{"id":5124,"date":"2025-05-12T10:52:10","date_gmt":"2025-05-12T08:52:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/?p=5124"},"modified":"2026-03-12T10:38:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T08:38:50","slug":"south-africas-relay-teams-secure-medals-and-r1-69-million-in-world-relays","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/south-africas-relay-teams-secure-medals-and-r1-69-million-in-world-relays\/","title":{"rendered":"South Africa&#8217;s Relay Teams Secure Medals and R1.69 Million in World Relays"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>South Africa\u2019s relay teams delivered one of their greatest collective performances in history on Sunday at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China. The country clinched two gold medals and one bronze. Three national records were smashed, and all four teams qualified for the World Championships in Tokyo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The men&#8217;s 4x100m and 4x400m teams stormed to gold. Meanwhile, the women&#8217;s 4x400m team bagged bronze in a performance that left Athletics South Africa president James Moloi calling it nothing short of \u201cecstatic\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-simbine-and-co-set-the-track-alight\">Simbine and Co Set the Track Alight<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In the men\u2019s 4x100m final, the team of Bayanda Walaza, Sinesipho Dambile, Bradley Nkoana and Akani Simbine clocked a world-leading 37.61 seconds to secure gold. They finished ahead of the USA (37.66) and Canada. Walaza, the U20 world sprint double champion, started strong. Dambile and Nkoana maintained the momentum before Simbine unleashed his trademark bend surge to pass the Americans at the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The time was just 0.04 seconds shy of the South African record (37.57), set during last year\u2019s Olympic silver-medal run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"South Africa stuns USA in dominant 4x100m win | World Athletics Relays Guangzhou 25\" width=\"755\" height=\"425\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/i20oQ0Byko0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-2364714403\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4x400m-kings-break-national-record\">4x400m Kings Break National Record<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Moments later, the men\u2019s 4x400m team of Gardeo Isaacs, Udeme Okon, Leendert Koekemoer and Zakithi Nene delivered another golden run. They finished in 2:57.50 \u2014 a new national record. They beat Olympic finalists Belgium (2:58.19) to the title, slashing over half a second off the previous record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Their performance confirmed the nation\u2019s growing strength in quarter-mile events. This was led by the consistent Zakithi Nene, who also featured in the record-setting Olympic team in Paris.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Watch him whip, watch him Nene \ud83d\ude4c<br><br>All the glory went to \ud83c\uddff\ud83c\udde6 in the men&#39;s 4x400m with Zakithi Nene running a blistering 43.64 anchor leg to secure a world-leading 2:57.50 at  <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/WorldRelays?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#WorldRelays<\/a> \ud83d\ude80 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/D7fXBVwXhh\">pic.twitter.com\/D7fXBVwXhh<\/a><\/p>&mdash; World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WorldAthletics\/status\/1921601130280149350?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">May 11, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-women-s-4x400m-team-steps-up-with-bronze-and-record\">Women\u2019s 4x400m Team Steps Up with Bronze and Record<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In the women&#8217;s 4x400m final, the team of Shirley Nekhubui, Miranda Coetzee, Precious Molepo and Zeney Geldenhuys ran 3:24.84, winning bronze behind Spain and the USA. Their time shattered the previous SA record (3:28.01) set just one day earlier in the heats. The consistent improvement over back-to-back days highlighted the team\u2019s resilience and growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"es\" dir=\"ltr\">Y una m\u00e1s \u203c\ufe0f<br><br>\ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddf8&#39;s Blanca Herv\u00e1s times her race to perfection to anchor her team&#39;s 4x400m relay to victory with a national record of 3:24.13 at the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/WorldRelays?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">#WorldRelays<\/a> \ud83d\udd25 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/lwdqY06EZS\">pic.twitter.com\/lwdqY06EZS<\/a><\/p>&mdash; World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WorldAthletics\/status\/1921598491064664303?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">May 11, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-3939186032\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-mixed-relay-team-holds-their-own\">Mixed Relay Team Holds Their Own<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>South Africa\u2019s mixed 4x400m team of Hannah van Niekerk, Mthi Mthimkulu, Jada van Staden and Tumisang Shezi finished fifth in 3:16.29\u2014 a commendable effort that helped secure qualification for Tokyo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-south-africa-s-relay-teams-prize-money-breakdown\">South Africa&#8217;s Relay Teams: Prize Money Breakdown <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Each of the men\u2019s gold medal-winning teams earned US$40,000 (~R750,000) to be split among the athletes and coaching staff. Here&#8217;s the <a href=\"https:\/\/worldathletics.org\/competitions\/world-athletics-relays\/guangzhou25\/key-info\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">full prize <\/a>structure per team per event:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-world-relays-prize-money-per-team\">World Relays Prize Money (Per Team)<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\ud83e\udd47 1st Place \u2013 <strong>US$40,000<\/strong> (\u2248 R750,000)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\ud83e\udd48 2nd Place \u2013 <strong>US$20,000<\/strong> (\u2248 R375,000)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\ud83e\udd49 3rd Place \u2013 <strong>US$10,000<\/strong> (\u2248 R187,500)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>4th Place \u2013 <strong>US$8,000<\/strong> (\u2248 R150,000)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>5th Place \u2013 <strong>US$6,000<\/strong> (\u2248 R112,000)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>6th Place \u2013 <strong>US$4,000<\/strong> (\u2248 R75,000)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>7th Place \u2013 <strong>US$3,000<\/strong> (\u2248 R56,000)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>8th Place \u2013 <strong>US$2,000<\/strong> (\u2248 R37,000)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"gaute-1153161289\" class=\"gaute-inbetween-content gaute-entity-placement\" style=\"margin-top: 30px;margin-bottom: 30px;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;text-align: center;\"><div class=\"gaute-adlabel\">Advertisement<\/div><script async src=\"\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1852772760112594\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1852772760112594\" \ndata-ad-slot=\"1819787043\" \ndata-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\n<script> \n(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); \n<\/script>\n<\/div><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-tokyo-tickets-secured\">Tokyo Tickets Secured<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>With all four South African relay teams reaching the finals and finishing in the top 8, they&#8217;ve now automatically qualified for the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. This marks a major milestone for the country&#8217;s relay programme. It signals readiness to compete for podium finishes on the world\u2019s biggest stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-asa-celebrates-team-triumph\">ASA Celebrates Team Triumph<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe are beside ourselves with joy,\u201d said ASA President James Moloi. \u201cWe entered four events and succeeded in three. These athletes and coaches have delivered beyond expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The full team is expected to return home on Tuesday, where they\u2019ll be greeted as national heroes. With two golds, a bronze, and three records under their belt, the road to Tokyo couldn\u2019t look brighter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also read: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/simbine-and-sekgodisos-big-cash-wins-at-the-2025-world-athletics-indoor-championships\/\">Simbine and Sekgodiso\u2019s Big Cash Wins at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>South Africa\u2019s relay teams delivered one of their greatest collective performances in history on Sunday at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China. The country clinched two gold medals and one bronze. Three national records were smashed, and all four teams qualified for the World Championships in Tokyo. The men&#8217;s 4x100m and 4x400m teams stormed<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":5142,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_focus_keyword":"","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"South Africa\u2019s relay teams delivered one of their greatest collective performances in history on Sunday at the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China. The...","footnotes":""},"categories":[56,64],"tags":[1416],"class_list":{"0":"post-5124","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"category-sports-news","9":"tag-sa-athletics"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5124"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5124\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5148,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5124\/revisions\/5148"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}