Wayde ready to get cracking
LAY-OFF: ADMITS LOCKDOWN HAS HAMPERED HIS TOP-FLIGHT COMEBACK
Van Niekerk is sure he has shaken the persistent injury which threatened to end his career.
Sidelined once again after making an explosive comeback earlier this year, world record holder Wayde van Niekerk admits the coronavirus lockdown has caused some frustration in his attempt to relaunch his top-flight career.
Having recovered from a serious knee injury which kept him off the track for more than two years, Van Niekerk clocked 10.10 seconds over 100 metres and 20.31 over 200m at a small domestic meeting in Bloemfontein in February.
A week later he won the Free State provincial 400m title, crossing the line in 47.42 in poor conditions, before the Covid-19 pandemic put his comeback season on hold.
“It was a bit difficult because it was my time to start competing and racing again, seeing where I’m at,” Van Niekerk told the Wanda Diamond League in an interview at the weekend.
“I still need to improve myself and develop more, but running the 10.1 and the 20.3 showed me I was in the same shape as the guys who are running well in SA.”
Van Niekerk, who shattered the world record to win 400m gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, said he was “100%” sure that he had shaken the persistent injury which had threatened to end his career.
“My body’s good. It’s getting a bit cold now, which comes with aches and pains, but that’s very much part of being an athlete, even before I was injured,” he said.
“Now I see myself as a normal athlete with the aches and pains that come with work.”
While government had cleared professional athletes to compete in non-contact sport under Level three of the national lockdown, it remained unclear when domestic or international competitions would resume, with event organisers needing to meet strict health and safety regulations.
Van Niekerk admitted he would need to stretch his legs properly before returning to top-flight competition, due to training restrictions in recent months.
The 27-year-old sprinter was confident, however, that he would be ready to go when given the chance.
“With the pandemic, obviously, comes a different situation in terms of your mindset, and being locked down for so long you don’t get to train the way you would like to train,” he said.
“So there is a bit of work now that needs to be done to get all the rust out the legs, but that’s a situation that everyone has to face.
“Everyone needs to go out and dust themselves off, and open up the legs and the body again, so when it’s time to race again we can go hard.”