South African to take baton from Bolt?
Olympic 400-metre champ Van Niekerk seen as track & field’s next great hope
As Usain Bolt races toward the end of a great career, Wayde van Niekerk is considered to be track and field’s next big star.
“That’s a massive, massive responsibility,” said Van Niekerk, who set a stunning 400-metre world record in 43.03 seconds while winning the Olympic title last year.
He spoke in Monaco ahead of Herculis meeting on Friday in the Diamond League series where he will be a main attraction with Bolt, who will run one of his last competitive 100-metre races.
“I find it extremely difficult to even come close to what Usain has represented in his charismatic way,” Van Niekerk said.
The soft-spoken South African has talked with Bolt “quite a few times” about revealing more of his character.
“Usain has set the bar quite high both with his personality and his performances,” Van Niekerk said, adding he’s “slowly but surely” coming out of his shell.
“It’s tough for us to catch up when it comes to personality because (Bolt) naturally has it. At the end of the day, you really just need to be you. It’s the performances that make me a great athlete.”
There was greatness on the Rio de Janeiro track last August when Van Niekerk eclipsed Michael Johnson’s world mark of 43.18, which some had thought was unbeatable. Now a regular question is where and when the first sub-43 time will be run — possibly at the world championships in London in two weeks.
“I can definitely think of a 42,” Van Niekerk said. “It’s bound to happen. I just need to have the right race and the right conditions and the right perfect moment.”
Van Niekerk appears to be in top shape. He ran a world leading 43.62 this month at Lausanne, Switzerland, and eased up near the end of his only 400 so far in the European summer season.
He also broke another Johnson mark when setting a world-best time of 30.81 in the seldom raced 300 last month in the Czech Republic.
His best 200 time of 19.84, in Jamaica last month, is second best in the world this year.
For good measure, Van Niekerk also has a 9.94 in the 100 that is faster than any Bolt competitive time this season. “I doubt it is the end of where I can be,” Van Niekerk said.