Geraldine Pillay concerned about Team SA at World Champs

Despite the competition, having progressed to Day 6 and ending on Day 9 on Sunday, South Africa is yet to secure a medal. 

Although 400m world record holder Wayde Van Niekerk has advanced to the men’s 400m final at 9.35 pm tonight.

The entire nation awaits a breakthrough performance from the 2016 Olympic champion, anticipating he will clinch the country's first medal following Akani Simbine's disqualification in the semi-finals of the 100m for a false start. 

“At this juncture of the competition, the level of disappointment is profound. My initial expectations were for us to have secured three medals by now. It’s regrettable that Akani’s false start prevented him from potentially securing a bronze medal for us”, Pillay told SABC Sport. 

“Wayde’s performance in the semi-final was subpar, landing him outside the automatic qualifying positions and into a non-qualifying slot. Hopefully, in the final, we will witness a resurgence of Wayde we’ve come to know”, the now-coach continued 

“Placing our aspirations on the 4x100m relay team, we recognize that the relay is not sorely about pure speed but equally about the seamless baton exchanges,” Pillay said.

Leading the athletics department at Saint Benedict’s College in Johannesburg, Pillay holds World Athletics Level 3 coaching credentials and actively pursuing further accreditation with Level 4 and five coaching distinctions.  

She has called upon Athletics South Africa (ASA) to initiate dialogues concerning areas for enhancement and support for athletes.

“The responsibility lies with the ASA management to uplift the athletes and facilitate their performance enhancement. It’s imperative that substantial discussions are conducted. There’s a pressing need for increased representation of female athletes within the program. Our focus should be directed towards preparing for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles,” shared Pillay.