By Zuko Komisa
World record-holder Wayde van Niekerk is back with a bang and is ready to make South Africa proud yet again.
At the global championships in Eugene, Oregon, on Wednesday, van Niekerk was placed second in his 400m semifinal heat to qualify for his first significant final in five years.
He started out in the lead but found himself in a close race towards the conclusion of the lap.
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Jonathan Jones of Barbados, who finished fast and clocked 44.78 seconds, was beaten by the South African to take second place in the automatic qualifying round.
World Record holder Wayde van Niekerk advances to the Men’s 400m semifinals with ease 🤌#WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/J4VlauZeL5
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) July 17, 2022
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Van Niekerk, who was eliminated from the Tokyo Olympics in the semifinals last year, injured his right knee in 2017, and he is currently working to regain the form that allowed him to break the 43.03 world record in 2013.
Wayde took to social media to celebrate his accomplishment and wrote “786 days, 5 years later and I’m back in the finals!!! All glory to God, for his grace 🙏🏽 We keep working this is a new beginning to so much more. God is Good!!! #QuietStorm”
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