With a bit more confidence, Wayde van Niekerk should be back to his best

Listening to Wayde van Niekerk after his latest performance this week, one would be forgiven for thinking that he’s nowhere near where he needs to be ahead of the World Athletics Championships.

The reality, however, is that the 400m world record holder is being too hard on himself.

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Van Niekerk needs to be quicker if he wants to reclaim the world title he last won in 2017, before he ripped up his knee in a touch rugby match. But he has two months to fine tune before he steps on the track at the global championships in Budapest.

And while his times are not quite as fast as he would want them to be at this stage of the season, his progress has been very promising.

Consistent performances

Competing at the national championships in April, he looked as strong and as fit as he has in his career. And he was rewarded for his hard work in the off-season with an impressive victory in the final, clocking 44.17 seconds.

He has since raced sparingly, no doubt preventing himself from overdoing it on the comeback trail. But his results have mirrored the performances we saw from him before he was injured, clocking 44.21 at a meeting in Kingston earlier this month before winning the one-lap sprint at the Diamond League meeting in Oslo on Thursday, crossing the line in 44.38.

What has been most promising, however, is that he hasn’t lost a race this year.

Van Niekerk has the talent, the dedication, the strength, the speed and the experience to dominate again on the global circuit. What he doesn’t have is confidence.

Winning races will do more for him at this point than running fast times, and though he will need to find another gear before the World Championships if he wants another gold medal, his consistency is key in his attempt to return to the top of the podium.

Gaining confidence

After his victory in Oslo – his first Diamond League win since 2017 – Van Niekerk admitted he still had work to do before he would be satisfied with his form.

But if there’s one thing that’s going to get him over the line at the World Championships, it’s not running fast, which he already knows how to do. It’s gaining the confidence he still lacks.

A couple more wins ahead of the World Championships should do the trick, and then he should be where he wants to be.

And when he lines up for the first-round heats in Budapest. he should be ready to tear up the track.