National champion Sinesipho Dambile qualified for the men's 200m final to be held on Friday.
Zakithi Nene closed out a breakthrough season in disappointing fashion on Thursday, settling for fifth position in the men’s 400m final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Having enjoyed a memorable campaign, Nene was the fastest one-lap runner in the world this year entering the global showpiece, after setting a personal best of 43.76 seconds earlier this season.
And though he had struggled with a hamstring injury he picked up in July, which saw him missing out on the Diamond League final last month, he looked to have recovered when he won his heat and his semifinal in the Japanese capital.
In the final, however, he trailed home in fifth position in 44.55, falling 0.35 short of a place on the podium in a race won by Botswana’s Collen Kebinatshipi in 43.55.
Other results
Earlier on Thursday, national champion Sinesipho Dambile did well to reach the men’s 200m final, finishing third in his semifinal in a personal best of 19.97.
He became the eighth South African sprinter to dip under 20 seconds in the half-lap sprint, taking 0.03 off his career best (20.01) which he set at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix in Gaborone earlier this year.
Veteran sprinter Wayde van Niekerk, the 400m world record holder and former World Championships 200m silver medallist, was fourth in his half-lap semifinal in 20.12, and he missed out on a spot in the final.
There was disappointment for the SA team in the women’s 800m heats, with world indoor champion Prudence Sekgodiso and Charne Swart both withdrawing on the first lap of their first-round races.
Looking ahead
Dambile will line up in the 200m final at 3.06pm on Friday.
Olympic silver medallist Jo-Ane du Plessis will also be in action on Saturday when she turns out in the qualifying round of the women’s javelin throw competition.
With Nene having failed in his medal bid, and Sekgodiso crashing out, South Africa’s podium hopes are resting on Du Plessis and the national relay teams competing this weekend.
The men’s 4x100m and 4x00m relay squads, who both won gold at the World Athletics Relays Championship earlier this year, will compete in the heats on Saturday.
Should Du Plessis progress beyond the qualifying round, she will turn out again in the final on Saturday, and the relay finals are scheduled for Sunday.
