When Lythe Pillay saw his split on the second leg of the men’s 4x400m final at the World Athletics Relays in Gaborone last week, he was stunned by his performance.
And he wasn’t alone. After Pillay went nearly three tenths of a second quicker than the fastest split ever run – 42.94 achieved by American legend Michael Johnson back in 1993 – athletics fans and analysts were asking questions about the legitimacy of his time (42.66).
However, with the event organisers using electronic timing, despite the incredulity of some and the complexities around measuring relay splits, it seemed his time might well be legit (the debate is ongoing).
And now the pressure is on the 23-year-old South African to produce something special when he lines up in an individual 400m race.
“I won’t say I’m a very pessimistic person but the first thing I thought was ‘I’ll let the internet go do their research before I really claim or take credit for it’ and see how credible it is,” Pillay said after returning home this week.
“It seems to be credible, but I know whether or not it’s true, the big question that remains is: What will I do in an individual 400m race?
“So I feel like it’s kind of created a very big expectation, but one that I’m very excited to go and push. So my mind isn’t really on that. My mind is on ‘cool, let’s go do it again’.”
Not an overnight sensation
Despite many in the world of athletics questioning his latest effort on the track, Pillay’s rise as a 400m specialist has not happened overnight. He’s been a global prospect since he was a teenager.
Born and raised in Benoni, Pillay started running in primary school, and after being spotted by a talent scout he was given a scholarship to attend King Edward VII School (KES) in Joburg. And after linking up with his coach Lindi du Plessis, he developed into one of South Africa’s most promising sprinters.
In 2022, at the age of 19, he won the world junior title, and last year he won gold at the World University Games. He also formed part of the SA 4x400m relay teams that earned gold at the World Athletics Relays and bronze at the World Athletics Championships last season, as well as silver in Gaborone last week.
And though he was eliminated in the one-lap semifinals at the 2024 Olympic Games and the 2025 World Championships, what’s been most promising is the gradual improvement he has shown in recent years.
Since 2022 he has improved his personal best by nearly a full second, and his current best time is 44.32 seconds, achieved at the Central Gauteng provincial championships at UJ Stadium in March.
Pillay still has a lot to prove
Comparisons are now being made between Pillay and Johnson, though that’s a stretch (Johnson won two Olympic titles and four world titles in the 400m sprint, and he set a former world record of 43.18), and Pillay will need to prove he can transform his relay form into quicker times in his individual event.
Nonetheless, he said he welcomed the additional pressure his relay split had placed on him, and he hoped to live up to the hype.
“It’s flattering to an extent. Being compared to athletes I’ve idolised is a massive compliment, but with that comes massive expectation,” he said.
“But this is the life I’ve prayed for. I’ve always wanted to become one of the world’s most renowned athletes, and with that comes expectation and pressure and that weight of the world wanting me to run faster times and really prove my calibre, and that’s a task I’m prepared for.”
