Wayde van Niekerk’s personal odyssey back to the podium will stretch at least to a seventh year in 2024 after he faded to last spot in the 400m at the world championships in Budapest on Thursday.
Of the eight men who lined up in the final, Van Niekerk owned the year’s fastest time but he lacked the championship fitness to fuel his turbo over the final 100 metres after three rounds of racing.
It was already a problem in the semifinals, where he had to qualify as a fastest loser, and it plagued him again in the final as his challenge ended over the final 80 metres.
Van Niekerk has demonstrated grit and guts in his comeback after injuring his right knee in a game of touch rugby in late 2017, but he has yet to coax his legs to follow suit.
Jamaica’s Antonio Watson won in 44.22 sec — slower than Van Niekerk’s 44.08 season’s best — ahead of Briton Matthew Hudson-Smith (44.31) and American Quincy Hall (44.37).
Van Niekerk clocked 45.11 at the back of the field.
The 31-year-old, fifth in the final last year, has yet to ascend his heights of old after the knee injury in 2017.
Van Niekerk went into the showpiece as South Africa’s best chance of a medal, followed by Akani Simbine who was disqualified in the 100m semifinals.
But with just three days to go in Budapest, the nation’s top remaining shot is the men’s 4x100m relay team, who compete in the heats on Friday night.
Prudence Sekgodiso, who is set to race the women’s 800m semifinals on Friday and the marathon runners at the weekend are longer shots.
At this rate, South Africa’s longest-ever major medal drought is set to stretch to a fourth meet, after no podium spots at Doha 2019, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Eugene 2022.
Before then South Africa had not gone more than two track-and-field meets without a medal.
All three of SA’s 200m athletes were eliminated in the semifinals on Thursday.
Sinesipho Dambile ended fourth in a 20.28 personal best, but near the front of that race Botswana’s 100m silver medallist, Letsile Tebogo, clowned with American Kenneth Bednarek before finishing second in 19.97.
Luxolo Adams, a finalist last year, ended sixth in his contest in 20.44, with American 100m king Noah Lyles setting the pace with 19.76.
Shaun Maswanganyi was seventh in 20.65.
Athletics
Wayde van Niekerk fades to last as Jamaican Watson wins 400m crown
Image: Matthias Hangst/Getty Images
Wayde van Niekerk’s personal odyssey back to the podium will stretch at least to a seventh year in 2024 after he faded to last spot in the 400m at the world championships in Budapest on Thursday.
Of the eight men who lined up in the final, Van Niekerk owned the year’s fastest time but he lacked the championship fitness to fuel his turbo over the final 100 metres after three rounds of racing.
It was already a problem in the semifinals, where he had to qualify as a fastest loser, and it plagued him again in the final as his challenge ended over the final 80 metres.
Van Niekerk has demonstrated grit and guts in his comeback after injuring his right knee in a game of touch rugby in late 2017, but he has yet to coax his legs to follow suit.
Jamaica’s Antonio Watson won in 44.22 sec — slower than Van Niekerk’s 44.08 season’s best — ahead of Briton Matthew Hudson-Smith (44.31) and American Quincy Hall (44.37).
Van Niekerk clocked 45.11 at the back of the field.
The 31-year-old, fifth in the final last year, has yet to ascend his heights of old after the knee injury in 2017.
Van Niekerk went into the showpiece as South Africa’s best chance of a medal, followed by Akani Simbine who was disqualified in the 100m semifinals.
But with just three days to go in Budapest, the nation’s top remaining shot is the men’s 4x100m relay team, who compete in the heats on Friday night.
Prudence Sekgodiso, who is set to race the women’s 800m semifinals on Friday and the marathon runners at the weekend are longer shots.
At this rate, South Africa’s longest-ever major medal drought is set to stretch to a fourth meet, after no podium spots at Doha 2019, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Eugene 2022.
Before then South Africa had not gone more than two track-and-field meets without a medal.
All three of SA’s 200m athletes were eliminated in the semifinals on Thursday.
Sinesipho Dambile ended fourth in a 20.28 personal best, but near the front of that race Botswana’s 100m silver medallist, Letsile Tebogo, clowned with American Kenneth Bednarek before finishing second in 19.97.
Luxolo Adams, a finalist last year, ended sixth in his contest in 20.44, with American 100m king Noah Lyles setting the pace with 19.76.
Shaun Maswanganyi was seventh in 20.65.
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