SA duo Bayanda Walaza, Bradley Nkoana celebrate historic milestone in Peru

The pair are enjoying a remarkable year, having picked up silver medals in the 4x100m relay at the Paris Olympics just a few weeks ago. 

The 19-year-old Walaza, a matric pupil at Curro Hazeldean in Tshwane, finished first in a time of 10.19 seconds, and was delighted to own the world junior champion tag.

"It was great. At this point, it feels great to be Walaza. I'm really excited, I don't know, I have mixed emotions – excited, happy, there's a lot," said Walaza.

"This is a true moment, like it's actually happening. [Where to from here?] My plan now is to carry on with studying, continue running, and then we'll see."

READ: Walaza’s mother receives sponsored trip to Junior World Champs

Meanwhile, Nkoana – a first-year student at the University of North West in Potchefstroom – came third in a time of 10.26 seconds, and was equally pleased with his medal-winning performance and his achievements this year. 

"I'm happy that we're bringing medals back to South Africa, showing them that we're out here being very competitive, and I'm quite happy with my performance, and I'm happy for our athletes – I'm going to wait my turn," he noted.

"I just want to keep my body healthy right now, I need to focus on what's coming. I need to go back home, enjoy myself, shut down and just be with my family and friends, and enjoy my own space. From there, we'll build onto next year and the years to come."