The teacher who steered Wayde away from rugby to the athletics track

Ashley Field dropped to knees as his wife sobbed. The boy he had watched run his first race as a seven-year-old had not just won a gold medal at the Olympics‚ he had made history.

Field was a teacher and coach at Simonsberg Primary School in Kraaifontein‚ Cape Town‚ when he realised there was something special about Wayde van Niekerk.

Now a teacher at Excelsior Primary School in Bellville‚ he tried his utmost to stay up and watch the 400m race‚ but woke up about an hour afterwards and watched a re-run ‘’as if it was live’’.

“I am still emotional when I think about it! There was a lot of screaming‚ hugging and tears. My wife Tracey had tears streaming down her face and I slumped to my knees and stayed there for a few minutes when it sunk in what Wayde had just achieved — phenomenal‚’’ said Field.

“We thank God for him and that South Africa and Cape Town are extremely proud of this remarkable achievement. The fastest man over 400m in history! ... Embrace greatness! Greatness has embraced you.”’

Van Niekerk loved rugby but Field subtly steered the pupil towards the athletics track.

“Sometimes you just know there is not much you can do‚ other than encourage because he was loaded with talent. All I did was harness it.’”

And the accolades rolled in.

Another of Van Niekerk’s coaches‚ Andre Scheffers‚ is just as emotional about the gold medal win. Van Niekerk enrolled at Bellville Primary School in 2003 where he continued to impress his teachers with his talent on the sports field.

“He was a very quiet boy....but he knew what he wanted‚”’ said Scheffers‚ who was his Grade 5 teacher.

Scheffers said he worked hard at his sport but he also had an advantage — good genes. Both of his parents were star athletes in their time but their opportunities were shackled by apartheid. – Tiso Black Star Group Digital