Way-de to go: the double

Sprint king eyes 200/400m races

HEIR apparent to the s pri nt i ng t hrone, Wayde van Niekerk looks to become only the second man to win the 200m/400m double at a major championship.

Constantly breaking new ground, Van Niekerk revealed he would be racing both distances at the IAAF World Championships in London later this year.

Shortly after winning the Olympic gold medal in world record-breaking time, Van Niekerk suggested he would be doing the double this year. Speaking to

sports editor Jean Smyth, Van Niekerk said he had requested the IAAF for a programme change to accommodate him in his pursuit of 200m and 400m glory.

“I’m doing the 200m and 400m. I’ve set it in my heart already and I’ve decided that I’m doing the ‘two’ and ‘four’,” Van Niekerk told Smyth.

“It doesn’t matter how the programme tur ns out, I’m going to do that challenge and see what happens.

“I feel like I’ve achieved so much in the 400m and I want to bring an extra aspect into my athletics journey. I want to try the 200m and 400m. So whether the programme changes or not, I want to give it a go.”

Van Niekerk will be going into the World Championships as the defending champion in the one-lap sprint which his manager, Peet van Zyl, said would remain his top priority.

“It will all depend on how his season progresses, racing both the 200m and 400m distances on the international circuit, including a few Diamond League meetings,” Van Zyl said yesterday.

“A decision about whether he will attempt the 200m/400m double at the world championships will hinge on his performances in those races.”

Van Niekerk has already demonstrated his insane ability over the 100m, 200m, and 400m sprint events over the last two years.

Clocking 9.98 seconds early in 2016, Van Niekerk became the first man to dip below under 10 seconds in the 100m, 20 seconds in the 200m, and 44 seconds in the one-lap sprint.

Two years ago, he made his breakthrough in international athletics when he became the first African to dip below 44 seconds.

Days after setting the South African 400m record he also became the first South African to post a sub-20 second time in the half-lap sprint in a new national record of 19.94s at a meeting in Lucerne in 2015.

Van Niekerk, who won the African 200m title in Durban with his second-best career time of 20.02s, would have to post a qualifying time of 20.31s or faster.

Van Zyl said he had sent a request to the IAAF for a programme change to accommodate his athlete in his pursuit of a rare 200m/400m double as the 200m heats were set to be held two hours before the 400m final. The IAAF informed him the correct procedure needed to be followed which required Athletics SA (ASA) to make the request on behalf of the athlete.