Bayanda Walaza Reveals Bold Plan to Retire Akani Simbine

Bayanda Walaza has disclosed plans to ensure veteran sprinter Akani Simbine hangs up his spikes and focuses on other activities.

The double world under-20 champion believes Akani Simbine has done enough for the sport, and it is now time for him to let young sprinters take over and continue from where he left off.

Akani Simbine has been in the game for more than 10 years, and according to him, there is still more he can offer as he chases his career goals.

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The world indoor bronze medallist has intentions of winning an individual title at either the Olympic Games or World Championships, and seemingly, he will not be backing off from the sport until he achieves that.

Bayanda Walaza, speaking on the Go Wild Podcast, revealed that he hopes to be the athlete who eventually encourages Akani Simbine to step away from competition.

According to the South African youngster, Akani Simbine has done enough for the sport, and he wants to be the one to take over from the legendary sprinter.

The Olympic 4x100m relay silver medallist added that he is never afraid of becoming one of the best sprinters, insisting that competition is what makes him one of the best athletes.

“Surely my goal, you know, because Akani Simbine has been in the game for a long, long time. So, I want to be that person who will be like, ‘Hey, Akani is no longer running anymore. What's the reason? And they're like, hey, you didn't know, there is that young fella there.’,” Bayanda Walaza admitted.

“You know, like he's the one who told him, who showed him that, now you must relax. Now the country is in great hands. You know, you left. You did your job.

“But now it's time for you to move over to something else. So, yeah. I'm not scared of competition, and I'm not scared of making myself the greatest sprinter the world will ever see.”

Bayanda Walaza further reflected on how athletics has evolved over the years, explaining that the sport no longer revolves solely around record-breaking times.

The 19-year-old observed that in the past, clocking extraordinary times used to be the ultimate measure of success, but today, with many athletes running similar times, victory depends more on who crosses the line first.

Bayanda Walaza pointed out that recent competitions, including the Olympics, have shown just how tight the margins have become, with races often decided by fractions of a second.

He further explained that while records can be broken at any moment, a medal represents something permanent, a moment of glory that can never be taken away.

To him, winning a medal, especially at the highest level, carries far more value than setting a record that might soon be surpassed, as he believes that medals define an athlete’s legacy, while records, though impressive, are temporary milestones that live in constant risk of being rewritten.

“What I've noticed in the sport is that these days, okay, time doesn't matter at all. At this time, the way I look at athletics now, back then, it was a very big thing. But now it depends on who's winning because now people are running the same times,” Bayanda Walaza said.

“No one is running the time where everyone can't accomplish. So, I believe now it depends on who's winning. Times can be broken, but the medal they will never take it from you. So, I'll put the medal first. I'll be like, okay, the medal, meaning that if I win the Olympics, no one is gonna come and say, ‘I won the Olympics, I'm taking the medal, you know.’

“But the times you can run a time, next year someone breaks your time. Go on. You know, so the medal is something you'll cherish for the rest of your time. And then the time is what you're gonna live your whole life being scared that they don't break it.”

Bayanda Walaza is focused on carving out his own legacy in athletics as he looks forward to taking the baton from veterans like Akani Simbine and ensuring South Africa’s sprinting future remains in capable hands.