Van Niekerk backs TeamSA to end medal drought in Tokyo

VETERAN sprinter Wayde van Niekerk is confident that a South African team boasting a good blend of youth and experience can end their long medal drought at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, starting this weekend.

- ROWAN CALLAGHAN

Van Niekerk, the 400m world record holder, will tackle the men’s 200m and will form part of the men’s 4x400m relay team in the Japanese capital.

The 33-year-old, a two-time former world champion in the one-lap sprint, is one of the most experienced athletes in the team. He announced his return to form with a 200m qualifying time of 20.07 on August 12 at the Gyulai Istvan Memorial in Budapest, but the time was outside the fastest times in the world this year.

He knows it will take an extraordinary effort to reach the podium in the half-lap sprint. But his experience could yet help lift the SA men’s 4X400m team that won gold at the 2025 World Athletics Relays in China onto the podium once again in Tokyo.