‘I’m back!’ Wayde looks forward to his first major final in five years

Taking another big step forward on the comeback trail, Wayde van Niekerk was delighted with his result on Thursday after he coasted into the men’s 400m final at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene.

Van Niekerk had no trouble in his semifinal, taking second place in 44.75 seconds and progressing to the medal contest to be held at 4.35am on Saturday morning (SA time).

“1786 days, 5 years later and I’m back in the finals!” Van Niekerk posted on social media after the race, referring to the last world title he secured in London in 2017.

The world record holder said it felt like a “new beginning” and he would “keep working” as he continued to gain momentum after a long-term struggle to overcome a potential career-ending knee injury.

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Though his performances in Eugene had turned heads, however, with Van Niekerk seemingly starting to regain his best form, he remained diplomatic about his chances.

The 30-year-old sprinter had already made it clear he wanted a medal – preferably gold – but he needed to find another gear and he acknowledged that he still had some work to do.

Tough opposition

Five of the other seven men in the 400m final have run faster than Van Niekerk’s season’s best (44.58) this year, and he hasn’t run within one-and-a-half second of his world record (43.03) in nearly five years.

He also lines up against a quality field which includes fellow former world and Olympic champion Kirani James of Grenada and in-form American athlete Michael Norman.

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Van Niekerk has been so inactive in recent years, appearing sporadically at home and abroad, he isn’t even currently ranked in the 400m event. But he has the pedigree, and if he can find the strength to produce another hard run in the final, he’ll be in with a shout.

“It is a learning process in every race,” he said, “I am listening to my body and executing that way.”