Can you believe that Wayde van Niekerk is now 31?
The 400m world record-holder celebrated his birthday on Saturday, and he shares the special day with his wife Chesney, who was born on the same day in 1992 – although Wayde is a few hours older, having entered the world early in the morning.
So, what could possibly be a perfect birthday present for the 2016 Olympic champion? Perhaps a sub-44-second time at the next edition of the Diamond League in Silesia, Poland on Sunday.
The meeting is known as the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial, and Van Niekerk will line up in a top-class field that could just see him break through the 44-second barrier for the first time since 2017 – when he ran 43.62 in Lausanne – as he has battled back from a serious knee injury that he sustained later that year.
He has been in excellent form this year, though, and has been building steadily in order to peak at the world championships in Budapest in August. Having run a 44.95 time at the SA championships in Potchefstroom on March 31, Van Niekerk followed it up with a season’s best 44.17 the next day to win the national title.
Then it was all about training in Florida in the United States over the next month before he returned to the track at the Racers Grand Prix in Kingston, Jamaica, clocking 44.21 in an impressive victory.
He clinched another win at the Diamond League in Oslo in mid-June, finishing in 44.38, and now he will be raring to go again just over a month later in Poland.
What could push him to a sub-44 time on Sunday is the presence of Zambian newcomer Muzala Samukonga, who ran the world lead time of 43.91 in Botswana in late April.
Van Niekerk beat the 20-year-old in Oslo, where the latter finished second in 44.49, so he will hope to produce an upset this time around.
American trio Bryce Deadmon, Ryan Willie and Vernon Norwood have all run under 44.40 seconds this year and will be in contention too, while a second South African in Zakithi Nene will be keen to improve on his 2023 best of 45.17.
The other event for South Africans to get excited about is the men’s 100m, where Akani Simbine will go toe-to-toe with American giant Fred Kerley.
It is a star-studded line-up where everyone except Jamaican Yohan Blake has run 9.96 or quicker in 2023, so Simbine will have his hands full in his bid for victory.
Kerley will start as the favourite, having posted the third-fastest time in the world this year with a 9.88.
But recently-crowned United States champion Cravont Charleston (9.90) will want to prove that he can be competitive in Europe, while Pjai Austin (9.89), Ackeem Blake (9.89) and Kishane Thompson (9.91) have also gone faster than Simbine (9.92) this season.
Simbine, though, is coming off three consecutive victories (two in Czech Republic and the other in Sweden), and will be confident that he can take on Kerley.
The rest of the South African contingent is made up of Antonio Alkana (men’s 110m hurdles) and Marioné Fourie (women’s 100m hurdles), and the event will be broadcast live on SuperSport channel 204 from 4pm.
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IOL Sport