Q & A
Fresh from ending a two-year wait for another Diamond League victory with a win in Stockholm, SA 400m star Zakithi Nene has his sights firmly set on Commonwealth Games gold in Glasgow. The 28-year-old, who also helped South Africa ' s men ' s 4x400m relay team claim silver at the recent World Relays in Botswana opens up about overcoming injury setbacks, leading a talented relay squad, why the 400m is like " locking horns with the devil ", and the Olympic dream that still drives him.
Photo courtesy of Anton Geyser
How did it feel winning your first Diamond League race since 2023?
I thought it was going to happen last year. I came close on many occasions, but I had to wait for another year and do it in Stockholm again. It was really, really special for me … I think more than anything, it was just all about winning the mental battle, rather than the time. So, I ' m really happy with the fact that I was able to edge my competitors on the day.
You mentioned some injuries – what have you struggled with and how are you now?
I ' ve been struggling with my Achilles. Literally, first day back in training after last season, my Achilles packed up. So until this day, I ' m still going through some rehab … It ' s not fully 100 per cent yet but … I think these last five weeks I could say, it ' s starting to feel like it ' s back to normal again. I can actually put more force into it and not just drag my feet around the track. So, I ' m getting there … I ' m hoping by the time Comm Games comes, I ' ll be per cent.
What would a successful Commonwealth Games in Glasgow look like to you?
As much as I was there at the Commonwealth Games in 2022, I didn ' t compete. I had COVID. So, I definitely feel like I ' ve got some unfinished business with Comm Games, especially with the depth in the 400m now. It ' s really going to be a competitive field, but I think I ' ve got one goal in mind, and that is to win it.
If you had to assign roles to each of your relay teammates – and yourself – in terms of their personalities, what would they be?
I ' ve pretty much been given the role of captain, so I ' m the more serious one. I ' m slightly older than the other guys, so I ' m the more serious one making sure that when it ' s time to train, it ' s time to train. When it ' s time to do changeovers, we do our changeovers. I think the life of the party has to be Leendert. He comes with so much energy. He ' s a kid, and you can tell. Udeme has some jokes in him, so I ' ll give him the joker. Lythe, we call him the president. He ' s always ready to fight for us, fight for the athletes. So that ' s his role, the president.
Long-term, what is still on the to-do list?
I feel like my list hasn ' t changed since I first started. I haven ' t achieved any of the things that I wanted to achieve. Yes, I ' ve now competed at global championships, challenged for the medals, but fallen short. I still have that Olympic dream in mind. I still want an Olympic medal. I still want a world champs medal. I still want to win a Diamond League trophy at the end of the season.
Some people say you have to be mad to run the 400m. Do you agree?
I totally agree with that. You need to be willing to lock horns with the devil if you want to run the 400 because that ' s pretty much what it is. It ' s like death. I think we can all say you have to be mad to run the 400. For most of us, I feel like the event chooses you. I think no one goes out there and says I want to run a 400 … In an ideal world, I’ d definitely be running something totally different, but eventually we just grow to love it.
How fast do you think you can still go?
We’ re just going to have to wait and see. God-willing, body healthy, I do expect a lot from myself.
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