Wayde van Niekerk

Wayde van Niekerk qualified for his first major final in five years as he finished second in his 400m semifinal heat at the world championships in Eugene, ...

It also ensures SA will, at the very worst, match its worst world championship performance of three top-eight finishers, with no silverware, on four occasions, in 1993, 1995, 2005 and 2007. I am listening to my body and executing that way.” The fastest time of his comeback was a 44.56 last year, while this year he registered a 44.58 two weeks before the championships, his first full race of the season after pulling up in a 200m race in Italy in May.

Wayde van Niekerk and Caster Semenya are set to be in action in Eugene, Oregon, on Wednesday (Thursday morning SA time), five years after they last competed ...

She has refused and has challenged the regulations legally, taking her latest fight to the European Court of Human Rights. Semenya was invited to the meet only after some higher-placed qualifiers had withdrawn from the event. Simbine finished fifth in the 100m five years ago, just as he did in Eugene at the weekend.

American Champion Allison produced a remarkable comeback to advance to the 400 metres final at the World Championships, as compatriot Michael Norman stormed ...

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Wayde van Niekerk has booked his place in the men's 400m final at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene.

She ultimately settled for 13th place in her heat in 15:46.12, finishing well outside a place in the final. While the SA team had not yet earned a medal, with four days of competition remaining in Eugene, Luxolo Adams was set to chase a podium place in the men’s 200m final, to be held at 4.50am on Friday morning. Returning to the track, he again had no trouble in his semifinal, taking second place in 44.75 seconds and progressing to the medal contest to be held on Saturday morning.

Coming down the final 100 meters of Wednesday night's semifinals of the men's 400 meters, Allison sat third, right outside the automatic qualifying spots. But ...

400 Meters: Semis (M) Team selections for each race will be made a couple hours prior to the competition. 400 Meters: Semis (W)

The two superstars of SA athletics Wayde van Niekerk and Caster Semenya would have arrived in Eugene, Oregon, last week with very different goals for the ...

The three-time 800m world champion was invited by World Athletics to participate in Oregon after being unable to run the qualifying time of 15min 10sec, with her personal best at 15:31.50. Nene’s personal best is 44.92, which he set this year, and he will also have to go faster than that to advance to the final. A second SA 400m athlete, Zakithi Nene, will run in the first semi-final (Thursday 4.15am SA time) and come face-to-face with American favourite Michael Norman, who has the world lead this year of 43.56. So, the South African will most likely have to go faster than his season’s best of 44.58 just to make the final, and he is helped by the fact that reigning Olympic and world champion Steven Gardiner of the Bahamas is out with an injury. Now he will line up in the semifinals tonight (Thursday 4.31am SA time), and the main aim will be to get through to the final. It won’t be easy in his semi-final as he has to finish in the top two to attain automatic qualification for the final, with the two “fastest losers” across the three semi-finals also going through to Friday night’s final (Saturday 4.35am SA time).

South African 400m specialist and former world champion Wayde van Niekerk qualified for the final of his event on Wednesday at the IAAF.

I am just happy to be back in the moment.” He is looking to regain his title after missing out on the last World Championships in 2019. I was happy to hit the bend first. I tried to stay in close range in the first 200m. I am listening to my body and executing that way. So it is about recovering now and getting ready for the final.

Five years of injury and setbacks have plagued his career since the 2017 triumph in London, which included elimination at the semi-final stage at Tokyo 2020 ...

I tried my best to win the race and it was not easy.” “I am so excited and I have to say all opponents did a very good job today,” said Feng, who finished 17th in Tokyo last year. Times are one thing, but in a world final there is pressure and Van Niekerk, despite his injury issues over the years, will step into the call room for Friday’s final with some intimidation factor. “Last year in Tokyo, my mentality was about ‘killing it’ every time I got on to the track. “In the call room, you definitely suss out your opposition. Van Niekerk finished second behind American Champion Allison in his semi-final, to book an automatic qualifying place in the final. “What happens if the one day you take me for granted is the one day everything comes together for me? “They are also champions like me so I was scared of them. You can clearly see who is in shape and who is not, and who is taking the moment too hard and who is a bit ‘lighter’. You can tell who is ready and who isn’t. It’s an event South Africa’s premier sprinter has won twice before – in 2015 and 2017. “Everyone knows what I’m capable of, including myself,” Van Niekerk said. My last race was a 44.5-sec and I believe that will get me into the 400m World Champs final.”

South Africa's track star Wayde van Niekerk has qualified for the men's 400m final at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene.

South Africa’s track star Wayde van Niekerk has qualified for the men’s 400m final at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene. Photo: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images South Africa’s track star Wayde van Niekerk has qualified for the men’s 400m final at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene. South Africa’s track star Wayde van Niekerk has qualified for the men’s 400m final at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene. Photo: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images

Wayde van Niekerk, the South African 400m World Record holder, has returned to the track in spectacular fashion.

The athlete hopes to bring the title home on Friday when he competes in the final. The excited athlete took to Instagram and wrote: "1786 days, 5 years later and I’m back in the finals!!!'' This comes after the athlete from Cape Town qualified for the men's 400m final at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon, USA.

South African Olympic medallist Wayde van Niekerk has qualified for his first final since 2017 as he eased into the 400m final at the World Athletics ...

It's Van Niekerk's first final since the 2017 World Championships as he looks to put Team South Africa on the podium in Oregon. South African Olympic medallist Wayde van Niekerk has qualified for his first final since 2017 after easing into the 400m final at the World Athletics Championship in Eugene, Oregon on Thursday. Van Niekerk, who broke a 17-year 400m world record to clinch gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, has been plagued by niggles since the horrific knee injury he picked up in 2017.