Off-form Wayde van Niekerk doubtful he’ll make SA 4x400m team in Paris

Wayde van Niekerk says he hates being in the form that saw him finish last in his 200m semifinal at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday night, and then he cast doubt on whether he would even make the 4x400m relay team.

The 32-year-old said he needed time to recover and might not be good enough to get selected for the team, which has been rated a strong medal contender for the country’s embattled track and field team.

The Olympic 400m champion from 2016 who also won two world 400m titles and a 200m silver looked out of sorts as he clocked 20.72 sec at Stade de France.

“I hate it, I don't enjoy it at all,” he replied when asked how it felt to go to an Olympics and not be on top. “I mean, I’m a competitor. I want medals. I’m not happy with where I’m at at the moment.”

Van Niekerk, 32, is supposed to be one of the pillars of the relay team but he suggested he might not be good enough to be selected.

“With and without me, these guys are a strong group of guys, but I mean I obviously would love to be part of it.”

But with Lythe Pillay also battling to find form in France, it seems the team might struggle to reach the podium.

Van Niekerk, struggling with a niggle at the time, was not part of the team that ran in the final at the World Relays in Bahamas in May, when they took the silver. He had run in the heats, however.

When pressed on whether he would be a part of the team, Van Niekerk refused to give a clear answer, other than repeating: “I want to be there.”

He said the relay had been a major motivating factor for him this season. “I obviously would love to contribute. But at the same time, it’s [about] what the team needs best and who’s most healthy.

“So, I’d love to be part of it. But I mean, I’m going to need a few days to get myself right.”

The men’s 4x400m heats are set for 11.05am on Friday.

Van Niekerk has yet to recapture the form he had before injuring his right knee in 2017. Asked if he felt he could get back, Van Niekerk was unsure. 

“I don’t know. I’m putting in the work every day. So, it was impossible when I got there. It feels impossible right now. So, I’m never closing my mind towards the future.

“I’m a man of faith. I’m always optimistic that better opportunities will come ahead of me.”

Shaun Maswanganyi ended fourth in his 200m semifinal in 20.42, also missing out on a spot in the final.

He admitted the 4x100m team’s medal hopes had been dented by the withdrawal of Benjamin Richardson, who would have run the second leg down the back straight.

“It’s looking quite tough because I mean, for example, I was planning to run the first leg and I’ve been practising with Benji on that.

“But now since Benji took a knock, we’re going to have to try to move some people around. I might have to end up running the back stretch and, truth be told, I’ve not really run the back stretch before.

“I’ve usually run first or anchor [fourth] leg. So we’re going to try to see how we can work around that in the practice in the morning as we get ready, but it’s times like this as a competitor, you’re just going to say ‘we’ll do the best we can with what we have’.”

The men’s 4x100m heats are scheduled for 11.35am on Thursday. 

In the women’s 400m semifinals, Miranda Coetzee finished last in 51.60. 

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All the Team SA results here.