up. They crossed the finish line in 3:28.01, shaving down the previous national record and winning their heat outright, beating the likes of Germany in the process. Their time was the seventh fastest heading into the finals and it was already a major win: a new South African record and a confirmed spot at the World Championships in Tokyo later this year. But they weren’t done yet. Not even close.
On Sunday night, under the lights in Guangzhou, Shirley Nekhubui, Miranda Coetzee, Precious Molepo and Zeney Geldenhuys stepped onto the track for the final… and they absolutely lit it up.
In a race that had everyone on the edge of their seats, the South African team surged to a time of 3:24.84, obliterating the record they’d set just the night before and securing a bronze medal, right behind Spain and the United States.
That’s more than three seconds off their previous best… in less than 24 hours.
Their performance capped off a sensational weekend for South African athletics, with the men’s relay teams also bagging gold.
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