Wayde van Niekerk

Wayde van Niekerk (South African English: /ˈweɪd fʌn niːˈkɛərk/, Afrikaans: [fan niˈkɛrk]; born 15 July 1992) is a South African track and field sprinter who competes in the 200 and 400 metres. In the 400 metres, he is the current world and Olympic record holder, and Olympic champion. He also holds the world-best time in the 300 metres.

Wayde van Niekerk

Wayde van Niekerk at the 2017 World Championships
Personal information
Nationality	South African
Born	15 July 1992 Kraaifontein, Western Cape, South Africa
Height	183 cm (6 ft 0 in)[1]
Weight	70 kg (154 lb)[1]
Sport
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	Sprints
Team	adidas[2]
Coached by	Anna "Tannie Ans" Botha.[3] Agent: Peet Van Zyl Publicist: Bronwyn Roets
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	100 m: 9.94 (Velenje, 2017)[4] 200 m: 19.84 (Kingston, 2017)[5][lower-alpha 1] 300 m: 30.81 WB (Ostrava, 2017)[6] 400 m: 43.03 WR (Rio de Janeiro, 2016)[7]
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  South Africa Olympic Games 2016 Rio de Janeiro 400 m World Championships 2015 Beijing 400 m 2017 London 400 m 2017 London 200 m Commonwealth Games 2014 Glasgow 400 m African Championships 2016 Durban 200 m 2016 Durban 4×100 m relay 2014 Marrakesh 400 m Universiade 2013 Kazan 4×400 m relay Representing Africa Continental Cup 2014 Marrakesh 4×400 m relay

Van Niekerk was the silver medallist in the 400m at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and took bronze in the 4×400 metres relay at the 2013 Summer Universiade. He also represented South Africa at the 2013 and 2015 Athletics World Championships. At the 2015 World Championships, he won the gold medal in the 400 meters. He defended his title two years later, in London, where he also won the silver medal in the 200 meters race.

In the 2016 Olympic Games men's 400m, Van Niekerk won the gold medal with a world record time of 43.03 seconds (reaction time 0.181 s[8]) at age 24 years and 30 days, beating the time of 43.18 seconds set by Michael Johnson during the 1999 World Championships in Athletics in Seville, Spain.

In 2016, Van Niekerk became the first sprinter in history to have run the 100 metres in under 10 seconds, 200 metres in under 20 seconds, and 400 metres in under 44 seconds.[9] In 2017, after a 30.81 seconds victory in the seldom-run 300 metres distance, breaking Michael Johnson's world-best time of 30.85 which was set in 2000, Van Niekerk became the only sprinter in history to have run sub-10, sub-20, sub-31 and sub-44 performances at 100m, 200m, 300m and 400m respectively.[10]

Early life

Van Niekerk was born in Kraaifontein, Cape Town, to Wayde van Niekerk and sprinter Odessa Swarts.[11] He was born prematurely and needed a blood transfusion.[12] Van Niekerk attended Bellville Primary[13] and Simonberg Primary[14] until he and his mother moved to Bloemfontein in 2005.[11] There he went to Grey College before going on to study marketing at the University of the Free State.[15]

Career

He made his international debut at the 2010 World Junior Championships in Athletics, where he placed fourth in the 200m with a personal best time of 21.02 seconds. He also ran in the 4×100 metres relay heats with the national team, alongside Gideon Trotter.[16] His senior breakthrough came at the age of eighteen at the 2011 South African Athletics Championships when he won the 200m title in a new personal best time of 20.57 seconds.[17] He competed in the same event at the 2011 African Junior Athletics Championships, but did not make the final. He ran sparingly in 2012, but began to show a talent for the 400 metres, setting a best time of 46.43 seconds.[18]

The 2013 season marked Van Niekerk's emergence as a 400m runner. He won the second national title of his career over that distance at the 2013 South African Championships, winning with a sub-46-second time.[19] He won the IAAF Meeting de Dakar before travelling to Europe and placing second to Olympic champion Kirani James at the Golden Spike Ostrava, improving his best time to 45.09 seconds in the process.[20] He entered the 400 metres at the 2013 Summer Universiade and narrowly missed out on the final as the fastest non-qualifier.[21] He managed to reach the podium and receive his first international medal in the 4×400 metres relay as the South African men took the bronze. His performances earned him a place in the 400m at the 2013 World Championships, where he did not progress past the heats.[16]

A national title win in April 2014 saw Van Niekerk top the world rankings with a best of 44.92 seconds - his first sub-45-second run. After a win at the FBK Games in the Netherlands, he ran at the New York Diamond League race and placed second to LaShawn Merritt, and his time of 44.38 seconds was a new South African record, bettering Arnaud Malherbe and Hendrick Mokganyetsi's shared record from March 1999 and September 2000, respectively.[22] A 200m best of 20.19 seconds followed to a fourth-place finish at the Athletissima meet.[18] He entered both sprint events at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and won his first individual senior medal over 400m, placing behind Kirani James with a time of 44.68 seconds -his second-fastest run at that point. He reached the semi-final of the 200m, but did not repeat his success of the longer sprint.[23]

2015 proved to be the start of Van Niekerk's status as a sprinting phenom. On July 4, 2015, Van Niekerk lowered his South African record to below 44 seconds with a 43.96 at the Meeting Areva and ranking himself in the all-time top 12, whilst beating Kirani James for the first time. Ten days later, on July 14, 2015, he won a 200m race at the Luzern Spitzen Leichtathletik in 19.94 seconds, his first 200m run under 20 seconds. This also made him the second man in history to have gone under 20 seconds for the 200m, and 44 seconds for the 400m. A month later, Van Niekerk represented South Africa at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics, focusing sorely on the 400m. Winning his heat, Van Niekerk managed to beat LaShawn Merritt, with the defending champion taking second. The results repeated in the final, as he won gold in 43.48 seconds, making him the fourth-fastest runner of all time, ahead of Merritt who was running his personal best as the sixth-fastest in 43.65.[24] Kirani James finished third in 43.78 seconds, a season's best.

On 12 March 2016, Van Niekerk became the 107th athlete to break the 10-second barrier in the 100 metres. That made him the first individual to break 10 seconds for 100 metres, 20 seconds for 200 metres, and 44 seconds for 400 metres.[25] Van Niekerk qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics and was the flag bearer for South Africa.[26]

Van Niekerk won the gold medal in the 400 metres at the 2016 Summer Olympics with a world record[27] time of 43.03 seconds, breaking Michael Johnson's record time from 1999. Van Niekerk became the only man to have won the Olympic or world 400 metres from lane eight: usually, runners in this lane are at a disadvantage due to the staggered start.[28] Van Niekerk's Olympic win set off a racial debate after a tweet storm when Coloured South Africans celebrated his win by creating a hashtag #ColouredExcellence. In November, he won the Association of National Olympic Committees Best Male Athlete of the Rio 2016 Olympics award.[29]

On 8 August 2017, Van Niekerk successfully defended his 400 metres world title at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics in London with a time of 43.98 seconds. Two days later he finished second in the 200m in a time of 20.11 seconds at the World Championships. He became the first South African athlete to land two individual sprint medals at a single meet.

On 31 October 2017, Van Niekerk participated in a celebrity funded rugby match that was sponsored by FC soccer. During this match, he unfortunately made an inverted cut and tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). He began treatment immediately after surgery and due to this injury, he was unable to attend any meets during the year of 2018.[30] Wayde van Niekerk has been in intense rehabilitation throughout 2018, to prepare himself for the beginning of the 2019 season and 2020 Tokyo Olympics.[31] On 31 May 2019, it was announced that he would run at the IAAF Diamond League event in London in July, his first major race since his comeback from injury.[32]

Van Niekerk's coach is Ans Botha, who is known to her athletes as Tannie Ans, Afrikaans for Aunty Ans.[33][34] His manager is Peet van Zyl.[35]

Personal life

Van Niekerk married Chesney Campbell on 29 October 2017. He is the cousin of South African World Cup-winning rugby union and rugby sevens player Cheslin Kolbe.[36] He first started using his speed while playing rugby in junior school in Cape Town. He and his cousin, Kolbe, were on the same team. More than 12 years later they were both in the South African Olympic Team in Rio, with Kolbe playing in the Sevens.[35]

Van Niekerk's biological parents are divorced, and he was living with his mother Odessa Swarts and step-father Steven Swarts in Bloemfontein as of 2016.[11]

Van Niekerk supports Liverpool Football Club.[28] He is a Christian, tweeting "Jesus Did It" and "GOD IS POWER" after setting the world record for the 400 metres.[37]

Statistics

Information from IAAF profile unless otherwise noted.[38]

400 metres world record split times

2.5

5

7.5

10

12.5

15

0–100m

100–200m

200–300m

300–400m

Van Niekerk ran the opening 200 metres in 20.5 seconds and the closing 200 metres in 22.5 seconds, giving a differential of 2.0 seconds. The 100-metre-long-section beginning after the first 100 metres was completed in 9.8 seconds.[39]

Personal bests

Event	Time	Competition	Venue	Date	Notes
100 m	9.94	International Athletic Meeting	Velenje, Slovenia	20 June 2017
200 m	19.84	Racers Grand Prix	Kingston, Jamaica	10 June 2017
300 m	30.81	Golden Spike	Ostrava, Czech Republic	28 June 2017	WB [40][41][42]
400 m	43.03	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	14 August 2016	WR, OR
4 × 100 m relay	38.84	African Championships	Durban, South Africa	24 June 2016
4 × 400 m relay	3:00.02	Continental Cup	Marrakesh, Morocco	14 September 2014

Seasonal bests

Year	200 metres	400 metres
2010	21.02	—
2011	20.57	—
2012	20.91	46.43
2013	20.84	45.09
2014	20.19	44.38
2015	19.94	43.48
2016	20.02	43.03
2017	19.84	43.62
2018	—	—
2019	—	47.28

International championship results

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Time	Notes
Representing  South Africa
2010	World Junior Championships	Moncton, New Brunswick	4th	200 m	21.02	PB
			4th (semi 1)	4 × 100 m relay	40.32	PB
2011	African Junior Championships	Gaborone, Botswana	DNF	200 m	—
2013	Universiade	Kazan, Russia	3rd (semi 2)	400 m	46.39
			2nd	4 × 400 m relay	3:06.19	PB
	World Championships	Moscow, Russia	5th (qf 5)	400 m	46.37
2014	Commonwealth Games	Glasgow, Scotland	2nd	400 m	44.68
			5th (semi 2)	200 m	20.69
	African Championships	Marrakesh, Morocco	2nd	400 m	45.00
Representing Africa
2014	Continental Cup	Marrakesh, Morocco	4th	400 m	45.27
			1st	4 × 400 m relay	3:00.02	PB
Representing  South Africa
2015	World Championships	Beijing, China	1st	400 m	43.48	WL, NR, PB
2016	African Championships	Durban, South Africa	1st	4 × 100 m relay	38.84	PB
			1st	200 m	20.02	SB
	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	1st	400 m	43.03	WR, OR
2017	World Championships	London, England	1st	400 m	43.98
			2nd	200 m	20.11

National titles

• South African Championships
  • 200 metres: 2011, 2017
  • 400 metres: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
• South African Junior Championships
  • 100 metres: 2011
  • 200 metres: 2011

300 metres

• Diamond League
  • Grand Prix Birmingham: 2015

400 metres

• Diamond League
  • Adidas Grand Prix: 2015
  • Meeting de Paris: 2015
  • Anniversary Games: 2015
  • Golden Gala Pietro Mennea: 2016
  • Herculis: 2016, 2017
  • Athletissima: 2017

References

1. Former national record

1. "Wayde VAN NIEKERK". olympicchannel.com. Olympic Channel Services. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
2. Chutel, Lynsey; Kazeem, Yomi (5 August 2017). "Usain Bolt says South Africa's Wayde van Niekerk is athletics next superstar". qz.com. Quartz. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
3. "The 74-year-old coach behind South African's golden run at Rio 2016". cnn.com. CNN. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
4. Ramsak, Bob (20 June 2017). "Van Niekerk clocks 9.94 personal best in Velenje". iaaf.org. IAAF. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
5. "Wayde van Niekerk breaks SA 200m record". espn.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. 11 June 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
6. Jonkerman, Carlo (28 June 2017). "Van Niekerk outshines Bolt with new 300m record". espn.com. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
7. Prior, Ian (15 August 2016). "Wayde van Niekerk smashes Michael Johnson's record to claim 400m gold". theguardian.com. The Guardian. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
8. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 September 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2016.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
9. "South African sprinter's 'crazy' feat". NewsComAu. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
10. "Van Niekerk breaks 300m world best in Ostrava". IAAF. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
11. Wayde's Olympic glory: what his parents have to say, IOL
12. "Wayde Van Niekerk gives back for something close to his heart". eNCA. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
13. "Achievements of Past Pupils – Bellville Primary School".
14. "Wayde van Niekerk's primary school brims with pride".
15. Profile: Wayde Van Niekerk. Varsity Sports SA. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
16. Wayde van Niekerk. IAAF. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
17. Ramsak, Bob (12 April 2011). Van Zyl sizzles 47.73 in Durban. IAAF. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
18. Wayde van Niekerk. Tilastopaja. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
19. Magakwe stays SA's sprint king. Sport24 (12 April 2014). Retrieved 31 July 2014.
20. Asafa Powell wins in Ostrava. Jamaica Gleaner (28 June 2013). Retrieved 31 July 2014.
21. Men's 400 metres Semifinals results. Kazan2013. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
22. Mothowagae, Daniel (22 June 2014). ‘This is your year, Wayde’. City Press.South Africa Retrieved 31 July 2014.
23. Wayde Van Niekerk. Glasgow2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
24. "Van Niekerk wins gold for Team SA". Retrieved 15 August 2016.
25. "SA's Van Niekerk makes sprint history". Retrieved 15 August 2016.
26. "Wayde, Zanele named as SA flagbearers at Rio send-off – SASCOC – SASCOC". Retrieved 15 August 2016.
27. "Rio 2016: Van Niekerk breaks world record to win 400m gold". OmRiyadat English. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
28. "Rio Olympics 2016: Wayde van Niekerk breaks world record to win Olympic gold". BBC Sport. 14 August 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
29. "Wayde on top of the world again | Cape Times". Retrieved 9 January 2018.
30. "Wayde Van Niekerk Tears ACL During Celebrity Rugby Match, Out Six Months".
31. "Olympic champion Wayde van Niekerk sets sights on Doha". Olympic Channel. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
32. "Six more reigning world champions confirmed for London - IAAF Diamond League", iaaf.org, London, 31 May 2019, retrieved 2 June 2019
33. "Meet the great-grandmother coach behind Wayde van Niekerk". Retrieved 15 August 2016.
34. Crouse, Karen. "This Great-Grandmother Coaches an Olympic Champion. Now Let Her By". International New York Times. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
35. "World all-time 300m list". iaaf.org. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
36. "Twee neefs soek goud". Netwerk24 (in Afrikaans). 16 July 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
37. "Wayde van Niekerk glorifies God after winning men's 400m: 'JESUS DID IT' – Christian News on Christian Today".
38. "Wayde VAN NIEKERK | Profile". iaaf.org. IAAF. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
39. Vazel, Pierre-Jean (15 August 2016). "How van Niekirk broke the 400m world record". track-stats.com. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
40. James Dudko (28 June 2017). "Wayde van Niekerk Breaks 300m Record at IAAF World Challenge League". bleacherreport.com. Bleacher Report. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
41. "Wayde van Niekerk breaks 300m world best in Ostrava". athleticsweekly.com. Athletics Weekly. 28 June 2017. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
42. Alexis Haden (29 June 2017). "Watch: Wayde van Niekerk breaks the 300m World Record [video]". thesouthafrican.com. The South African. Retrieved 5 March 2019.

External links

• Wayde van Niekerk at World Athletics
• Wayde van Niekerk setting the men's 400 metres world and Olympic record via the IOC
• Wayde van Niekerk setting the men's 400 metres world and Olympic record via the Olympic Channel on YouTube