South Africa’s men’s 4x400m relay squad pose with their bronze medals at the OR Tambo International Airport on 23 September 2025 following their return from the 2025 World Athletics Championships. Picture: Mawande Mateza/EWN

South Africa’s athletes who competed at the World Athletics Championships in Japan made a low-key return to the country on Tuesday morning.

There was muted fanfare for the group upon their arrival at OR Tambo International Airport, as the small crowd that gathered to welcome them home consisted of a few officials from Athletics South Africa and mainly friends, family, fellow athletes, and coaches.

Team SA came back with only one medal from Tokyo after the 4x400m relay quartet finished narrowly behind Botswana and the United States to win the bronze medal on the final day of the championships on Sunday.

That bronze ended an eight-year medal drought for South Africa, whose last medals were won at the 2017 World Championships in London

In 2017, Wayde van Niekerk won gold in the 400m event with a time of 43.98 seconds and silver in the 200m with a time of 20.11 seconds.

Luvo Manyonga also won gold in the men’s long jump, while Caster Semenya won gold in the women’s 800m and bronze in the women’s 1500m.

Ruswahl Samaai secured a bronze in the men’s long jump.

This brought the total medal count for South Africa in 2017 to six medals, with three gold, one silver, and two bronze medals.

Coincidentally, Van Niekerk was part of the relay team that brought the barren spell to an end this year.

He believes that more should be done to support athletes to ensure they bring home more medals in the future.

South Africa’s men’s 4x400m relay squad clinched a bronze medal at the 2025 World Athletics Championships. Picture: Mawande Mateza/EWN.

“It’s a pity we couldn’t come home with a silver or a gold medal.

But it also just represents and shows the reality of where we stand as track and field athletes at the moment,” Van Niekerk said.

“We’re standing with a solid group of individuals with so much potential and so much talent.

So if we want gold medals from these guys, we’re going to need to start investing gold medals into them.”

The 400m world record holder detailed how South Africans have to fend for themselves financially while also juggling their athletic careers with studies and part-time jobs.

Van Niekerk revealed he has often seen his teammates having to attend university classes online or submit assignments the night before important races during the season.

He also made a comparison with the Springboks and Proteas teams, who have done well at international events because all of the players’ needs were met.

“You can’t expect gold medals from guys you’re not treating like gold medallists,” Van Niekerk said.

“So we’re going to need to start investing in them… We’ve been speaking about track and field for so many years now.

If you look at our actual champions of the world, like in rugby and in cricket, they put proper investment in their sportspeople. They don’t need to think about their plan B.

They are invested in so well, they can focus solely on the sports they’re doing. I would love to see that in track and field as well.

The guys we’re competing against, their only focus is to bring their country a gold medal.”

South Africa’s next opportunity to redeem themselves at a major global event will come at next year’s Commonwealth Games in July.

Van Niekerk said a concerted effort needed to be made to ensure the athletes meet the expectations placed on them.

“We have medallists amongst us. The potential and the talent we have is there, but we need to get behind them as South Africa,” said Van Niekerk.