Nel not quite ready to hand over the baton

It’s still very early in what is going to be a long season, and there’s a lot to look forward to with South Africa’s elite athletes no doubt eager to make a statement after struggling for medals at major international championships over the last few years.

But while she won’t be the best of the nation’s top performers, and podium places might not be a priority for her, the 2022 season will revolve at least in part around one of SA’s longest serving track and field stars, Wenda Nel.

It has been 17 years since Nel first represented the country at the World Youth Championships (when we still knew her as Wenda Theron) and though she hasn’t become a record-breaker or a major global force, she has had a tremendous influence on younger athletes and she’s been a fantastic ambassador for the sport.

After focussing on shorter sprint events as a junior athlete, Nel switched to the 400m hurdles in 2009, at the age of 20, and it was soon clear she had found her niche.

She went on to win two African titles (in 2014 and 2016) and she reached the final at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing where she clocked 54.37 seconds, which remains her personal best time.

After securing bronze at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast, at the age of 30, it seemed she had capped her career in fine style.

Though it looked as if she had subsequently taken a step back in the twilight of her career, however, Nel burst back into form last season.

She not only qualified for the Olympics in Tokyo but went on to reach the semifinals in her second appearance at the Games. She also clocked her fastest time in three years.

But this season, Nel insists, will be her last, and though she is more than likely to stay involved in the sport, she will be missed on the track.

Supremely fit, you can tell Nel is a hard worker just by looking at her physique.

Strong and consistent, she has dominated her specialist event at home for most of her top-flight career, and she is likely to make Zeney van der Walt work for it again this year before she hands over the baton for good.

Friendly and approachable, Nel is a shining example of what we want South African athletes to be, and though she didn’t shatter records, she will be remembered for leaving her own mark.