Wayde van Niekerk has pulled out of the SA championships in Cape Town because of injury, TimesLIVE has been told.
The 400m world record-holder, looking to defend the 200m crown he won in Pretoria last year, hurt his hamstring while training in Bloemfontein after arriving back from his base in the US.
He had also entered the men’s 100m, which was scheduled to be run on the opening day on Thursday. The meet ends on Saturday.
Organisers confirmed on Thursday morning that Van Niekerk had withdrawn.
Since he injured his right knee in late 2017, Van Niekerk’s comeback has been hampered with niggles along the way, often pulling out on the eve of races.
He was eliminated from the Tokyo Olympics in the 400m semifinals.
While Van Niekerk completed the 200m without issues at the SA showpiece last year, he hasn’t gone through three 400m rounds in competition since the 2017 world championships.
Van Niekerk, who turns 30 in mid-July, has up to three competitions to regain his international footing this year — at the African championships in June, the world championships in July and the Commonwealth Games from July 28 to August 8.
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Athletics
Injured Wayde van Niekerk pulls out of SA championships
Image: Michael Steele/Getty Images
Wayde van Niekerk has pulled out of the SA championships in Cape Town because of injury, TimesLIVE has been told.
The 400m world record-holder, looking to defend the 200m crown he won in Pretoria last year, hurt his hamstring while training in Bloemfontein after arriving back from his base in the US.
He had also entered the men’s 100m, which was scheduled to be run on the opening day on Thursday. The meet ends on Saturday.
Organisers confirmed on Thursday morning that Van Niekerk had withdrawn.
Since he injured his right knee in late 2017, Van Niekerk’s comeback has been hampered with niggles along the way, often pulling out on the eve of races.
He was eliminated from the Tokyo Olympics in the 400m semifinals.
While Van Niekerk completed the 200m without issues at the SA showpiece last year, he hasn’t gone through three 400m rounds in competition since the 2017 world championships.
Van Niekerk, who turns 30 in mid-July, has up to three competitions to regain his international footing this year — at the African championships in June, the world championships in July and the Commonwealth Games from July 28 to August 8.
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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