Anna Sofia Botha, 74, has coached the South African runner Wayde van Niekerk for four years, helping him break the elusive men’s 400-meter world record. Wayde van Niekerk (South African English: / ˈ w eɪ d f ʌ n n iː ˈ k ɛər k /, Afrikaans: [fan niˈkɛrk]; born 15 July 1992) is a South African track and field sprinter who competes in the 200 and 400 metres.In the 400 metres, he is the current world and Olympic record holder, and Olympic champion. Botha first noticed Van Niekerk in 2010 at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Canada, where the young runner finished fourth. Wayde van Niekerk will run his favourite distance, the 400m, at a meeting in Switzerland on Tuesday. Olympic 400m champion, Wayde van Niekerk, has confirmed his participation in his first athletics meeting in South Africa since Covid-19 brought a halt to the sport back in March. Wayde van Niekerk smashed the world record to win gold at Rio 2016 South African is the first man to go sub-10sec for 100m, sub-20sec for 200m … For an athlete of his calibre, an unofficial 100m race on grass in mid-February should have been a formality. Find your event. Wayde van Niekerk obliterated Michael Johnson's 400m world record with the help of a 74-year-old great grand mother. Wayde Van Niekerk Parents. Their wedding took place on the 29th of October 2017. It will be his first outing abroad since his World Championships triumph three years ago. In the span of 43.03 seconds, van Niekerk’s life changed, his coach became an instant Internet celebrity and the fabled record Michael Johnson held for 17 years fell by a margin of 0.15 seconds. South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk competes in the Men’s 400m Final during the athletics event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on 14 August, 2016. South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk cruised easily into the 400m final He paid tribute to the white-haired coach who helped him get there Partnership between Niekerk… Picture: Roger Sedres/BackpagePix Wayde van Niekerk ’healthy’ after ’false positive’ Covid-19 test READ: The 74-year-old coach guiding Wayde van Niekerk Prior the the World Championships, which end on August 13, Bolt said he believed Van Niekerk was "doing a … He also holds the world-best time in the 300 metres. Wayde van Niekerk made history when he broke the world record in the 400m Olympics final at Rio 2016,. Photo: New world record holder Wayde Van Niekerk of South Africa celebrates after winning the men’s 300m competition at the IAAF World challenge Golden Spike … During 2014 Wayde van Niekerk emerged into one of the world’s finest 400m runners. Image: Frikkie Kapp/BackpagePix Wayde van Niekerk is ready to return to training after nearly a … Olympic 400m champion, Wayde van Niekerk, has confirmed his participation in his first athletics assembly in South Africa since Covid-19 introduced a halt to the game again in March. Wayde Van Niekerk: The South African Sprinter Set To Succeed Usain Bolt At The Top Of The Athletics World. He was born on the 15th of July 1992 in Kraaifontein, Cape Town. A routine rust-buster. Van Niekerk tested positive for the coronavirus in July, disrupting the restart of his … Two years later she began coaching Van Niekerk, a marketing student at the University of Free State in Bloemfontein, where Botha was the head athletics coach. It is probably fair to say Wayde van Niekerk’s relationship with the 400m is a … Wayde van Niekerk and his coach Ans Botha are currently in isolation in Italy. Olympic 400m champion Wayde van Niekerk has decided to end his season on the track and focus on a training camp next month.. Wayde van Niekerk: The best is yet to come ... His successful comeback also depends on the guidance of his coach of eight years, Ans Botha. Wayde van Niekerk made history when he broke the world record in the 400m Olympics final at Rio 2016, and he has one person in particular to thank – his 74-year-old coach … In the early stages of the virus outbreak van Niekerk was very concerned about continuing to train with the 78-year-old who guided him to to Olympic gold and the world record at Rio 2016.. A 200m specialist in his early years, van Niekerk struggled with persistent hamstring injuries until his coach, Anna Sophia Botha, decided to ease the pressure on that area by focusing more on the 400m to “improve endurance and recovery training”. Wayde van Niekerk during the 2020 Free State Track and Field Championships. Wayde Van Niekerk Wife. Wayde van Niekerk kicked off his return to Potchefstroom in bizarre fashion on Tuesday evening as he sheared the left block right off the frame at the start of his 400m race. The South African, who has raced over 60m, 100m, 200m, and 400m this year, said he had "achieved what we had hoped to get out of these last couple of races," according to IOL. Wayde … Wayde Van Niekerk. But as SPIKES discovers, the South African record holder only discovered the one-lap event for himself largely by accident. Exclusive! Wayde van Niekerk says his focus this year is the 400m and he’s unlikely to be tempted to throw his hat into the mix for SA’s 4x100m relay team. He is currently married to Chesney Campbel. Faulty start block holds up disappointed Wayde van Niekerk Coach is furious as Van Niekerk could have suffered serious injury 03 November 2020 - 19:21 David Isaacson While Wayde had initially set his sights on the 100 and 200-metre sprints for maximum speed, he heeded the advice of his coach Anna Sophia who encouraged him to focus on the 400-metre race. A glorified training session. CAPE TOWN - He was made to work hard for it, but in the end, Wayde van Niekerk showed his class to cruise to victory in the 400m at a local meeting in Potchefstroom on Tuesday afternoon. ... Meet the 74-year-old coach behind Wayde van Niekerk… Behind Wayde van Niekerk's record-breaking 400m run is a 74-year-old veteran coach, whose philosophy is you're never too old to learn. 4. October 1, 2018 by Tola. EP 247 – Wayde Van Niekerk – Why You Must Trust Your Coach. In doing so, he smashed a 17-year record held by Michael Johnson. Wayde van Niekerk, South Africa’s super athlete, has been praised by highly regarded sportsmen such as Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt.Van Niekerk made waves after breaking Michael Johnson’s 17-year-old 400-metre record and reaching his personal best (43.03 seconds) at the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016. Wayde van Niekerk says his focus for 2020 is the 400m and he is unlikely to be tempted to throw his hat into the ring for SA’s 4x100m relay team. At the Rio Olympic games he did the impossible, breaking the 17 year old world record held by Micheal Johnson. Wayde van Niekerk was nervous. Wayde Van Niekerk is a South African track and field athlete who specializes in the 200 and 400m events. As of 2020, he is 28 years old. Yet for the 27-year-old South African, it felt like so much more. Wayde Van Niekerk: It was quite a massive challenge for me, it wasn’t as easy as anyone thinks it was but I’m glad it ended up being a success. 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