Cape Town - Two weeks ago, Olympic champion Wayde van Niekerk breezed to a comfortable win in his first 400m race of the 2022 track season at the Stars and Stripes Classic meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.
Running in lane five, Van Niekerk was a clear winner by some 15 metres and stopped the watches at 44.58 seconds. After a strong start, Van Niekerk took the lead around the 200m mark, and from that stage onwards, it was a race against the clock.
In an interview with Independent Media this week, Van Niekerk said he resisted the urge to cut loose when he entered the 100m straight.
“In the past, I would do crazy things and try to break every record,” said Van Niekerk. “In the past, I wanted to damage everyone (by breaking away from them at speed), but as it turned out, it did more damage to me than my rivals.
“Sometimes that resulted in me not finishing races that I would have loved to complete. I am now at a stage where I ran at a comfortable pace and a respectable race. I must not overdo it too soon.”
In the past few days, Van Niekerk’s name was frequently up for discussion because world athletics celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of Jamaica’s athletics superstar Herb Mckenley, who is the only man to hold the world records for the 100, 200 and 400 metres in the same year (1947).
Van Niekerk has carved a place in the history books for his remarkable feat of being the only athlete to have run 100m in under 10 seconds, 200m in under 20 seconds and 400m in under 44 seconds. Mckenley’s times were 10.3sec, 20.4 and 46.2.
Tomorrow, Van Niekerk will line up for the 400m heats at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon. After his run in Atlanta, Georgia, Van Niekerk is quietly confident that he will do better than his 44.58-second effort, which places him in 14th place for best 400m times for 2022.
Van Niekerk, however, holds the 400m world record at 43.03 seconds and remarkably ran the world-class time running in lane eight at the Rio Olympics in 2016. In the process, he smashed the legendary Michael Johnson’s 17-year-old 400m record. It will rank as one of South Africa’s finest athletics achievements.
He became the 107th athlete to break the 10 seconds barrier in the 100m on March 12, 2016. He is one of 48 athletes who have clocked sub 44 seconds over 400m, but he tops the list with the 43.03-second mark.
This year only two athletes, Michael Norman and Champion Allison, both Americans, have dipped below the 44-second mark. Both times were recorded at the same track in Eugene, Oregon, where the World Championships started the early hours of today (SA time).
Van Niekerk has never run on that track before, but he does have knowledge of conditions there and has no fears of drawing an outside lane. “I’m happy to run in whatever lane they give me,” said Van Niekerk.
Incidentally, yesterday marked Van Niekerk’s 30th birthday and he feels he still has “two Olympic Games” in his body.
He knows he has to maintain discipline and stick with the schedules his coach Lance Brauman will determine.
The Florida-based Brauman is regarded as one of the world’s best speed coaches in athletics.
“I try to be obedient and do what is expected of me,” said Van Niekerk. “Whether it’s training or competition I tick all the boxes. There are expectations along the way, and I make sure that I am in the best shape that I can be.
“I am in a good space now. I am thinking of the longevity of my career. As time goes on, I want to put down quality results and challenge for medals and world-class times.”
After the race in Georgia, Van Niekerk is looking to regain his world-record-breaking form, although he knows he has to be patient.
“I need to be smart and patient,” said Van Niekerk. “I need to use the stepping stones needed to get me back to world-class form and respect the process. This year there have been many hurdles and frustrations which made it very challenging but it is all part of the game. It is the reality, and it is something I cannot dwell on because championships will go on with or without me.”
Van Niekerk said he’ll use his outing in Georgia to his advantage and feels that outing points to a good season ahead.
“If I could clock that time in the first race of the season then I am confident things will go better going forward,” said Van Niekerk. “It was good to open the legs a bit and my focus and mentality are just to remain positive going forward.
“It’s important that I make the correct decisions now so that I can enjoy three solid seasons ahead.”
Despite the lack of competition this year, Van Niekerk’s form in Georgia suggests he’ll make the podium at his fourth World Championships. After tomorrow’s 400m heats, the semi-finals will continue Wednesday. The 400 final, one of the premier events at the World Championships, will be on Friday.
@Herman_Gibbs