Pillay makes a dash and qualifies for Olympics
LYTHE Pillay helped the South African men’s 4x400m squad qualify for the Tokyo Olympics following an impressive showing at the World Relays Championship in Poland last weekend.
Pillay, 18, led the team in the heat on Saturday to help them qualify for the final on Sunday which assured them of qualification to the Olympics. The other team members were Zakithi Nene, Oscar Mavundla and Ranti Dikgale who concluded for the South Africans.
What was particularly impressive is that the South Africans qualified for the Olympics without the presence of Olympic gold medallist Wayde van Niekerk. The 400m world record holder opted to miss the event in order to travel to the US to intensify his preparations ahead of the Olympics as he looks to win yet another gold medal.
South Africa ended up taking fifth position in the final.
Meanwhile, the national mixed 4x400m team – Ranti Dikgale, Simon Khuzwayo, Deline Mpiti and Taylon Bieldt were sixth in their heat on Saturday and thus failed to qualify for the Olympics which will start in July.
In February, Pillay completed the 400m distance in 45.74 seconds which places him among the top 100 in the world in the event.
The Benoni-born King Edward VII learner was just behind Van Niekerk’s record of 43.03 which was set in the 2016 Olympics.
One of Pillay’s idols is Van Niekerk but he tries not to compare himself to his idol.
"I always try not to think about emulating Wayde. Yes, he's one of my idols, but whenever I step on the track I always bring that enjoyment I have for athletics and running, it's never about winning or getting praised,'' he told a South African daily newspaper in 2019.
Pillay previously beat the South African 400m under-15 record with a time of 46.76 in 2018.
He was part of the 61-member team which represented South Africa at the African U18 Youth and U20 Junior Championships in Abidjan, Ivory Coast in 2019.