Johannesburg - World 400m champion, 2016 Olympic 400m champion and world 400m record holder Wayde van Niekerk is poised to dominate the SA Sports Awards for the second year running in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
The debates around these awards can be as parochial as they are fierce, but it’s safe to say the three titles do more bidding for him to be South African Sports Star of the year than any lobbying from athletics ever could.
And if there are any doubts about the strength of the argument in his favour, maybe being voted best male athlete from the Rio Olympics by the Association of National Olympic Committees a few days ago will go some way towards settling them.