Van Niekerk ‘disappointed’ but still hungry for world title

Admitting he felt flat in the closing stages of his semifinal, Wayde van Niekerk said he would need to ensure he was mentally ready to challenge for the gold medal after sneaking into the final at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.

Van Niekerk grabbed third spot in his 400m semifinal in 44.65 seconds on Tuesday night, progressing on time as the sixth fastest qualifier for the podium battle to be held night (9.35pm).

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Having faded down the home straight in the penultimate round, however, he knew he was going to have to dig deeper and find another gear in order to challenge for victory in the final.

“Tonight was very disappointing – obviously not close to what we all know I can do – but I live to see another day,” Van Niekerk said after his semifinal race.

“We’ve got a day of recovery, and then the final is a great opportunity for every one of us. It’s all about the one who wants it the most.

“So over the next couple of days I need to get my head right and prove to myself that this is what I want, and then we put our best foot forward in the final.”

Long road back

Regaining form this season after recovering from a knee injury that threatened to derail his career, the world record holder was targeting his third world title and his first since 2017.

The 31-year-old sprinter said it had been a long, arduous road back from injury, and he was grateful for all the support he had received as he set his sights on securing the SA team’s first World Championships medal in six years.

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“The amount of times I got out of bed or entered the track not wanting to do anything, but my faith picked me up and my team picked me up,” he said.

“I have thanks and gratitude for all the people around me who kept showing me strength when I was weak and did not give up on me when I gave up on myself.

“It’s been an amazing journey and I’m just grateful to everyone who has been pushing me through this.”