It has been a memorable season for South African athletes on the international track and field circuit.
We take a look back at five of the best performances achieved during a superb 2024 campaign.
Simbine breaks SA record in Olympic final
As he always does, experienced sprinter Akani Simbine delivered in spectacular fashion, retaining his national 100m title and winning two Diamond League races this year.
He hit his peak at the Olympic Games in Paris, however, and it was in the French capital where he shone brightest.
Reaching his third successive Olympic 100m final, he broke his own SA record by 0.02 to finish fourth in 9.82 seconds, cementing his place as the most consistent sprinter in the world.
Simbine went on to anchor the national team to silver in the 4x100m relay final, securing his first Olympic medal and gaining significant consolation after narrowly missing the 100m podium.
Van Dyk claims Olympic medal
Also opening her season with a bang, Jo-Ane van Dyk sent the javelin sailing beyond 62 metres in Potchefstroom in February, and she went on to win gold at the African Games and the African Championships.
Going into the Olympic Games, she was given an outside chance, but while Van Dyk was not among the podium favourites, she silenced any doubters by finding the form of her career in Paris.
In the qualifying round, she set a massive personal best of 64.22m, and in the final she clinched the silver medal with a 63.93m throw.
Walaza wins double gold
At the age of 18, schoolboy sprinter Bayanda Walaza became a crowd favourite this year.
After joining fellow teenager Bradley Nkoana, Shaun Maswanganyi and Akani Simbine in claiming silver in the 4x100m relay team at the Olympics, Walaza made history at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima last month.
Rocketing to victory in the 100m and 100m finals, he became the first athlete in 26 years to win the sprint double at the global junior showpiece.
Fellow sprinter Udeme Okon also flaunted his potential in Lima, winning gold in the individual 400m race and leading the SA team to the silver medal in the 4x400m relay, but Walaza stole the limelight with his double gold.
Sekgodiso claims first Diamond League victory
In March, Prudence Sekgodiso opened her season in style, dipping under 1:59.00 for the third year in succession over the 800m distance at a Gauteng North league meeting in Pretoria.
Two months later, she made a career breakthrough by winning her first Diamond League race in Marrakech, setting a personal best of 1:57.26 and making heads turn around the globe.
Sekgodiso went on to secure another Diamond League victory in Oslo two weeks later, and she reached the two-lap final at the Olympic Games last month, but her 2024 season will be best remembered for her maiden Diamond League win.
Wildschutt sets record in Olympic final
Long-distance runner Adrian Wildschutt continued to break new ground in the 2024 campaign, shattering SA records over the 3 000m (7:32.99) and 5 000m (12:56.67) distances.
But he saved his best performance for the Olympic Games, where he delivered in style on the opening day of the track and field competition in Paris.
In the men’s 10 000m final, Wildschutt took nearly five seconds off his own national record of 26:55.54 (set in California earlier this year) by finishing 10th in 26:50.64.
Other standout results
Marione Fourie broke her own South African 100m hurdles record in Hengelo, clocking 12.49 to take 0.06 off the SA mark she set last year.
At the World Athletics U20 Championships, Udeme Okon joined Bayanda Walaza as the SA team’s only double medallists. Okon earned gold in the individual 400m final and anchored the South African quartet to silver in the men’s 4x400m relay final.
Sprinter Mpumelelo Mhlongo led the SA team’s charge at the Paralympic Games in Paris, winning gold in the men’s T44 100m event and claiming bronze in the T64 200m.
