A full-strength South African team will be looking to make an impact at the World Athletics U20 Championships starting in Nairobi on Wednesday.
SA will consist of 54 athletes - 29 men and 25 women. 12 of the 54 are ranked among the top 10 in the world this year in the U20s in their specialist events.
The SA team, which departed Johannesburg on Sunday and landed in Kenya the same day, will be spearheaded by multiple athletes among the podium favourites.
Mine de Klerk is ranked second in the world in the junior women's shot put after setting a national U20 record of 17.55m in Potchefstroom in February. Only Pinar Akyol of Turkey (17.65m) has gone further this season.
Another South African, former African youth champion Dane Roets, will add some depth in the shot put after producing a 16.12m heave in Johannesburg in May, lying 10th in the global rankings ahead of the biennial U20 showpiece.
On the track, Lythe Pillay will line up among the title contenders in the men's 400m sprint.
Pillay, who represented South Africa in the 4x400m relay at the recent Tokyo Olympics, is ranked fifth in the one-lap dash with a personal best of 45.53.
However, the four athletes ranked ahead of him are all American, and each country is limited to two entrants at the World Athletics U20 Championships. In the men's high jump, 17-year-old Brian Raats is ranked in a tie for fourth place in the 2021 top lists as one of nine junior athletes who have cleared 2.20m this year.
"It's a new chapter for many of our athletes who will be taking part at world level, so in the camp, there is a mixture of excitement and nervousness," said ASA president James Moloi.
"The postponement of the competition last year affected some of the athletes who no longer qualify to be participants because of age.
"But the postponement has affected almost all 100 participating countries equally including the impact of the coronavirus in how all athletes prepared for it. We are expecting a better performance from the junior squad, but that does not mean we are putting them under pressure.
"With the Championship now starting a day later, it allows our athletes that small cushion to acclimatise to the new weather conditions. We wish our athletes well."
SA U20 athletics team:
Men:
Benjamin Richardson, Bradley Olifant, Sinesipho Dambile, Lythe Pillay, Matthys Nortje, Renier de Villiers, Abednico Choba, Senzo Sokhela, Keanu Domingo, Jason Browers, John Adesola, Mondray Barnard, Andre Erasmus, Christiaan Venter, Brian Raats, Kyle Rademeyer, Nikolai van Huyssteen, Jason Tito, Daiyaan Wyngaardt, DJ Liebenberg, Juan Ooosthuizen, Pieter-Juan Vorstman, Zander van der Merwe, Armant van der Linden
Women:
Banele Shabangu, Kayla la Grange, Viwe Jinqi, Precious Molepo, Amy Naude, Prudence Sekgodiso, Aviwe Hoboloshe, Carmie Prinsloo, Danielle Verster, Carmie Prinsloo, Naledi Makgata, Marione Fourie, Kayla van den Berg, Anje Nel, Jada van Staden, Mire Reinstorf, Karmen Fouche, Mine de Klerk, Dane Roets, Bodine Degli Umberti, Mickayla van der Westhuizen, Marissa Swanepoel, Janice Nel