Wayde van Niekerk and Akani Simbine will spearhead the South African bid to end the country’s longest major athletics medal drought at the world championships in Budapest that kick off on Saturday.
While 29-year-old Simbine is searching for his first top-level podium placing after ending fourth or fifth in the 100m at every premier meet since 2016, former champion Van Niekerk is looking to complete what will be a spectacular comeback after six years on the sidelines.
The injury Van Niekerk suffered to his right knee in late 2017 heralded in the nation’s medal famine. From readmission in 1992 until then South Africa had competed at seven Olympics and 13 world championships and had never gone more than two straight events without a medal, endured twice, in 1993 and 1995, and again in 2005 and 2007.
But after leaving Eugene 2022 empty-handed after no gongs at the 2020 Tokyo Games, and the previous championships at Doha 2019, the barren spell stretched to three.
Van Niekerk, now 31, was one of the stars when South Africa scooped their richest haul at London 2017, defending his 400m crown and finishing second in the 200m.
Championship fitness
Caster Semenya, who also won two medals, has been sidelined by World Athletics’ gender eligibility rules and long-jumper Luvo Manyonga fell off the wagon and fell foul of anti-doping regulations. Ruswahl Samaai won the long-jump bronze six years ago, but he failed to make the team this year.
Van Niekerk, king of the 400m from 2015-17, has slowly clawed his way back to form in an agonising return that’s required guts and mental fortitude in a constant battle against niggles and self-doubts.
This season he has shown the type of speed that can win a medal, but the one question Van Niekerk has yet to answer is whether he can get through three rounds of competition racing at speed.
His championship fitness was lacking in Tokyo, where he was eliminated in the semifinals, and although he was stronger in Eugene last year, it still wasn’t quite enough as he ended fifth.
The heats are set for Sunday with the semifinals next Tuesday night and the final two days later.
African flavour
Olympic champion Steve Gardiner of Bahamas is the favourite, while defending champion Michael Norman, who hasn’t done a 400m so far this year, is an unknown quantity.
Simbine is set to be in action on the first day in the heats of the 100m.
The South African is the only man to have beaten America’s defending world champion Fred Kerley this year, but this race has a strong African flavour with Kenya’s Ferdinand Omanyala and Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo also in the mix.
No African has won a 100m medal at the world championships.
Youngsters must shine
Representing South Africa’s younger generation on Saturday will be the likes of former world under-20 champion Kyle Blignaut in the shot put, while Ryan Mphahlele and Tshepo Tshite compete in the first round of the 1,500m.
The pair have helped spark a resurgence in men’s middle-distance running, along with US-based Adriaan Wildschutt, in the 10,000m on Sunday.
Zeney van der Walt, a double age-group world champion, competes in the heats of the women’s 400m hurdles while Marioné Fourie and Taylon Bieldt line up for the 100m hurdles heats next Tuesday.
Prudence Sekgodiso, after enjoying a breakout season last year, will look to improve her standing in the women’s 800m.
There are others as well, such as Shaun Maswanganyi in the 100m and 200m, Lythe Pillay in the men’s 400m and Cheswill Johnson in the men’s long jump.
In all, the South African team will number 36, including recent Universiade women’s 400m champion Marlie Viljoen.
The notable absentees are the men’s and mixed gender 4x400m relay teams, both of which might have had medal chances, and for that the blame can only be laid at the feet of local administrators for not co-ordinating sufficient qualifying opportunities.
While Van Niekerk and Simbine will carry the bulk of South African hopes, it’s also time for the younger generation to step up.
Van Niekerk on the cusp of comeback glory
Wayde van Niekerk will achieve one of sport’s most impressive comebacks if he can win a medal at the upcoming world championships.
The last major medal he won was at the 2017 world championships in London, shortly before injuring his right knee in a game of tag rugby and undergoing reconstructive surgery.
Knee injuries may not be uncommon, especially in rugby, where players are able to get away with being a shade slower. But on the athletics track Van Niekerk has had nowhere to hide.
The owner of the 43.03sec world record has been progressively getting faster — 45.58 in 2020, 44.87 in 2021, 44.33 in 2022 and 44.08 so far this year.
He’ll almost certainly need to get under 44.00 to challenge for gold, and if he doesn't he’s still in the ballpark for a minor placing.
Here are some of the most memorable comebacks in sport:
Muhammad Ali
He was at the peak of his powers when he was stripped of the world heavyweight crown in 1967 for refusing to serve in the US military.
Ali was in the wilderness for more than three years before returning to the ring. He suffered two early losses, to then world champion Joe Frazier and strongman Ken Norton, but he avenged both losses before defeating the unbeatable George Foreman in the Rumble in the Jungle in 1974.
Tiger Woods
The golfer bounced back from scandal and a career-threatening back injury that required spinal fusion surgery to win the 2019 Masters at the age of 43. That was 11 years after he’d won his last major crown at the US Open in 2008.
Niki Lauda
The Formula One king was not expected to survive his fiery crash at Nurburgring in 1976, but he returned to action just six weeks later, despite having not fully recovered from his injuries. The Austrian came back the following year to reclaim his world title, his second in three years.
Lawrence Brittain
In late 2014 the South African rower was diagnosed with stage-four cancer and underwent treatment. After the chemo Brittain started training again slowly and by early 2016 had worked his way into the pair boat, in which he and Shaun Keeling won the Olympic silver at the Rio Games.
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