SA’s golden boy Wayde van Niekerk will not be competing at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia. – By Mark Etheridge, TeamSA.co.za
Touch rugby proved too tough on the day for Van Niekerk after he took part in a recent celebrity match at Newlands, Cape Town, ahead of the Springboks match against the All Blacks.
Van Niekerk picked up medial and lateral tears of the meniscus, as well as a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). He’ll now undergo knee surgery in Vail, Colorado.
The Bloemfontein blitz won silver in the one-lapper at the last edition of the games in Glasgow, Scotland three years ago, and barring disaster was the favourite to medal at the event.
‘I was looking forward to competing in the 100m and 200m events in Gold Coast, and participating at the national championships in March, so this is unfortunate timing,’ Van Niekerk said.
‘But this is sport and these things happen. I trust that the team I have around me, including the medical professionals, will make this process as smooth as possible. I have faith that, God willing, I’ll be able to race again later next year. Full recovery is going to be crucial, so I’ll be patient, but I will work as hard as I can to get back on the track as soon as possible.’
This article originally appeared on teamsa.co.za.