Noko Mashilo
Willy Mabena hopes his journey from Modimolle in Limpopo to the United States will inspire young athletes from small towns and disadvantaged communities to believe they can compete with the world’s best.
The 27-year-old has overcome financial hardship, injuries, visa challenges and periods of self-doubt to build a successful career in US collegiate athletics.
Born in Phomolong Ext 8, Mabena spent part of his childhood in Katjibane village in Mpumalanga before returning to Modimolle while in Grade 2.
The South African sprinter now lives in Kentucky, where he is studying Business Administration at the University of the Cumberlands on a full athletics scholarship. His studies include minors in Technology Science and Data Analytics.
Balancing university studies with elite competition has become part of his daily routine.
“I have learnt how to balance academics with the demands of competing at a high level. It has taught me discipline and responsibility,” he said.
Mabena competes in the 100m, 200m and 400m events, although the 200m has become his strongest discipline.
“I always knew I had natural speed. Growing up, we competed in the 60m and 80m. It quickly became clear that sprinting suited me much better than middle or long distance running.”
His talent was first recognised when he was eight years old by his agriculture teacher, Mr Kruger, who encouraged him to pursue athletics.
“He saw my potential before I fully believed in myself. I will always be grateful for the role he played at the beginning of my journey.”
Mabena attended Mohlakamotala High School in Waterberg before transferring to Hoërskool Nylstroom in Grade 11. He later competed at Iowa Central Community College and Multnomah University before joining the University of the Cumberlands, where he became the institution’s fastest sprinter.
He credits coach Jaco Vosloo with helping transform his career.
“He transformed me from a 10.99-second sprinter into a 10.20 second athlete in one season. During that same year I broke the Hoërskool Nylstroom 100m record, and it still stands today.”
Patience has been one of the biggest lessons of Mabena’s career. After recording impressive times in high school, he spent eight years trying to better those performances.
“This year everything finally came together when I ran a personal best of 20.63 seconds in the 200 metres. It was my first race under 21 seconds since 2018. Every sacrifice suddenly became worth it.”
His breakthrough season brought a string of achievements. Mabena won the NAIA national title in the 4x100m relay after helping his team set a school record of 39.57 seconds. He also finished runner-up in the 200m and earned All-American honours.
His achievements include Cascade Conference champion, Mid South Conference champion, school records in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays, and the Cascade Conference 100m record.
Finishing as the NAIA national runner-up in the 200m remains one of the highlights of his career.
“It validated years of sacrifice, discipline and resilience. Coming from South Africa and competing successfully on one of the biggest stages in collegiate athletics showed me that hard work truly pays off.”
Despite his success, Mabena credits his family, coaches, teammates and his faith for helping him overcome the challenges he faced.
“There were times when I questioned whether I would be able to continue competing, but I remembered why I started. Every obstacle became another reason to work harder.”
Competing at elite level requires a demanding training schedule. His programme includes sprint sessions, acceleration work, strength training, technical drills, mobility exercises and recovery sessions. He also prepares mentally by visualising races and trusting the work he has put in during training.
Looking ahead, Mabena hopes to compete at the African Championships, Commonwealth Games, World Championships and the Olympic Games. He is also targeting personal bests of under 10.30 seconds in the 100m and 20.20 seconds in the 200m.
“I want to be remembered not only for my medals, championships and records, but for inspiring the next generation of athletes to dream bigger and never give up,” he said.