Four star South African athletics stars who wont be hunting a medal at Commonwealth Games

The 2026 Commonwealth Games will feature a leaner programme than previous editions, with just 10 sports on the schedule compared to the 19 contested in Birmingham four years ago.

The reduced programme, coupled with stringent selection criteria and South Africa’s growing depth in several disciplines, has resulted in a smaller Team SA contingent heading to Glasgow. While the 112 athletes selected boast genuine medal potential, there are several notable absentees who, under different circumstances, could also have been challenging for podium places.

Between them, the quartet of Bayanda Walaza, Luvo Manyonga, Leendert Koekemoer and Antonio Alkana includes an Olympic medallist, a world champion, an African record-holder and one of the fastest sprinters in the world this season.

Bayanda Walaza clocks a sensational 9.89s to win the men’s 100m in Slovakia. 🏆

✅ Personal Best
✅ Meeting Record
✅ Fourth-fastest South African in history

The rise continues. 📈 pic.twitter.com/t3OfJcDhzT

— Team South Africa (@OfficialTeamRSA) July 21, 2026

Bayanda Walaza: The fastest man staying home

No omission is likely to attract more attention than that of Walaza.

The 20-year-old sprint sensation underlined his immense talent this week by clocking a blistering 9.89 seconds over 100m in Slovakia, making him the joint fifth-fastest man in the world this season and one of the quickest South Africans in history.

The Olympic 4x100m relay silver medallist looked destined to become one of Team SA’s biggest medal hopes, but a hamstring injury during the Commonwealth Games qualifying period disrupted his campaign.

Since returning to full fitness, Walaza has quickly reminded the athletics world why he is regarded as one of the sport’s brightest young stars, making his absence one of the biggest “what ifs” of Glasgow 2026.

Luvo Manyonga: A champion’s remarkable comeback

Few athletes have enjoyed a more inspiring resurgence than Manyonga.

The 2016 Olympic silver medallist, 2017 world champion and 2018 Commonwealth champion has rebuilt his career in impressive fashion this season. After making his international return at the World Indoor Championships, he reclaimed the South African title with an 8.04m leap, captured his first African Championships gold medal with 8.15m, and then produced a winning jump of 8.35m at the Jerusalem Grand Prix in June.

Those performances suggest the 34-year-old is once again capable of challenging the world’s best, making his absence from Glasgow all the more surprising. 

Leendert Koekemoer: A victim of remarkable depth

If one athlete can consider himself unlucky, it is Koekemoer.

The 18-year-old announced himself as one of South Africa’s brightest prospects when he stormed to a personal best 44.94 seconds at the SuperSport Simbine Classic, becoming the first South African Under-20 athlete to break the 45-second barrier while extending his national junior record.

Ordinarily, such a breakthrough season might have earned Commonwealth selection. Instead, Koekemoer found himself competing in perhaps South Africa’s strongest event, with world No. 3 Zakithi Nene, Lythe Pillay and Mthi Mthimkulu all ahead of him in a formidable 400m squad. 

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Antonio Alkana: A world-class hurdler left behind

Alkana’s omission perhaps best illustrates the difficult decisions created by the condensed Games.

The African 110m hurdles record-holder and two-time Olympian has rolled back the years in 2026, winning the Austrian Open in a wind-assisted 13.15 before clocking a legal 13.18 in France – his fastest legal performance in nine years. The time ranks him among the world’s top hurdlers this season and comfortably inside the Commonwealth qualifying standard.

Remarkably, fellow South African Mondray Bernard also ran inside the qualifying mark with a personal best of 13.19 this year, yet Team SA will have no representative in the men’s 110m hurdles.

Each omission tells a different story. Walaza was denied by injury at the wrong time, Koekemoer by extraordinary domestic competition, Manyonga despite a remarkable return to form, and Alkana despite remaining one of Africa’s premier hurdlers. Together, they are a reminder that while Team SA heads to Glasgow with genuine medal ambitions, the nation’s athletics depth has grown to the point where even athletes with world-class credentials can find themselves watching from home.