South Africa’s rising athletics star Bayanda Walaza will miss the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo after failing to recover from a hamstring injury sustained at the Diamond League Final in Zurich on 25 August.
In a statement released on Wednesday (10 September), Athletics South Africa confirmed that “a comprehensive medical evaluation has determined that Walaza’s hamstring injury will prevent him from participating in the Championships.” The federation added that the decision was taken “in the best interest of the athlete and the integrity of the national team.”
He was entered to compete in the 100m and the 4x100m. Walaza will be replaced by Retshidisitswe Mlenga.