Can Wayde be man of 2017?
JOHANNESBURG: Wayde van Niekerk has demolished some top fields on his road to glory over the last two years – but tonight’s South Africa’s hero of the track faces another tough challenge.
Van Niekerk is up against two superb athletes – Mo Farah of Great Britain and Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim – for the IAAF Male Athlete of the Year award, which will be announced in Monaco tonight.
Even the strongest Wayde fan would have to admit that Farah and Barshim are high-quality athletes.
Nevertheless, walking away with the biggest accolade in global athletics would be a very satisfying end to a great season for Wayde. Much of the hype ahead of this year’s World Championships in London hinged around Van Niekerk’s 200-400m double attempt.
To add to the occasion the championships were also billed as the changing of the guard as Jamaican sprinting legend Usain Bolt brought the curtain down on his illustrious career.
It is Van Niekerk’s consistent performances across distances during and in the build-up to the world championships that has earned him his second nomination for male athlete of the year.
“It is such an honour to be recognised again,” Van Niekerk said when he was named as one of the three shortlisted nominees. “Just to be mentioned alongside such amazing athletes is special.”
In the ultra-competitive world of track and field, Farrah and Barshim are equally deserving. Barshim has been one of athletics’ biggest stars and once again proved his world-class form in 2017.
Barshim was one of the most consistent performers this year wrapping up the perfect season going undefeated throughout the season winning 11 competitions.
He won the world title in London before adding the Diamond Trophy while he also became the first high jumper in history to leap 2.40m or higher in five successive years. Farah brought the curtain down on his career winning a record 10th consecutive outdoor world distance-running title.
He raced to the 10,000m world title before winning the 5000m silver medal and adding the Diamond Trophy to tie up his season.
Van Niekerk once again underlined his incredible versatility across the sprint events as he set new personal best times in the 100, 300, and 400m.
The 400m world record holder got his international season off to a fast start breaking the South African 200m record with a time of 19.84 seconds in Jamaica in June.
Ten days later he set a new 100m personal best of 9.94 in Velenje. Rounding off an incredible June, Van Niekerk raced to a new world best of 30.81 in the rarely-run 300m distance in Ostrava.
Van Niekerk is the only man to have produced sub-10, sub20, sub-31 and sub-44 performances at 100m, 200m, 300m and 400m respectively.
He went into the world championships looking to copy Johnson by going after the 200400m golden double in London.
Van Niekerk successfully defended his one-lap crown becoming only the second South African after Hestrie Cloete to defend a world title. He stopped painstakingly short of claiming the double but still managed to step onto the podium after finishing second in the 200m final.
Even if Van Niekerk misses out on the Male Athlete of the Year gong, there is still reason to celebrate as his mentor Tannie Ans Botha will be recognised as one of the world’s best coaches.