by Larry EderWayde Van Niekerk is the king of the 400 meters. His world record of 43.03 broke an inconic record, set by Michael Johnson some 17 years ago. Many did not think they would see the day when that record was broken. But, Wayde Van Niekerk did it in Rio, under cool conditions, but with very hot competition on the track, including Olympic champions from 2008 and 2012! At 300 meters, all were close, thenk Wayde Van Niekerk put the South African hammer down, and ran away from the field.
Funny thing was, the day before the final, I had been speaking with Maurice Greene. Maurice said it like this: there was no one in that field who was going to beat Wayde. Why? How do you beat a guy who will run himself into unconsciousness to win his race? It’s that simple.
On Sunday, June 4, at the adidas Boost Boston Games, Wayde Van Niekerk ran the 200 straight, no turns, with the fitness of a superhero. HIs long stride, and high arm carriage provides just a glimpse of the power of this young man, as Wayde ran 19.84 seconds, just a few hundredths off the WR of Tyson Gay (19.81).
That was one of the finest sprints I have ever witnessed. We can not wait to see Wayde Van Niekerk race in London at the World Championships.
