Nene chasing Diamond League glory post- Olympic reset

SOUTH Africa's 400m star Zakithi Nene credits a hard reset after the Paris Olympics for taking him up a level in the one-lap sprint, making him one of the early favourites for the world championships in Tokyo later this year.

- ROWAN CALLAGHAN

The tall, easy-going sprinter with a fluid, upright style blazed to this year's world-leading time of 43.76sec at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi.

The personal best time left him in elite company, joining 400m world record holder Wayde van Niekerk as the only South African athletes to run under 44 seconds in the event.

A narrow loss to Olympic champion Quincy Hall (44.22) at the Rome Diamond League meeting by one-hundredth of a second the following weekend (44.23) denied him back-to-back titles.

When we caught up with him at Kings Park Athletics Stadium in Durban recently, it was clear how much that result had hurt.

No pain, no gain

Under the watchful eye of coach Victor Vaz, he was put through a gruelling training routine that made me tired just watching, gliding over the track in blustery conditions at speeds that seemed barely human. Poetry in motion.

And just when it looked like he was spent, he would go again after a short rest, showing the kind of drive and determination that champions are made of as he pushed through the pain barrier time and again.

No pain, no gain, they say, and for the likeable 27-year-old from Ladysmith, who spent most of his life in Durban, right now the gains are there for the world to see.

The turning point for the speedster came after last year's Olympic Games in Paris.