Wayde van Niekerk dropped from Olympic qualifying list

World record holder Wayde van Niekerk looks to have opted out of his specialist 400m event at the Olympic Games in Paris next month.

Van Niekerk is one of three SA men who have qualified for the 400m distance at the Games after clocking 44.08 seconds (the fifth fastest time among all international qualifiers) to win a Diamond League meeting in Poland last year.

He is also one of five South African athletes who have qualified either on time or rankings in the 200m event for the multi-sport showpiece.

And while it seemed Van Niekerk would run the 400m event in the French capital – a distance over which he has won two world titles and an Olympic gold medal – the versatile sprinter was removed by World Athletics from the list of 400m qualifiers this week.

He retained his place in the provisional 200m entry list, however, suggesting he would be racing over the half-lap distance at the Games.

Why would this happen?

Van Niekerk has struggled with persistent niggles since returning from a long-term knee injury, and he has withdrawn from some races this year as a precautionary measure, including the 4x400m final at the World Relays in Bahamas in May.

Racing in multiple rounds over the 200m distance would be less taxing on his body and less risky.

And while he is better known for his career performances over 400m, and has predominantly focussed on the event in recent years, he is also very capable over 200m.

A former national 200m record holder, holding a personal best of 19.84 seconds, he secured the silver medal in the half-lap final at the 2017 World Championships in London.

What happens now?

With four other South African men having qualified ahead of him in the 200m (and only three spots available) a couple of athletes will need to be sidelined for Van Niekerk to earn a place in the national team for the half-lap event.

We’ll have to wait for the final SA team to be announced before we know for sure, but there are various possibilities in terms of what could have happened to open the 200m door for the country’s most accomplished sprinter.

Shaun Maswanganyi and Benjamin Richardson have both qualified in the 100m and 200m events for Paris, and if they have opted to focus on the shorter sprint, it would allow Van Niekerk to compete over 200m.

The only other possibility, it seems, is that Van Niekerk has either been selected ahead of Luxolo Adams and Sinesipho Dambile, despite both athletes being ranked ahead of him in the 200m event, or either one or both of them have withdrawn from the team.

What about the relays?

If Van Niekerk runs the 400m event at the Olympics, he has to form part of the national 4x400m relay team. It’s a rule put in place by World Athletics.

However, if he runs the 200m, he can choose between the 4x100m or 4x400m relay events.

The national 4x400m team have proved they have the depth to challenge for a medal without Van Niekerk, after winning silver in the World Relays final in his absence.

And if Van Niekerk runs the 4x100m relay instead, it will boost the team’s chances of reaching the podium and could give the national squad their best opportunity to secure two relay medals.

If he has the energy for it, which he might have if he isn’t running three rounds in the individual 400m, he also has the option of competing in both relays.

So it might seem surprising at first that Van Niekerk could opt for the 200m over the 400m, but there are good reasons for it, if that’s the case.

It elevates the country’s medal hopes in the relays, takes the pressure off Van Niekerk in his individual event and is less risky in terms of injuries. It wouldn’t be the worst decision.