Paris Olympics silver medalist Shaun Maswanganyi masters the track while acing his studies

Shaun Maswanganyi won the silver medal with the 4x100m team and as he is still living off the high of his achievement, he has also been working hard to find the balance between the track and education.

The Soweto-born athlete was part of a 4x100m relay team that won one of South Africa's six medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics (one gold, three silver and one bronze medal).

The runner-up position handed him his first senior medal after also picking up gold and silver at the 2019 under-20 African Championship in the early parts of his career.

The 24-year-old is one of South Africa's promising sprinters and the milestone would have come as a relief after narrowly missing out on a chance to challenge for the podium the year before in Hungary.

A 4x100m team of Clarence Munyai, Akani Simbine, Benjamin Richardson and Maswanganyi had a shot at gold in the World Athletics Championships in Budapest in 2023, but at the final hurdle, an error in exchange between Munyai and Richardson saw the South Africans miss out as they dropped the baton and medal hopes.

Maswanganyi looked back at that near miss as one of the valuable lessons they took in winning their silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics despite having two new faces in Bayanda Walaza and Bradley Nkoana in place of Munyai and Richardson.

“When we got over the line, we knew what we had.” Maswanganyi exclusively told the Independent Newspapers.

“Looking back to Budapest and just how some things didn’t click in the final, going into the (Paris) finals, I just knew we just needed to do the same things we did in the heats and I just treated it just like any other meet and that was the biggest thing.”

Maswanganyi has been studying for a finance degree at the University of Houston in the United States of America.

The 24-year-old added that as he is fully focused on his continuous development as a track and field athlete, he also does his best to ensure that his future outside the track is also secured, as there are no guarantees in the sport.

“I am not done with my studies, even though I graduated last year in May. I still plan to pursue an MBA, but for right now I am still in school.

“Education is such a huge factor in my life because I understand that track and field will not be there forever, so I am trying to make sure that I position myself in the best place to succeed on and off the track.

“And to make a living in track and field, the money is there, but that is not something that is long-term.”

“We sometimes even see NBA (National Basketball Association) and NFL (National Football League) players going broke before they even touch 40 years old, and I am just trying to make sure that I have the right skills and tools in life and that I am equipped in the right way to make sure that I can succeed in the future.

The silver medalist was pleased about the impact their win might potentially have on South African athletics, and he believes that the sport is on an upward curve.

“I feel that athletics in South Africa is growing at a good rate, and there is a lot more exposure and kids having access to the sport, which will ultimately lead to us being able to showcase the talent that we have. He continued.

“South Africa has so much talent that has not been tapped into for the longest time. A lot of talented kids get lost through the cracks when they transition through high school and university, and for us to go out there and win a medal for the country definitely empowers a lot of people to believe in us.

“Not just us as senior athletes, if you are 15 years old and you see someone who went through the same childhood as you, the same socio-economic background and you can relate to them, seeing them achieve such things at the world stage gives you motivation and belief that you can also do it.”