Wayde van Niekerk crashes out in World Champs medal chase

South Africa’s medal hopes took another major knock on Thursday night, with sprinter Wayde van Niekerk trailing home in last place in the men’s 400m final at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

Aiming to reclaim the global one-lap title he last won in 2017, Van Niekerk finished seventh (following the disqualification of Grenada’s Kirani James).

Running from the inside lane, he clocked a pedestrian time of 45.11 (more than two seconds outside his world record), while Jamaican athlete Antonio Watson stormed to gold in 44.22.

The result was a huge blow for the national squad after Akani Simbine’s disqualification for a false start in the 100m semifinals earlier at the World Championships.

Running out of opportunities, with only three days remaining, they were left to rely largely on the men’s 4x100m relay team spearheaded by Simbine and one or two other long-shot outside hopes in an attempt to end a six-year podium drought.

Other results

Earlier yesterday, all three South African athletes in the men’s 200m semifinals were eliminated ahead of the final.

Rising star Sinesipho Dambile was the best of the SA trio, finishing fourth in his heat in 20.28 seconds. The 21-year-old speedster set a personal best but crossed the line 0.07 outside a spot in the medal contest.

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Though Dambile put up a fight, sub-20 athletes Luxolo Adams and Shaun Maswanganyi were well off the pace. Adams took sixth place in his semifinal in 20.44 and Maswangani settled for seventh position in his race in 20.65.

In the morning session, national record holder Wayne Snyman finished 21st in the men’s 35km race walk.

Snyman, a school teacher who came out of retirement as an elite athlete to compete at the event, completed the race in 2:35:13.

Coming up

The SA team will be hoping to find some momentum on Friday’s seventh day of competition at the track and field showpiece.

Javelin thrower Jo-Ane van Dyl is in the final of her specialist event (8.20pm), while Prudence Sekgodiso lines up in the women’s 800m semifinals (8.25pm).

National champion Douw Smit is in the qualifying round of the men’s javelin throw, and the SA men’s 4x100m relay team will turn out in the first-round heats.