1 month ago
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After winning a silver medal in the 4x100m relay at the recently concluded Paris Olympics, young SA athletes Bradley Nkoana and Bayanda Walaza have vowed that fame will not get into their head and they already have plans to help them remain grounded.
Teenagers Walaza and Nkoana, together with veteran Akani Simbine and Shaun Maswanganyi, made history in France when they won the silver medal for SA and set an African record time of 37.75 seconds.
Walaza,18, is a grade 12 pupil at Curro Hazeldean in Pretoria and became the fastest teenager in the world with a blistering time of 10.13 seconds in the 100m in March.
Addressing the media after they arrived at OR Tambo International Airport on Tuesday, Walaza and Nkoana said they will handle their achievement well.
"I already have a [support] team at my school. They support me, they even promised to support me even if I'm done with high school," Walaza told the media.
"I already have that strong team now. If I do wrong they tell me what I must do and what I should follow."
Nkoana, 19, also thanked his support team and expressed confidence he will progress well going forward.
"I think it has to do with respect as well, more so to your elders. They know what is best and sometimes as youngsters we get ahead of ourselves and think we know better," Nkoana said.
"We think the world has changed and technology is taking over and think we are better. It goes back to our roots and integrity. I already have a team that's there for me. I just need to add there and there, I know what happened is big, but I will be able to manage it."
The youngsters also describe the feeling of winning Olympic silver medals as the best experience ever, while Nkoana also dedicated the medal to his late mother.
"I'm very proud of myself and I want to dedicate this to my mother."
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