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‘Still not where I’m meant to be’: Wayde van Niekerk wants to go faster
"It is great to be back on the circuit but it is very hard for me right now."
Wayde van Niekerk (left) and third-placed athlete Vernon Norwood after the 400m race at the Oslo Diamond League. Picture: Fredrik Varfjell/NTB/AFP
Two months out from the World Athletics Championships, world record holder Wayde van Niekerk admits he still has some work to do to get back to his best.
Van Niekerk made a statement on Thursday night, taking another step forward on the comeback trail by winning his first Diamond League race in six years.
He won the men’s 400m contest at the Diamond League meeting in Oslo, clocking 44.38 seconds to hold off a challenge from African champion Muzala Samukonga of Zambia, who finished second in 44.49.
It was the 30-year-old South African athlete’s first top-flight win since he picked up a serious knee injury in 2017.
‘I’m getting there’
“I don’t think people realise just how hard this (400m) event is both physically and mentally. You can see how long it takes me to recover, so that shows I’m still not where I’m meant to be, but I’m getting there,” said Van Niekerk, a former world and Olympic champion.
“It was a good race and it is great to be back on the circuit but it is very hard for me right now.”
Van Niekerk, who reclaimed the national 400m title in Potchefstroom in April, said he was focused on returning to his best form ahead of the global championships in Budapest in August.
ALSO READ: Wayde van Niekerk eyes World Champs podium: ‘I’ve got hope again’
“I’m just taking it race by race and trying not to think too far ahead, but of course Budapest is a big goal,” he said.
“I’m happy to be back beating these guys. The (400m) event is in a good place right now.”
Other results
Former national champion Zakithi Nene struggled to put up a fight behind Van Niekerk in Oslo. He settled for seventh position, well off the pace of his esteemed compatriot, in 45.34.
Luxolo Adams, the only South African competing at the meeting, took eighth place in the men’s 200m race in 20.79. He crossed the line more than a full second behind American teenager Erriyon Knighton who stormed to victory in the half-lap event in 19.77.
NOW READ: Welcome back Wayde; we missed you
