Lythe Pillay became the second University of Johannesburg (UJ) student-athlete to qualify for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games after clocking an explosive 44.31 in the men’s senior 400m sprint, after gymnast Caitilin Rooskrantz. He won a gold medal surpassing the eight sprinters during the 2024 Athletics South Africa (ASA) National Championships at Msunduzi Athletics Stadium in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu Natal.

UJ athletes secured five gold and eight silver medals, contributing to Gauteng Province’s medal haul under the Central Gauteng Athletics (CGA) banner.

Pillay expressed his excitement and determination to compete at the World Relays in the Bahamas before setting his sights on Olympic glory. “I’m still a bit overwhelmed and soaking in the moment. Currently, I’m preparing for the World Relays event in the Bahamas and that’s where I want to also qualify for the 4x400m relay and hope that the South African team also qualifies for the Olympics in the 4x100m relay,” says Pillay.

Pillay explained his plan to win big at the national championships. “I deliberately skipped the USSAs earlier this month to focus on the ASA national champs – that worked. Between now and the Olympics, I just need to stay fit and injury-free so that I can give my best in France. I would like to thank the coaches and all the supporters who push and cheer for us to keep moving in the right direction,” he said.

Together with UJ athlete Shirley Nekhubui, Pillay is heading to the Bahamas to compete in the 4x400m relay in the World Athletics Relays which will be held in Nassau on 4 and 5 May 2024.

UJ’s gold medalists:

The CGA finished in 4^th place with 27 medals (9 gold, 16 silver, and 2 bronze) with Athletics Gauteng North in the top spot.

UJ Athletics Club Manager and Coach, Roger Haitengi, commended both the coaching staff and athletes for their outstanding performances. “Based on the medal tally, our coaches did fantastic work with the athletes and the athletes stepped up to the challenge in the national championships. This shows that the UJ Athletics Club is making good progress in our programmes. The focus now shifts to the international competitions such the Grand Prix, senior African Championships, World Junior events and the Olympics,” says Roger Haitengi, Manager and Coach: UJ Athletics Club.

Haitengi expressed his delight regarding Pillay’s qualification and looks forward to potentially seeing more UJ athletes competing on the global stage. “We were extremely happy that Pillay qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and we look forward to more UJ athletes joining the likes of Pillay to represent South Africa and other countries of origin in this much-anticipated global showdown and other world athletics events.”

UJ’s silver medalists:

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