The statistics will show that Zeney van der Walt won bronze in the 400m-hurdles during the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, but statistics don’t allow for personal heroics.

It is unfortunate because if a prize were awarded for the gutsiest performance during the Games to win bronze, the Tuks hurdler would undoubtedly be a contender.

Halfway through the race, she was eighth. With 50 metres left, she was in fifth place. It looked like a done deal that the three Jamaican athletes would make a clean sweep-winning all three medals. But that was not how Van der Walt saw the race play out. With an astonishing acceleration of speed, she caught up to take the bronze.

Janieve Russell (Jamaica) won in 54.14s. Shiann Salmon and Van der Walt both clocked 54.47s. If the South African had dipped earlier, there was a chance that she could take the silver.

In the end, it is not the result that matters. What mattered is that the Tuks athlete proved she had big match temperament and could race the world’s best.

The times the Jamaicans ran rank them amongst the ten fastest this season in world athletics. Russell and Rushell Clayton (4th at the Games) both clocked 53.63s to be joint seven fastest. Salmon’s best of 53.82s is, for now, the 10th fastest.

Van der Walt set a new personal best by running 54.47s. During the World Champs in Oregon, USA, she clocked 54.81s. She is now officially South Africa’s fourth fastest female 400m-hurdles athlete. Only Myrtle Bothma’s 53.74s, Surita Febbraio’s 54.05s and Wenda Nel’s 54.37s have been faster.

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