James Moloi downplays Team SA's medal drought at World Championships

However, Athletics South Africa president James Moloi, who is currently with the team in Hungary, has told SABC Sport that a medal-less campaign is not a catastrophic setback.

Moloi maintains a composed perspective on the team’s performance, where star athletes Akani Simbine suffered disqualification due to a false start in the men’s 100m semi-final, while Wayde Van Niekerk finished last in the men’s 400m final (45.11) on Thursday.

"Our athletes have truly given their all in proudly representing our nation, and the absence of medals shouldn’t be seen as the end of the road," defended Moloi.

"The competition at the World Championships is incredibly fierce, and clinching medals is far more challenging in reality than it might sound."

Meanwhile, Sinesipho Dambile, Luxolo Adams, and Shaun Maswanganyi concluded their journey, getting eliminated from the men’s 200m semi-final on Friday, and Moloi believes the way to improving begins back at grassroots level.

"It’s time for us to return to the starting point, beginning with the rural areas, to unearth raw talent. We should refrain from pointing fingers at seasoned athletes like Akani and Wayde," he continued. 

"Their dedication and representation of our country have been exemplary throughout the years. Our focus must now shift to collaborating with the provinces to unearth fresh talents upon our return home. 

"It’s imperative, for instance, to cultivate a pool of at least five athletes each for the 5 000m and 10 000m events. It’s noteworthy that some of our athletes reached the semi-finals, an accomplishment of significant magnitude that should not be underestimated."

Moloi has now placed his optimism on the 4x100m relay team – comprising Maswanganyi, Simbine, Dambile, Benjamin Richardson, with Adams as a reserve – in the heats on Friday evening at 19:30.

On Saturday, Irvette Van Zyl will contest the women’s marathon, before Tumelo Motlagale, Melikhaya Frans, and Simon Sibeko will run the men’s marathon. 

"We haven’t given up just yet; there’s still a chance for the relay team to make a difference. The marathon squad is also facing the challenge of stepping up and making a significant contribution to support their fellow athletes.

"We’ll observe the developments in these final two days," concluded Moloi.