Joburg student-athlete Lythe Pillay has qualified for the Paris Olympics, making this his second Olympic opportunity at just 21 years old!
Johannesburg, South Africa (01 May 2024)—Following the fantastic news that star gymnast Caitlin Rooskrantz is heading to the 2024 Olympic Games, the University of Johannesburg beamed in sharing that another student-athlete from the university will be heading to Paris in just under three months!
Lythe Pillay has qualified for the Olympics thanks to a stellar performance at the Athletics South Africa National Championships where his time of 44.31 for the men’s senior 400m sprint earned him glittering gold.
Lythe’s blistering speed saw him outrun eight other sprinters at the National Champs in Pietermaritzburg earlier this month, securing him his Olympic qualifying moment!
Per his university, the student-athlete is ready to give it his all to make South Africa proud in France.
“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.”—Lythe Pillay.
Lythe still has one stop along the way with the World Relays in the Bahamas set for early May. The speedster shares that he hopes more South African relay runners will book their spots in Paris.
“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.
This will be the 21-year-old’s second time at the Olympics, after he made his debut in Tokyo at just 18 years old.
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