The 2020 athletics year in review: The highs, lows and surprises

Local highlight of the year

More than two years after he was sidelined by a serious knee injury, it was starting to look like Wayde van Niekerk might not be able to make a full comeback.

The 400m world record holder made an explosive return on the domestic circuit, however, with superb performances over 100m (10.10) and 200m (20.31).

In a cruel twist of fate, he was forced off the track again just weeks later due to the coronavirus pandemic, and his European campaign later in the year was virtually derailed after he tested positive for Covid-19.

Van Niekerk nonetheless managed to squeeze in a couple more races on home soil before the end of the year and closed the campaign with a 400m season’s best of 45.58.

If he is given the chance to race more consistently next year, the versatile sprinter should be ready to hit his straps again after sweeping aside any real doubt that he can get back to his best.

International highlight of the year

While many codes struggled to regain their footing after stumbling through the global lockdown, athletics was among the pace setters in getting top-flight sport back on track.

With health and safety restrictions initially preventing competitions in stadiums, some unique concepts provided opportunities for athletes and entertainment for fans, perhaps most notably backyard competitions held between some of the world’s best pole vaulters.

World Athletics gets a lot of flak – much of it due – but they did well to relaunch the 2020 season under very challenging circumstances.

Biggest disappointment of 2020

It has been one of the most controversial debates in international sport over the last decade, and Caster Semenya’s battle against gender rules continues to rage in European courts.

Having lost an appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Semenya’s legal team went on to lose another appeal at the Swiss Supreme Court in September.

Restricted from competing against women over her specialist distances without taking hormone suppressants, the middle-distance star insists she will not give up the fight and her next stop will be the European Court of Human Rights.

While she has received tremendous support from fans at home and abroad, as well as from government and Athletics South Africa, the courts have not been as understanding, and her latest loss was a major knock in her attempt to have the rules changed and set a precedent for women with differences in sexual development.

Biggest surprise of 2020

Though most major events were cancelled this year, many elite athletes were able to shake off the effects of the lockdown far quicker than expected.

Perhaps most notably, the World Half-Marathon Championships, held in Poland in October, was less of a surprise than it was an absolute shock.

A total of 10 men ran under 60 minutes, including South Africa’s Stephen Mokoka (who broke the national record), while Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir set a world record of 1:05:16, dragging nine women under 67 minutes.

New technology in shoes has played a key role in improved performances, somewhat explaining the impressive depth as well as the lightning fast times up front.

But few could have expected one of the most exciting global road running championships in recent years to spring forth in the wake of the enforced hiatus, and it was great to see the world’s best (and SA’s elite stars) back in full flight.

What I’m looking forward to in 2021

If there’s one thing it seems we can probably all agree on, it’s that 2020 can pack its bags and take a walk.

It is still not clear whether 2021 is going to be much better, but if we’re drinking from a glass half full, there’s a lot to look forward to.

A full athletics campaign is unlikely, but the Tokyo Olympics are still a possibility, and it’ll be great to have national championships again in the various disciplines.

Perhaps amateur runners will even get a chance to run regular races again and the sport can return to some semblance of normality.

It’s a long shot, but we can at least live in hope.

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