The Athletics South Africa (ASA) held its Championships in Potchefstroom, from the 30th of March to the 1st of April 2023, where Wayde Van Niekerk won his fifth title for the 400m event. This was his comeback after a lengthy layoff due niggling injury with his last performance being on the 23 July 2022 championship.
Subsequently, the world record holder returned to the track for the championships where he faced World U20 champion, Lythe Pillay in the final. His winning time of 44.17 seconds was faster than his best effort from the previous year (2022), which was 44.33.
Boland athlete Van Niekerk maintained a solid start in the semi-final and proceeded to finish strong. Simultaneously, Central Gauteng's Pillay and Western Province star Gardeo Isaacs set the pace early. Van Niekerk was able to maintain his lead and eventually won the competition.
The 30-year-old athlete, who set a new world record in the final of the Rio in the 2016 Olympics with a time of 43.03, made his move with about 100 meters to go, when he surged past Pillay and Isaacs and rocketed into a comfortable lead.
Van Niekerk pushed to the finish line, raising his right arm triumphally as the clock read 44.17. This was the second-fastest 400-meter time ever recorded on South African soil, trailing only his 44.11 in Bloemfontein in 2016. It is a world-leading time for 2023. The title, however, was insufficient for Van Niekerk who continued to push until he crossed the finish line.
It was a moment to remember for Pillay, who finished with a new personal best of 44.80, qualifying him for the World Championship. The people of Potchefstroom were on their feet, yelling with joy to celebrate their hero.
"I'm in a good mood. It was a fantastic race to watch and even better to compete in. I feel obligated to thank the audience for the encouragement and motivational cheering during the game. We're so concentrated on the race ahead, but it had a major effect in crossing the finish line," Van Niekerk said during a SuperSport interview from the track side of the television broadcast.
However, in a recent interview with Olympic.com, Van Niekerk stated that "breaking the record and going sub-43 is the next step in the 400m, and that would be the logical move for me when it comes to improvement" and that this could happen later in the international season.
In the coming weeks, Van Niekerk could participate in a few more events in South Africa, including the ASA Grand Prix contests planned for April 12, 19, and 26. "I'm still undecided. After today, I'll call them and see what happens next. "I pray that God will see me through this, that more and more opportunities will come my way, that I will stay healthy and continue to improve," he said on Saturday.
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Running such a fast time so early in the season is a promising sign for the South African star, who has been hard at work, training at his American base in Florida all off-season. As his injury challenges from previous seasons are behind him. He is now concentrating on the World Championships, which will take place in Budapest in August 2023.
