From shack to sprinting glory: Bayanda Walaza’s rise as the world’s fastest teenager

For 19-year-old Bayanda Walaza, the road to global sprinting stardom did not begin on manicured tracks or in elite sports academies. It began in a modest backyard shack in Katlehong, Ekurhuleni, and almost ended before it truly began.

“I truly felt afraid of losing my future,” Walaza said, recalling a moment that nearly derailed his dreams.

He had just overheard adults discussing the costs of attending a top-performing school, the kind that could nurture his world-class speed.

“It hit me that no matter how hard I worked, without support I might not make it,” he says. “I had big dreams, but I didn’t know how to reach them. The odds felt stacked against me.”

Everything changed when Walaza received a scholarship from the Ruta Sechaba Foundation – an initiative dedicated to unlocking potential through access to quality education. The foundation sponsored his matric year at Curro Hazeldean in Pretoria in 2024. In return, Walaza is now the face of its new awareness drive: I Funded A Future.

This campaign launched just as Walaza earned the title of world’s fastest university student at the FISU World University Games in Germany on 22 July, clinching gold in the 100m with a dominant six-tenths-of-a-second lead over his nearest rival.

His rise has been meteoric. Under the guidance of Curro coach Thabo Matebedi, Walaza slashed his 100m and 200m times, claiming gold at the SA Under-20 Championships.

By August, he stood on the Olympic podium in Paris with a silver medal around his neck as part of South Africa’s 4x100m relay team.

And in May this year, he clocked a blistering 9.94 seconds in the 100m – just 0.12 seconds off Akani Simbine’s national record.

But his mind still often returns to the narrow streets of Katlehong and the life he might have lived had that scholarship not come.

“Emotionally, I was hopeful but also anxious. Academically, I tried hard, but it was tough without access to the right resources,” he says. “A world-class education felt like something I would only see on TV. It felt like it belonged to a different world.”

Walaza recalls the day he received the scholarship as one of the most powerful moments of his life. “I was in total shock. I thought it might be a mistake. But when it sank in, I felt this wave of gratitude.”

He immediately called his mother, Tholiwe, who broke down in tears. “We hugged for a long time,” he said.

“I could see in her eyes that she knew life would be different now.”

Since 2016, more than 3,000 young South Africans have received Ruta Sechaba scholarships to attend Curro schools. Candidates are selected based on academic or sporting excellence, leadership potential, and commitment to their communities.

“The scholarship gave me confidence,” Walaza added.

“It showed me that people believed in my potential, even when I didn’t fully believe in it myself. It opened a door to a better future. I went from surviving to dreaming big.”

His journey has become a symbol of hope. When he visited his former primary school, a young boy said to him, “I want to run like you one day.”

“That moment hit me hard,” Walaza said.

“I realised I’m not just running for me – I’m running for everyone who’s ever been told their dreams are too big.”

For him, the message is clear: Talent lives everywhere – in every school, every street, every family. All it needs is a chance.

Now studying supply chain management at Tshwane University of Technology, Walaza balances books and training, fuelled by the mission to inspire others.

When asked what he would say to someone who doubts the power of giving, he replies without hesitation:

“I am the difference your contribution made. Even the smallest act of giving can change the direction of a young person’s life.”

“I nearly didn’t make it,” Walaza says with quiet resolve, “but I was given a chance – and I ran with it. Literally and figuratively.”

Named after the Sesotho phrase for “educating the nation,” the foundation partners with Curro and other private institutions to provide scholarships to talented learners from disadvantaged backgrounds. The I Funded A Future campaign invites individuals and corporates to support these life-changing opportunities.

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