Wayde makes a point

Record holder protests against officials over empty lanes

FROM a distance, 400m world record-holder Wayde van Niekerk’s pedestrian time in the one-lap sprint at the Free State Championships in Bloemfontein over the weekend seemed like an oddity.

It turned out Van Niekerk ‘jogged’ his way around the track in protest against officials who refused to allow his race to be filled despite empty lane draws in all of the heats. As a result Van Niekerk went on an almost leisurely run, posting the fourth fastest time of the heats clocking 48.47 seconds.

His time was more than five seconds slower than the world record of 43.03 seconds he clocked at last year’s Rio Olympic Games.

The day before, Van Niekerk (pictured) posted a creditable 20.45 seconds in the 200m before competing the triple sprint on the Saturday.

Showing good early form, Van Niekerk equalled his second fastest 100m time, crossing the line in 10.12s.

Three days earlier Van Niekerk suffered a shock defeat to junior sensation Gift Leotlela in the 100m at the ASA Speed Series meet at the same venue.

Due to a faulty electronic timing system they were given hand-times, with Leotlela clocking 10.0s to Van Niekerk’s 10.1.

“I’m still very raw, especially with all the travelling, the injury niggles, appearances and everything so it is time for us to settle and focus,” Van Niekerk said earlier in the week.

“We need to win at the major competitions, that is what counts… there is no secret I would like to do all three events at a major competition one day.”

It was an otherwise uneventful championships, with the rest of the country’s provinces hosting their meetings this coming weekend.

Meanwhile, at the final league meeting before the Gauteng North championships Olympian Le Roux Hamman posted his second fastest time in the 400m hurdles in his season’s opener.

Hamman will have to dip well below his personal best of 49.24secs to qualify for the IAAF World Championships in London later this year, with the Athletics SA criteria set at 48.50secs.

“It is a B-qualifying time but not an ASA time which is a bit fast but it is my second fastest time ever so I am very happy,” Hamman said, after clocking 49.37.

“I stressed about the race, not knowing in what kind of shape I was in, and after I’ve joined coach Hennie Kotze.

Hamman said although he would like to dip below 49 seconds, he did not put pressure on himself to race for times.