ATHLETES TO WATCH IN 2026
Next in Line …
SA’ S RISING STARS TO WATCH IN 2026
From the track to the trails and the pool to the pitch, South Africa’ s next generation of athletes is ready to step up. Meet some of the rising stars you should keep an eye on in 2026 …
Athletics
Leendert Koekemoer and Udeme Okon
The 400m is bursting with talent on South African tracks, and the future looks bright with 18-year-old Leendert Koekemoer and 20-year-old Udeme Okon leading the charge. Koekemoer broke the long-standing South African under-20 400m record in 2025 with a 45.03-second clocking, while Okon was crowned 2024 World U20 400m champion and has already dipped under 45 seconds.
Both were part of South Africa’ s 4 × 400m teams that claimed gold at the World Relays and bronze at last year’ s World Championships. With guidance from 400m world-record holder Wayde van Niekerk, Zakithi Nene and Lythe Pillay, this is a duo set for big things.
Hockey
Litha Kraai
Still a teenager, Litha Kraai has already built an incredibly strong résumé in South African hockey. Raised around Langa Hockey Club and inspired by his older brother, Olympic player Zenani Kraai, he progressed through the ranks at SACS, earning 100 first-team caps before completing his school career. Kraai has represented South Africa at junior level, scoring six goals at the Junior Africa Cup, and was part of the national side that won a historic bronze medal at the FIH Indoor Hockey World Cup last year.
He is also sure to feature in the SA men’ s campaign at this year’ s outdoor World Cup in Belgium and the Netherlands – all while continuing to balance his growing ambitions in cricket.
Leendert and Udeme- credit Anton Geyser _ ASA. Litha Kraai- credit Zac Zinn Kris Mihaylov- credit World Aquatics Lara van Niekerk- credit World Aquatics. Tyler Jacobs- credit Credit Raewyn Morrison Sanmarie 5- Credit Netball SA. Musawenkosi Mnisi by Tobias Ginsberg
8 www. modernathlete. co. za