fbpx

15 Things You Didn’t Know About SA Olympic Gold Medallist Wayde Van Niekerk

15 Things You Didn’t Know About SA Olympic Gold Medallist Wayde Van Niekerk

1 of 16

South African running sensation Wayde van Niekerk made a name for himself on the global stage at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio by winning the men’s 400m gold in world record time.

The 24-year-old athlete has been preparing for an excellent performance for Team SA in Brazil, with the country expecting great things from the 400m star. The humble sportsman delivered on his athletic promise, and reaped the rewards for his hard work in preparing for Rio 2016.

To celebrate the achievement of South Africa’s newest sports hero, we take a closer look at 15 things you may not know about South African athlete, Wayde van Niekerk.

Source: IOL, Twitter, IAAF, TimesLive, CityPress, Channel24, LiverpoolEcho, IndependentOnline.

Wayde Van Niekerk wins gold
South African Wayde van Niekerk wins gold in the Rio Olympics in the 400 meter. Photo: Twitter/Adidas South Africa

Fastest ever in the 400m

South African Wayde Van Niekerk stole the Olympic spotlight with a phenomenal men’s 400m victory, setting a new world record in the event with a time of 43.03 seconds in the one-lap race. He eased to victory despite the level of competition, as he faced former Olympic men’s 400m champions Kirani James and LaShawn Merritt.

Photo: sbnation.com
Wayde Van Niekerk breaks the 400m world record – Photo: sbnation.com

He smashed Michael Johnson’s record

In winning the Rio 2016 men’s 400m race he managed to break the 17-year record held by American Michael Johnson with a time of 43.03 seconds. Johnson’s world record of 43.18 seconds and the 1996 Olympic record of 43.49 were dashed with an excellent run from the South African.

Usain Bolt
Usain Bolt – biography.com

Trained with Usain Bolt

Soon after winning the Olympic gold medal, Van Niekerk was personally congratulated and embraced by Usain Bolt. The Jamaican sprinting legend had trained alongside Van Niekerk in Jamaica a few months before Rio 2016.

Olympic Gold Medal
Van Niekerk won the first Rio Olympic gold medal for Team SA – alphamom.com

Team SA’s first gold at Rio 2016

While Team SA had done well to earn five silver and one bronze medal before Van Niekerk’s incredible display of athletic prowess, they were yet to achieve the gold, but their 400m champion made sure to secure the country’s first gold in Brazil.

South Africa's Wayde Van Niekerk
South Africa’s Wayde Van Niekerk – bbc.com

Historic achievement in March

Van Niekerk made history at the Free State Championships in March by becoming the only athlete ever to run the 100m under 10 seconds, the 200m under 20 seconds and the 400m in under 44 seconds. His time of 9.98 for the 100m, added to 19.94 for the 200m sprint and 43.48 over 400m puts him in a class of his own.

Sea Point, Cape Town property real estate south africa
Van Niekerk was born in Cape Town

Born in the Mother City

Van Niekerk was born and raised in Cape Town. He attended Grey College before going on to study marketing at University of the Free State. The athlete was always good at sports growing up, but was encouraged to focus on his studies while developing his professional athletics career.

2016 African Championships - Wayde Van Niekerk
Wayde Van Niekerk is a South African hero – zeenews.india.com

World Champ before Olympic Champ

Van Niekerk continued to build his profile at the 2015 IAAF World Championships, where he won gold in the 400 metres with a personal best time of 43.48 seconds. This achievement made him the fourth fastest person in history, and the fastest non-American. He has since eclipsed that with the record, making him world and Olympic champion.

Wayde van Niekerk celebrates win in Rio
Wayde van Niekerk celebrates win in Rio – sport24.co.za

Massive Liverpool fan

Van Niekerk loves sport, and is a keen soccer fan, with his favourite club team being Liverpool, the famous Merseyside team that plays in the English Premier League. His beloved Liverpool beat Arsenal 4-3 on the eve of his historic 400m world record run.

Akani Simbine in action - potential to medal
Akani Simbine in action – timeslive.co.za

Simbine is his room-mate 

Fellow Team South Africa athlete and 100m sprinter Akani Simbine is Van Niekerk’s room-mate at the Olympic Games, with the pair often travelling together for athletic meets around the globe. They are great friends who motivate each other in their athletics pursuits. Simbine finished fifth in the final of the men’s 100m in Rio.

Sprinter Wayde van Niekerk
Sprinter Wayde van Niekerk is a popular sportsman – timeslive.co.za

Around 10,000 Twitter followers before the Olympics

The South African athlete uses Twitter as a social media platform to connect with his many fans and fellow sports personalities. He had over 10,700 followers on Twitter, and that number skyrocketed during the 2016 Olympics. His handle is @WaydeDreamer.

Wayde van Niekerk sets new world record
Wayde van Niekerk sets new world record – liverpoolecho.co.uk

Over 33,000 Twitter followers after winning gold

Van Niekerk’s Twitter following exploded after his amazing accomplishment in Rio, having increased from around 10,000 followers before the competition to a figure of over 34,000 in the hours after his world record run. That number continues to grow.

Wayde van Niekerk
Wayde van Niekerk often prays on the track – news.com.au

He is very religious

The 400m world and Olympic champion is very religious, and speaks often about God’s influence in his life, thanking the man upstairs for the many blessings he enjoys and for the athletic talent that he possesses.

Wayde van Niekerk award
Wayde van Niekerk at the SA Sport Awards – destinyman.com

Third fastest 300m time

In the lead up to the Rio Olympics Van Niekerk ran a third best ever time in the 300m race in Jamaica, clocking a time of 31.03 at the National Stadium in Kingston. Only American great Michael Johnson (30.85) and Usain Bolt (30.97) have run that race faster in history.

Wayde van Niekerk anti-bullying campaign
Wayde van Niekerk anti-bullying campaign – mediaupdate.co.za

Part of anti-bullying campaign

Van Niekerk is working in collaboration with Cartoon Network and ChildLine regarding their international anti-bullying campaign, CN Buddy Network, in South Africa. Children are encouraged to “be a buddy, not a bully”, with the aim of raising awareness and empowering kids against bullying.

Wayde van Niekerk with medal
Wayde van Niekerk with medal – timeslive.co.za

Medal collector

In addition to his Olympic gold medal, Van Niekerk won a silver medal in the 400m at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and also earned bronze in the 4×400 metres relay at the 2013 Summer Universiade. He featured for South Africa at the 2015 Athletics World Championships‚ winning a gold medal in the 400m event.