BLOEMFONTEIN – Three Free State athletes currently in fine form, including 2016 Rio Olympics 400m gold medallist Wayde van Niekerk, have been included in the South African track and field team to compete at this year’s World Athletics Relays in Botswana. The other two included in the national team are Mthi Mthimkulu and Gabriella Marais.
The upcoming global showpiece on the African continent is scheduled to take place in Gaborone on 2 and 3 May.
Van Niekerk and Mthimkulu will line up in the men’s 4x400m contest. Included in the team are Lythe Pillay, Zakithi Nene, Gardeo Isaacs, Leendert Koekemoer, Udeme Okon, Tumisang Shezi, and Antonie Matthys Nortje.
Gabriella forms part of the women’s 4x100m team that features the likes of Hannah Hope Vermaak, Joviale Mbisha, Chardone Smidt, Leonette Vosloo, and Viwe Jingqi. Gabriella primarily competes in the two sprinting events: the 100m and 200m. Her inclusion followed impressive form showed at the FISU World University Games in 2025, winning a bronze medal in the women’s 100m final in Rhine-Ruhr, Germany, with a time of 11.51 seconds.
At the USSA Athletics Championships (2025), she won the gold medal in the women’s 100m final, with a time of 11.51 seconds. She represented the University of the Free State (UFS).
Gabriella’s meteoric rise is thanks to masterful coaching by the legendary Ans Botha (Tannie Ans), known globally for also mentoring Van Niekerk to 2016 Rio Olympics success. He claimed the 400m gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics in a world-record time of 43.03 seconds. He broke Michael Johnson’s 17-year-old record.
The 32-strong South African team featuring top sprinters has set their sights on repeating their dominance at the World Athletics Relays from last year. At the World Athletics Relays in Guangzhou, China, last year, the South African team finished top of the overall table by earning three medals. The men’s 4x100m and 4x400m squads secured gold, while the women’s 4x400m quartet nabbed bronze.
The ASA has included 19 men and 13 women in the preparation squad in the 4x100m and 4x400m events. This is chiefly to enable the athletes to produce their best performances at this year’s relay showpiece. All athletes in the squad will be invited to training camps where they will prepare together with the national relay coaches.
The South African squad comprises:
■ Men’s 4x100m: Shaun Maswanganyi, Gift Loetlela, Akani Simbine, Sinesipho Dambile, Bayanda Walaza, Karabo Letebele, Bradley Nkoana, Tsebo Matsoso, Retshidisitswe Mlenga, and Abduraghmaan Karriem.
■ Women’s 4x400m: Shirley Nekhubui, Zeney van der Walt, Hannah van Niekerk, Miranda Coetzee, Marlie Viljoen, Tamzin Thomas, and Precious Molepo.
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