Kishane Thompson, Noah Lyles? Who is it going to be? This is what people might have been wondering about in the Paris Olympics 100m when the race started. As the finish line inched closer, the contention for being the best sprinter was getting even more intense. After all, the Jamaican sensation was just a hairsbreadth behind the American. But while that was it in 2024, things look to be quite different one year down the line. How so? Well, what if we tell you that the guy atop the world rankings isn’t either of them? So who is it?

Take a guess. Who could it be? After all, the season has been sensational for a lot of track wizards. Thompson started it with a career best of 6.48 seconds in the 60m at the Central Hurdles, Relays & Field Events Meet at the GC Foster College in St. Catherine. Lyles also matched his Olympic gold timing (6.62) in men’s 60m at the RADD Invitational in Gainesville, Florida. Meanwhile, Christian Coleman is yet to start his season, so who is this mystery number one? Well, we will break it to you: it is none other than Bayanda Walaza.

The South African speedster climbed to the top of the rankings chart with his blistering performances for the year. Now, he might not yet have reached the levels of Kishane or Lyles, but that doesn’t mean he is someone you can ignore. After all, he is an Olympic champion in his own right, winning the 4×100 relays at the Paris Olympics last year. Not just that, he won it at the tender age of 18.

Now 19, the youngster holds the number one slot according to World Athletics. But that’s not all. The South African also went one step further to win the 100m and 200m double at the U20 World Championships in Lima, Peru. But perhaps he finally broke his glass ceiling earlier this year. How so? Well, he clocked his season best in 9.99 seconds to win the Gauteng North Provincial championships in Pretoria on March 16.

This was the fifth fastest any junior has run and hold your breaths, peeps…the fastest of 2025 yet. He began his 2025 season in the South African capital in February. He was the 11th fastest junior athlete over 60m, crossing the line in 6.58 seconds. Walaza, making it to number 1 in the 2025 season, is a great example that it is not only the elites who are dominating the race but also small athletes who have the hunger for it as well.

Walaza isn’t the only rookie on the top ten list as Noah Lyles is pushed out

While big names like Noah Lyles and Kishane Thompson have taken an exit from the rankings for the time being, new names have made the best out of this situation. Just look at the rankings. While the number one spot belongs to Walaza, the number two spot is taken by Lachlan Kennedy, who is fresh from defeating Gout Gout at the Maurie Plant Meeting.

Close in pursuit were the likes of Ackeem Blake and Gary Card. Meanwhile, Kenyan sensation Ferdinand Omanyala closed up the top five spots. But that’s not where the surprises end. You will be shocked to know that Noah Lyles missed the top ten spots even in the 60m list. So where did they fall? Well, Noah was languishing in the 14th position. Meanwhile, his rival has had better luck with a solid number four ranking. But how did the likes of Ackeem and Kennedy make the top ten?

Well, by simply being great. Gout broke Usain Bolt’s record last year. He is the fastest 16-year-old to have run 200m (20.04), breaking Bolt’s record of 20.13. That is when he started to pick up fame. He recently got defeated by Lachlan Kennedy in his first senior debut. The Aussie clocked his personal best at the 200m at the Maurie Plant Meet (20.26).

He also won a silver medal in the men’s 60 meters at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships. Meanwhile, Ackeem Blake kicked off his 2025 campaign with a 10.06-second 100m at Velocity Fest 16, a time that has his coach, Michael Frater, saying he’s already ahead of schedule. Gary Card won the Boys’ Class One 100m final at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Athletics Championships.

The best part? He did while fighting an injury. Ferdinand Omanyala, making his comeback after injury, clocked a 10.08 in the Athletics South African Grand Prix II in Johannesburg, winning the 100m sprint. What do you think? Are small athletes outdoing the elite ones?