Counting down time: new 400m star Lythe Pillay aims to go even faster

Lythe Pillay ran a world-class time at the weekend, wrote an accounting exam the following morning, and now he’s focusing on a 4x400m relay effort that Wayde van Niekerk has been punting for a year.

The team will try to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics early next month, with nations competing for at least 14 Games spots across the 4x400m and 4x100m events at World Relays in Bahamas.

Pillay ran 44.31 sec to win the 400m at the national championships in Pietermaritzburg on Saturday, becoming the second-fastest South African in the one-lap behind legendary countryman Van Niekerk, owner of the 43.03 world record.

Zakithi Nene was second in 44.80 and Gardeo Isaacs third in 45.33.

“All of us have bought into the relay,” said 21-year-old Pillay, the 2022 under-20 world champion.

“Already since last year, since [national] champs, Wayde himself has pretty much been the most enthusiastic about the relays. For us, having someone like Wayde on our team, being enthusiastic, being optimistic, encouraging us to come together sort of adds a sense of hype to [it].

“As much as when we come here and we compete against each other, we know that if we combine our efforts we’ll be a force to reckon with against other countries.

“When it comes to the relay potential, we are 100% supporting, we are 100% enthusiastic, and we’re looking to show the world what we can do together.”

These guys have serious potential. If one adds the personal bests of Pillay, Nene and Isaacs to Van Niekerk’s best time from last year, 44.08, they total 2 min 58.28, almost a full second lower than the 2:59.21 South African record from 2011.

That would have been good enough for fifth at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics — and bear in mind it doesn’t factor in quicker times for flying starts nor the adrenaline and determination of the runners in the heat of battle.

Pillay is now third on the world list for 2024 so far, and while he wasn’t expecting to run the time he did, he’s already talking about going faster.

“I pretty much forgot about any concept of time when the race started. I was just going in there, executing the race, staying in control of my own race and then when I got to the end it was a lucky pack from there.”

He displayed his maturity by sticking to his plan even though Nene went out fast at the start.

“The whole plan was sticking to my pace, reading the race, being conscious, being aware and also being in control of my own plan.”

How much faster he can get by the Paris Olympics remains to be seen; it’s worth remembering that Van Niekerk set the then South African record of 44.38 in mid-June 2014 and dipped under 44 seconds for the first time in early July 2015.

“Seeing the time now and knowing that we still have a bit more room to improve on, it’s a very optimistic tone,” said Pillay, a second-year a B.Comm student who wrote an online accounting exam the morning after the race.

“When I travel I’m able to keep up with my work. And then if I have an exam it’s pretty much remote, as long as I have a quiet environment. And I pretty much get invigilated while I’m writing [using an app].

“It worked out far better than the BSc I attempted in my first year because while I was away, I kept missing practicals.

“But luckily [University of Johannesburg] had been there to support me and accommodate me where they can. It’s also added relief when it comes to competing.”

Pillay is determined to keep getting faster.

“I always believe that you’re only as good as your [last] race. As much as I ran a brilliant time ... it would mean nothing if I can’t replicate that or stay consistent tomorrow.

“So the whole thing is just keeping level-headed, keeping my feet on the ground, staying consistent, sticking to our plan and looking to replicate it again.”

A fast Pillay is crucial to South Africa’s relay dreams.