South Africa: TeamSA Poor Campaign Continues in Budapest

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Faith Kipyegon leading the race at the World Championships in Oregon (file photo).
25 August 2023
Scrolla (Johannesburg)
By Zukile Majova

Nothing good ever happened by chance.

This is a crude lesson for the bosses at Athletics South Africa who sent a highly unprepared team of athletes to the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

Hopes of any medals were dashed on Thursday night when Wayde Van Niekerk, the doyen of SA athletics failed to secure a podium finish in the 400m finals.

New world champion, Jamaican Antonio Watson crossed the line 44.22, one of the slowest times for victory in a global tournament.

Van Niekerk, who set the world record of 43.03 in 2016, also recorded a much faster time this year of 44.08 during the Diamond League meeting in Silesia in July.

The Olympian has been on a recovery path after a knee injury that nearly ended his career.

"I don't think people realise just how hard this event is both physically and mentally - you can see how long it takes me to recover so that shows I'm still not where I'm meant to be but I'm getting there," Van Niekerk said in Oslo.

On Thursday, TeamSA also started the evening session of Day 6 with three athletes in the 200m semifinal and ended with no one qualifying for the finals.

Shaun Maswanganyi, Sinesipho Dambile and Luxolo Adams were all run out of the 200m semis.

Most importantly these highly competent athletes all had little game time this year having missed most of the Wanda Diamond League meetings around the world.

On Friday all eyes will be on Prudence Sekgodiso who qualified for the women's 800 metre semi finals.

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