TRACK & FIELD
Men ’ s 400m : Van Niekerk Finally Back
Wayde van Niekerk will not be happy with fifth place , and one cannot blame the 2016 Olympic Champion , two-time World Champion ( 2015 and 2017 ) and World Record-holder ( 43.03 ). However , considering how long he has struggled to come back from a freak knee injury suffered in 2017 , this was a really good performance . Unfortunately , he possibly needed two more races before the World Championships to get race fit , but he still put up a fight , as he is known to do . Van Niekerk won his first-round heat in 45.18 , then clocked 44.75 to finish second in his semi-final and books his spot in the final . In the last 50m of the final he was coming back at the leaders , but then he ran out of steam and had to settle for fifth place in 44.97 . Most South African fans were just happy to see him in a global final again , and don ’ t be surprised if he gets close to sub-44 again later this year . Then watch what happens in 2023 !
Image : Courtesy World Athletics
Men ’ s 4x100m Relay : Milliseconds Count
In 2020 and 2021 , our relay team was able to train together and practice their handovers , the most important part of the relay , and that helped Team SA win the gold medal at the World Relay Champs in 2021 . Although that win was later stripped when Thando Dlodlo was found guilty of doping , it nevertheless showed the value of relay training camps . In Eugene , the SA team ’ s average changeover time was that fraction slower , and you can only improve that by regular training together . Still , the team managed a season best 38.31 in the heats , and then went even faster in the final , clocking 38.10 as Simbine ran the fastest anchor leg of the final ( 8.77 ), so they will be disappointed with finishing sixth .
Men ’ s 200m : More to Come from Adams
Luxolo Adams came into the World Championships with a brand new PB of 19.82 , clocked at the Diamond League meet in Paris in June . A sub-20 had always been on the cards for him given that he clocked 20.01 in 2018 , but after years of being dogged by injury , that improvement of 19 / 100ths of a second on his PB came out of the blue , especially since his season best up till then had been 20.31 . In his first World Championships , he then did phenomenally well to make the final in Eugene , where he clocked 20.47 to finish eighth . Looking ahead , his 19.82 is a clear indication that his best is yet to come .
A Few More Highlights
The SA Record came courtesy of Wayne Snyman in the men ’ s 35km walk , where he finished 20th . Back on the track , the two PBs were posted by Zeney van der Walt when she clocked 54.81 in the women ’ s 400m hurdles semi-final round , and Marione Fourie equalled her lifetime best of 12.93 after also making the semi-finals of the women ’ s 100m hurdles . You can ’ t ask for more than a PB from an athlete at a major meet .
: Interview with Wayde van Niekerk after he qualified for the men ’ s 400m final
Watch the highlights of the men ’ s 400m final , with SA ’ s Wayde van Niekerk in action
Overall , the reality is that no South African athlete went into the World Championships with a realistic shot at a medal , so the expectation that Team SA would come back bathed in glory was never realistic . They just did not have the form this time round . Why that is the case is a debate for another day .
Video interviews shared here are posted courtesy of All The Running – check out their YouTube Channel via this link : www . youtube . com / channel / UCO3R4etKF215K0PnoJUDauA
The stadium in Eugene was 69 not always full , but the passion for athletics was strong