[imagesource:here]

It’s been a long, rocky road to recovery for athletic superstar Wayde van Niekerk, but he’s back to his winning ways.

Competing in the Gala dei Castelli at the Municipal Stadium in Bellinzona, Switzerland, yesterday, he won the 400-metre event in a time of 45,58 seconds, with Jochem Dobber of the Netherlands and Poland’s Karol Zalewski in second and third respectively.

That is some way off his 2016 Olympics heroics, where he smashed the world record to take gold with a time of 43,03 seconds, but he’s endured a tricky recovery period since tearing knee ligaments in October 2017, with the COVID-19 pandemic further delaying his return.

Let’s just take a moment to relive Usain Bolt’s face when he saw that 43,03 world record time on the big screen:

Usain Bolt’s reaction to Wayde van Niekerk’s WR 43.03 in the 400m final. #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/GJIaMLGzIZ

— Stephen Nelson (@StephenNelson) August 15, 2016

We feel you, Usain.

OK, let’s focus, and back to Wayde in his natural habitat last night, doing what he does best:

Wayde’s time of 45,58 is still the season’s best, reports IOL, although it’s been a curtailed one thus far.

He wasn’t the only South African to taste success:

…sprinter Akani Simbine extended his winning streak to three in Europe with another victory in the 100m in Bellinzona.

After a lengthy wait in the blocks, Simbine eventually got going, but had to keep his legs pumping all the way to the line to claim first place in 10.02. He just managed to hold off Italian Filippo Tortu (10.07), who was followed by Sri Lanka’s Yupun Mudiyanselage (10.24).

The other South African on the track, Antonio Alkana, finished third in the 110m hurdles with a season’s best time of 13.40.

Watch Simbine in the 100m below:

South African long jumper Ruswahl Samaai was also in action, taking second place with a jump of 8,04m, with Finland’s Kristian Pulli taking the win with a distance of 8,08m.

With the Olympics pushed back until July of next year, every event from here on out provides a chance to fine tune the engines.

[source:iol]