Van Niekerk goes for gold in 400m final
South African world record holder aims to complete first part of rare 200/400 double
Wayde van Niekerk duly qualified for the World Championship 400 meters final but the defending champion and world record holder looks to have a real battle on his hands on Tuesday after some searing semifinal performances.
The South African was desperately trying to conserve energy as he bids for a 200/400m double but was forced to go deeper than he would have liked by Botswana’s Baboloki Thebe in the second of three semifinals on Sunday, eventually clocking 44.22 seconds.
By that stage two 21-year-olds had fired out a warning with massive personal bests.
Steven Gardiner improved his own Bahamas national record and went under 44 seconds for the first time, clocking a 43.89 which he might pay for in the final on Tuesday.
Nathon Allen also set a Jamaican record, taking almost half a second off his best with 44.19.
Botswana’s Isaac Makwala looked very comfortable in winning his heat in 44.30 seconds.
Van Niekerk was originally drawn in the opening heat but organizers changed the lineup, which pleased the South African.
“Whoever changed it, thank you, I wasn’t ready for 43 seconds,” he said. “It seems like every time we go on the track someone breaks 44 seconds. It is good competition but it just means I always have to be on my game. “I’m just trying to get through the rounds as conservatively as I can.”
Van Niekerk is seeking the same 200/400m double that Michael Johnson last achieved at the 1995 Gothenburg World Championships.
Botswana’s Makwala withdrew from his 200m heat on Monday, while Jamaica’s former Olympic bronze medalist Warren Weir failed to get past the opening round.
Makwala pulled out due to a medical condition, organizers said.
Even before the Botswana’s withdrawal there was a somewhat subdued atmosphere surrounding the event after Usain Bolt, winner of the last four world and three Olympic titles, had decided before the championships not to take part.
The Jamaican opted to run only in the 100 meters and the 4x100 relay in London, his last competitive appearance.
Van Niekerk comfortably won his heat in 20.16 seconds, easing up as he reached the line to finish neck-andneck with Briton Daniel Talbot, who ran a personal best.
Meanwhile, American Tori Bowie believes her desire to win played a significant part in her well-timed dip at the finish line to claim the women’s 100 meters world championship gold on Sunday.
The momentum of 26-year-old Bowie’s dip sent her sprawling onto the track but she had done enough to edge past Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josee Ta Lou by one hundredth of a second.
“When I saw it pop up on the board and it was all confirmed, I thought, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe this just happened’,” Bowie told reporters.
“I don’t know where the finish (the dive) comes from. I guess just hunger, determination, I’m motivated, I want it,” she said.
Bowie, who finished in 10.85 seconds, went one better than her silver medal at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro last year.
Bowie was considered by many as a better fit for the 200 meters race but she insisted on focusing on the shorter distance in London.
“I bet I’m the only person in the world that thought I could come out here and win the 100 meters tonight,” Bowie added. “I think the rest of the world was telling me, why are you choosing the 100 over the 200? This is how I’m feeling, this is the event I want to be the world champion in and it happened tonight.” (Reuters)