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Wayde van Niekerk will compete in the 400m semi-finals on Tuesday evening at the World Athletics Champs in Budapest as the South African superstar works his way back to the top.
Van Niekerk delivered an outstanding performance in the men’s 400m heats after comfortably securing victory in his heat with a time of 44.57 seconds – and even looked to deliberately decelerate towards the end to avoid overexertion.
Wayde Van Niekerk Secures a Spot in the 400m Semi-Final Qualifier with an Outstanding Run! Let's Cheer for the Champion!
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— Athletics_SA (@AthleticsSA_) August 20, 2023
“These championships are just about putting my best foot forward and seeing what happens,” Van Niekerk said post race. “It was a positive race. I felt strong, felt good. I’ve been running some solid times so I feel I’m coming back towards my best.
“Only time can tell when I get back where I was. We’ll see what happens. Every opportunity to compete at this level is important. I’m just trying to keep a positive mindset with the Olympics coming up next year. Here, it’s just about going round by round and seeing what happens. My body feels good, and the injury is all clear, 100 percent.”
Having previously held the world record and earned the title of 2016 Olympic champion, Van Niekerk seems to have made a successful return to his prime level since his serious knee injury in 2017.
Van Niekerk will be in action on Tuesday in the 400m semi-final heat at 9pm.
The post Van Niekerk sets sights on semi-final success appeared first on TeamSA.
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