11 Fast Facts You Should Know About Wayde van Niekerk


Mike Finch |

Here’s all you need to know about Wayde van Niekerk – SA’s humble champion who broke the Olympic men’s 400m world record and won gold in a time of 43.03. – By RW Editor, Mike Finch

Image from Supersport
Image from Supersport
  1. He is a fanatical Liverpool supporter. Liverpool beat Arsenal in the English Premier League on Sunday evening.
  2. His win was the first track gold for South Africa since the isolation years ended in 1992.
  3. His coach is 74-year-old great-grandmother Anna ‘Tannie Ans’ Botha, who is head coach at the University of that Free State.
  4. No South African has won 400m gold since Kimberley-born Bevil Rudd in 1920.
  5. In the build-up to Rio, Van Niekerk trained with Usain Bolt‘s coach Glen Mills.
  6. He is the only athlete in history to have broken 10 seconds for the 100m, 20 seconds for the 200m and 44 seconds in the 400m. He admits that his favourite event is the 200m.
  7. He is the first athlete to win gold in the 400m from the outside lane 8 since 1924. This is the hardest lane to run a race from since there are no athletes ahead to pace off.
  8. His cousin is SA Sevens rugby star Cheslin Kolbe.
  9. Michael Johnson’s 400m record established in 1999, was widely regarded as the hardest track record to break.
  10. In winning in Rio, Van Niekerk beat the two previous Olympic champions: LeShawn Merrit (Beijing, 2008) and Kirani James (London, 2012)
  11. Van Niekerk is now the world record holder, world champion and Olympic champion.

Read more about his amazing performance here.

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