Wayde van Niekerk: “Great step forward” after Zurich 400m triumph

Although Wayde van Niekerk’s year wasn’t the finest, he closed 2022 in excellent fashion by establishing a season’s best to win the Diamond League Final in Zurich on Thursday night.

At the Weltklasse meeting, the Rio Olympic champion was placed into the 400-meter pre-programme event even though none of the other competitors had ran a time under 45 seconds in 2022.

Later in the evening, the main race included strong competitors including Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith, Americans Vernon Norwood and Bryce Deadmon, and Grenada’s Kirani James.

Van Nierkerk, however, was happy with his effort since he broke his previous year’s best record of 44.58 seconds and scored a respectable mark of 44.39 seconds.

That time demonstrates that Van Niekerk may be satisfied with his performance since the 44.39 would have earned second place in the main race, which James won with a 44.26 to capture the Diamond League title for the season.

“I did my best to complete the race without going overboard, and I believe it went well. The year has been difficult,” the 30-year-old said on the Diamond League website, “I had to overcome a lot of doubts and anxieties, but I believe everything is heading in the correct path.

“It was just a matter of regaining my self-confidence. I feel happy; this was a positive sign and a big step in the right direction for me.

The key objective was to complete the season in good shape and begin the next one in a stronger position. I want to return to the medals and compete against the best ones.

Zakithi Nene, a South African competitor in the 400-meter main event, had a night to remember for the guy from Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal.

The 24-year-old finished fourth behind James (44.26), Deadmon (44.47), and Norwood with a new personal best of 44.74, surpassing his previous record of 44.92. (44.66).

Akani Simbine, a sprinter for 100 metres, was the other Mzansi athlete competing on the Zurich track.

The Canadian athlete who won the silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham this year finished in fourth place this time, stopping the clock in 10.07 seconds behind American Trayvon Bromell (9.94), Jamaican Yohan Blake (10.05), and American Aaron Brown (10.06).