After suffering a serious knee injury playing a celebrity touch rugby match at Newlands Rugby Stadium in Cape Town in 2017, many experts feared the worst predicting that would never be the same again.
But now after seven years in the wilderness, South Africa’s sprint sensation has astounded his critics by running his fastest time in seven years at the Wanda Diamond League in Silesia, Poland on Sunday evening.
The Cape Town born sprinter clocked the fastest time of his comeback when he ran a blistering 44:08 sec. setting a new meeting record in the process.
The comeback continues!@WaydeDreamer clocks a season's best and meeting record of 44.08 in the 400m. #SilesiaDL ????????#DiamondLeague
???? @macroprophoto pic.twitter.com/0nTYlJdKPK— Wanda Diamond League (@Diamond_League) July 16, 2023
Van Niekerk was a convincing victor as he collected the 10th Diamond League triumph of his career, with second-placed Bayapo Ndori of Botswana crossing in a distant 44.61.
Alison dos Santos of Brazil, a 400m hurdles specialist, was third in 44.73 while Zakithi Nene ended fourth in a 44.74 season’s best.
The 31-year-old, who celebrated his birthday on Saturday, will surely need to dip under 44 seconds to win in Hungary next month — and he’s threatening to get there. He hasn’t been in that territory in nearly six years.
“Things are moving in a positive direction,” Van Niekerk said. “It is my fastest run in seven years and 44.0 shows that 43 seconds is possible. The competition in my event is getting stronger so I need to work to get better as well.”
Akani Simbine shines in Silesia
At the same meeting South African sprinter Akani Simbine handed world champion Fred Kerley his first defeat since early last year as he won the 100m.
Simbine overcame a slow start to power his way to the finish line first in 9.97 to collect his seventh Diamond League crown.
American Kerley was second in 9.98 and Emmanuel Eseme of Cameron third in the same time. Marvin Bracy, the runner-up at the world championships last year, was a distant sixth in 10.10.
It was only the second time Simbine had beaten Kerley in nine races, the last occasion being the Herculis meet in Monaco in 2021.
Kerley, the silver medallist at the Tokyo Olympics, hadn’t lost a 100m since May last year, having gone unbeaten in 11 races.
Adriaan Wildschutt sets new SA 5000m record
On Saturday US-based Adriaan Wildschutt knocked more than two seconds off Elroy Gelant’s SA 5,000m record as he finished second in a league race in 13 min 02.46 sec in the Belgian town of Heusden-Zolder.
The previous mark of 13:04.88 was set at Hengelo in 2016.
Wildschutt’s effort secured his qualification for the world championships in Budapest next month as well as the Paris Olympics next year.
The time also lifted him to 25th on the world list for 2023 so far, topped by Ethiopian Berihu Aregawi with 12:40.45.
