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Rienk De Beer
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Wayde van Niekerk’s disappointing outing at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest culminated in a last-place finish in the 400m final.
Similar to his semi-final, Van Niekerk’s speed faded in the final 100 meters, leading to an eighth-place finish in 45.11 seconds. Jamaican Antonio Watson secured gold in 44.22, Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith took silver in 44.31, and American Quincy Hall earned bronze in 44.37.
Van Niekerk had a strong season, reclaiming the number one world ranking with a season’s best of 44.08 seconds, the fastest among the eight finalists. However, his journey to the final was tight; he narrowly missed an automatic qualifying spot with a third-place finish in the semi-final at 44.65 seconds.
In that semi-final, Van Niekerk struggled in the final stretch, allowing American Vernon Norwood to pass him. This made Van Niekerk one of the two fastest non-automatic qualifiers for the final, leading to a nervous wait.
Photo: AFP
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