Publications
Partners
Wayde van Niekerk
Having broken Michael Johnson’s 17-year-old record in winning gold at the Olympics last year (43.03 seconds in the 400m), the big talking point around Van Niekerk centres on whether he’ll double up (the 400m and the 200m) at the London World Championships. But there could be a minor stumbling block, thanks to the way the two races are scheduled.
According to his manager, Peet van Zyl, the two events were over six consecutive days in Rio, with the 400m over the first three days and the 200m over the remainder. This year, the World Champs will have two 400m days and a rest day, meaning the final of the quarter mile will be run 20 minutes after the 200m heats. Van Niekerk’s team will ask the International Association of Athletics Federations if they can schedule those two events to mirror the Olympics.
