“ I’ m actually quite a chilled person away from the track. I don’ t think I’ m someone who needs a lot of attention. I like spending time with the people close to me, relaxing and just switching off from athletics when I can. On the track I’ m very competitive, but away from it I’ m quite laid-back.”
Born in Qonce in the Eastern Cape, Dambile, now 24, was not a child with ambitions of becoming an elite sprinter. He simply enjoyed sport and being active. It was only when his performances began opening doors that he became more serious about athletics.
“ I grew up in a small town, and at that stage I definitely wasn’ t thinking about athletics as a career. I was just enjoying being a kid. I always loved sport and being active, but there wasn’ t this big plan that I was going to become a professional athlete. Athletics became more serious for me later, once I started seeing what I could do and the opportunities that were opening up,” he explained.
Those opportunities included a place at TUKS Sport High School, which led to even greater things.
Dambile was already making his mark internationally as a teenager, helping South Africa to world junior 4x100m gold in 2021 in U20 world record time.
In 2022, he won his first national title and was stepping onto the senior global stage. At the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, he qualified for the 200m semi-finals after running a personal best of 20.29 seconds in the heats. He missed out on Olympic qualification in 2024, but the following year formed part of the SA 4x100m relay team that took gold at the World Relays in China.
And in 2026, his progression accelerated dramatically. Dambile won the national title in 20.02 before taking his international form to another level. He ran 19.77 at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi in April, and in June, he won his first Diamond League meeting in Doha with a personal best of 19.74 – just five hundredths of a second outside Clarence Munyai’ s South African record of 19.69.
Then came Glasgow.
Dambile arrived at the Commonwealth Games with the fastest 200m time, and he lived up to that billing. After winning his semi-final in 19.82, he produced another composed performance in the final to cross the line in 19.96 and become the first South African to win the Commonwealth 200m title.
The significance of the medal was mostly about how it pointed to what’ s still to come.
“ It meant a lot. I’ ve been working towards a performance like that for a long time, so to actually go there and win the gold was special. Winning for South Africa always means something, but I think it was also important for me personally because it showed the level I’ m capable of. It gives you confidence that the work you’ re putting in is taking you in the right direction.”
Looking back at the race itself, Dambile admits it was all a bit of a blur.
“ Honestly, in the race you’ re not thinking about too much. You’ re just trying to stay relaxed, keep your form and get to the line. In the last part of the race, I could feel that I was in a good position, but I didn’ t want to celebrate before it was finished. It was only when I crossed the line and saw the result that I could really take it in. That was a very good feeling.”
Speaking about where his rapid improvement has come from in recent years, Dambile points to a few things that have made all the difference while training under coach Thabo Matebedi and alongside teammates Gift Leotlela and Bayanda Walaza – although Matebedi recently made a move to coach in Malaysia.
“ I think it’ s been a combination of things rather than one big change. I’ m more mature as an athlete now, I understand my body better and I understand the 200m better. Training has been going well and I’ ve been able to put together more consistent performances. I also think I’ m racing with more confidence. When you start running fast, you stop hoping that you belong at that level and you start knowing that you do.”
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That confidence will be tested again at the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest from 11-13 September where there is a total prize pot of $ 10 million on offer. The new season-ending event brings together Olympic champions, world champions, Diamond League winners and the leading performers of the year, with the men’ s 200m semis and final scheduled for 13 September.
The star-studded event provides another opportunity for Dambile to measure himself against the best, having made the final at last year’ s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo after dipping under 20 seconds for the first time in the semi-final in 19.97 seconds.
“ At that level you know it is going to be very fast. There are a lot of guys capable of running under 20 seconds, so I don’ t think you can go there focused only on a particular time. You have to race the people who are next to you.
“ For me, the confidence comes from knowing that I’ ve already run 19.74 this year. I know what I’ m capable of. If I can get there healthy, execute my race properly and perform close to my best, then I believe I can compete with the guys.”
Dambile also knows everything has to come together on the day.
“ There are always things you can improve. For me it is about putting the whole race together. The 200m is quite technical because you need to run the bend well, come off it in a good position and then still be strong and relaxed in the last 50 metres. I think there is still more improvement for me in putting all of those parts together in one race.”
And while his ambitions may be growing, with the LA Olympics on the horizon, Dambile remains determined not to let athletics consume him.
“ I think people probably expect athletes to be thinking about athletics all the time, but I really like being able to switch off. When I’ m not training or racing, I’ m happy just relaxing, spending time with friends and family and doing normal things. Athletics is a big part of my life, but I don’ t want it to be the only thing in my life …
“ Athletics can change very quickly, so I try not to look too far ahead. I just want to keep getting better, stay healthy and make the most of the opportunities I have.” www. modernathlete. co. za 7