Wayde van Niekerk claimed his last outstanding major scalp as he culled reigning world champion LaShawn Merritt in the 400m semifinals in Beijing last night to book his spot in tomorrow’s final.Going into this season the South African sprinter had never beaten the “Big Three” of the one-lap race, but one by one he has picked them off.
First he stunned Olympic champion Kirani James of Grenada in France, then Botswana’s African champion Isaac Makwala in London, and now Merritt in the semifinal.
Van Niekerk now faces them altogether for his first shot at a major trophy.
On South Africa’s best night of the championships so far, 400m hurdler Wenda Nel also qualified for her final tomorrow night.
Nel, 27, who has had her share of bad luck over the years, nearly burst into tears when she knew she had progressed into the eight-lane showdown.
“When I crossed the finish line I felt like I wanted to cry. ‘Did I really do this?’,” said an elated Nel, who was second in her heat behind American Cassandra Tate in 54.63sec, the fifth-best time of the night.
She missed out on the 2012 London Olympics because of an overly tough qualifying standard and then was disqualified at last year’s Commonwealth Games.
Nel has now achieved the qualifying time she needs to be selected for what will be her first Games, Rio 2016, but right now she’s looking to go even faster.
“I promised myself if I can have a lane in the final then I have a chance to win,” said the dietician who quit working fulltime to train more.
What pleased her most was that she got the semifinal wrong – she had to jump the final four hurdles leading with her weaker left leg – yet she stayed composed to produce a solid time.
Van Niekerk was less talkative afterwards: “I came here to win a medal.”
He will probably have to go faster than his 43.96 personal best, which ranks him only the fifth fastest this year.
But he was the fourth-quickest in the semifinals, with Makwala going the fastest in 44.11, the best time ever from lane nine. “I’m the favourite,” said Makwala, adding he wanted to strategise the race with Van Niekerk. “I’ll tell him, ‘let’s go strong – for Africa’.”
In the women’s 100m, Carina Horn missed out on a spot in the final, won by Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica ahead of Holland’s Dafne Schippers.
The SA team’s podium aspirations suffered a major blow in the morning when all three long-jumpers – Khotso Mokoena, Zarck Visser and Ruswahl Samaai – all failed to qualify for tonight’s final.
Mokoena was the best of the trio with his only legal jump of the morning qualifying session, a 7.98m, but he missed out on a countback.
Radek Juska of the Czech Republic squeezed into tomorrow’s final on the same distance, but he recorded two legal jumps.
Visser, the world number two, had two legal jumps of 7.79 and 7.78 and Ruswahl Samaai, the world number four, posted three legal jumps with a best of 7.79.
Much had been expected of them. Visser and Samaai won the Commonwealth Games long-jump silver and bronze medals.
“I’m looking forward to the triple jump ,” said Mokoena, the Commonwealth Games champion in that event, although he has competed in it only twice this season.
Samaai said his season had “started off with a blast and the hamstring injury struck”. “It’s not an excuse, training was good and I came here to get a medal. If felt so good in warm-up. In the stadium it just sank in, ‘I’m here now’.”
Visser said he didn’t know what went wrong, but admitted his competition went pear-shaped with the no-jump on his first attempt.
The only SA athletes in action today will be Anaso Jobodwana and Akani Simbine in the 200m heats.
Wayde set to fly like the wind
First he stunned Olympic champion Kirani James of Grenada in France, then Botswana’s African champion Isaac Makwala in London, and now Merritt in the semifinal.
Van Niekerk now faces them altogether for his first shot at a major trophy.
On South Africa’s best night of the championships so far, 400m hurdler Wenda Nel also qualified for her final tomorrow night.
Nel, 27, who has had her share of bad luck over the years, nearly burst into tears when she knew she had progressed into the eight-lane showdown.
“When I crossed the finish line I felt like I wanted to cry. ‘Did I really do this?’,” said an elated Nel, who was second in her heat behind American Cassandra Tate in 54.63sec, the fifth-best time of the night.
She missed out on the 2012 London Olympics because of an overly tough qualifying standard and then was disqualified at last year’s Commonwealth Games.
Nel has now achieved the qualifying time she needs to be selected for what will be her first Games, Rio 2016, but right now she’s looking to go even faster.
“I promised myself if I can have a lane in the final then I have a chance to win,” said the dietician who quit working fulltime to train more.
What pleased her most was that she got the semifinal wrong – she had to jump the final four hurdles leading with her weaker left leg – yet she stayed composed to produce a solid time.
Van Niekerk was less talkative afterwards: “I came here to win a medal.”
He will probably have to go faster than his 43.96 personal best, which ranks him only the fifth fastest this year.
But he was the fourth-quickest in the semifinals, with Makwala going the fastest in 44.11, the best time ever from lane nine. “I’m the favourite,” said Makwala, adding he wanted to strategise the race with Van Niekerk. “I’ll tell him, ‘let’s go strong – for Africa’.”
In the women’s 100m, Carina Horn missed out on a spot in the final, won by Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica ahead of Holland’s Dafne Schippers.
The SA team’s podium aspirations suffered a major blow in the morning when all three long-jumpers – Khotso Mokoena, Zarck Visser and Ruswahl Samaai – all failed to qualify for tonight’s final.
Mokoena was the best of the trio with his only legal jump of the morning qualifying session, a 7.98m, but he missed out on a countback.
Radek Juska of the Czech Republic squeezed into tomorrow’s final on the same distance, but he recorded two legal jumps.
Visser, the world number two, had two legal jumps of 7.79 and 7.78 and Ruswahl Samaai, the world number four, posted three legal jumps with a best of 7.79.
Much had been expected of them. Visser and Samaai won the Commonwealth Games long-jump silver and bronze medals.
“I’m looking forward to the triple jump ,” said Mokoena, the Commonwealth Games champion in that event, although he has competed in it only twice this season.
Samaai said his season had “started off with a blast and the hamstring injury struck”. “It’s not an excuse, training was good and I came here to get a medal. If felt so good in warm-up. In the stadium it just sank in, ‘I’m here now’.”
Visser said he didn’t know what went wrong, but admitted his competition went pear-shaped with the no-jump on his first attempt.
The only SA athletes in action today will be Anaso Jobodwana and Akani Simbine in the 200m heats.
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