Wayde van Niekerk has promised his fans that he will come back stronger in the semifinals of the 200m event at the Olympic Games in Paris tonight.
Van Niekerk finished third in Heat 1 of the first round on Monday night, dipping in a time of 20.42 - the slowest of all the athletes who qualified for the semifinals.
But the 32-year-old 400m world record holder and 2016 Olympic champion in that event reckons he will be better when he lines up again tonight.
The Kraaifontein-boorling explains in an interview with the SABC after his race: “It was a good initial run around the bend, but I know there is still a bit of work that needs to be done in the latter stages of the run.
“But we will shake that off and try again in the next stage…
“But I know that I can do better.”
While Van Niekerk still has a shot at redemption it’s all over for 800m athlete Prudence Sekgodiso after she finished dead last in the final of the women’s event.
After staying in the race for the first 700 or so metres, she fell out in the home straight.
The 22-year-old tells Team SA’s website of her experience: “The plan was to stick with the girls for as long as I could. I know I’m not good in the final 100m and when I saw the girls coming past me, I thought I must just keep my head up and keep going.
“I’m so happy I made the final, c’mon guys, it means a lot to me.”
Meanwhile, Shaun Maswangayi will also be in the 200m semifinals tonight, while Benjamin Richards qualified through the repechage race yesterday after a hamstring injury saw him finish last in his heat.
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— Team South Africa (@OfficialTeamRSA) August 7, 2024