Gift Leotlela clocks record 9.94 at USSA, sixth South African to go sub-10

University Sports South Africa (USSA) record time of 9.94 as he won the 100m at the USSA Athletics Championships in Johannesburg on Friday.

Leotlela was denied a 9.94 secs last month

Ironically, that isn’t the first time Leotlela’s name is printed alongside that time, having clocked it just a month ago at the Gift Leotlela became only the sixth South African to dip under 10 secs when he stopped the clock in South African Championships. However, it was rendered unofficial with wind speeds of 2.8m/s surpassing the World Athletics legal mark.  

Leotlela, remained undeterred by that, however, taking solace from his form regardless using that time as a statement of intent rather. Not too long from the national championships, he would go onto prove that his form wasn’t a fluke with his contribution to the victorious South African men’s relay side at the World Relays earlier this month.

Leotlela played a pivotal role in the SA men’s 4x100m win at the World Relays

Leotlela was arguably the sprinter that turned the race in the favour of the South Africans, with his split time of 9.16 giving anchor sprinter Akani Simbine and ultimately the team a realistic opportunity to pip the Brazilians, who were eventually disqualified, on the line to win the gold medals.

Now in the same month, Leotlela has taken that momentum and finally turned it into something tangible for him as an individual. The recorded wind speeds of 1.3m/s on Friday were well within the limits and therefore meant, Leotlela finally got to own the time that proved elusive to him previously.

He is now part of an illistrious group

There are only five other South Africans who have managed to clock sub 10-second times. The leader of the pack remains Simbine, who remains the country’s flagship 100m sprinter with his national record of 9.89.

400m world record holder Wayde van Niekerk shows off his versatility by also being high up on this list with his time of 9.94. Fellow University of Pretoria athlete Thando Roto was the last sprinter to achieve this feat, with the Qonce-born sprinter clocking a time of 9.95 in 2017.

Before then it was the likes of Henricho Bruintjies in 2015 after controversial sprinter Simon Magakwe was the first to breach the mark in 2014. Leotlela’s time has qualified the Phuthaditjhaba-born sprinter for the Tokyo Olympics, which will be his second games having made his showpiece debut at the Rio Olympics in 2016.