South African · Johannesburg, South Africa · Born 15 July 1992400m world record holder (43.03).
Wayde van Niekerk was born on 15 July 1992 in Kraaifontein, Cape Province, South Africa, prematurely and requiring a blood transfusion as an infant, and moved with his mother, Odessa Swarts, a talented athlete who had been barred from international competition under apartheid, to Bloemfontein in 2005. Van Niekerk attended Grey College and studied marketing at the University of the Free State, training under 74-year-old coach Anna Botha, and won his first major title at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing. Van Niekerk delivered one of the most extraordinary performances in Olympic history at the 2016 Rio Games, running from the outside lane eight to win gold and shatter Michael Johnson's 17-year-old 400m world record with a time of 43.03 seconds, becoming the first man to break 10 seconds in the 100m, 20 seconds in the 200m, and 44 seconds in the 400m. Van Niekerk suffered a serious knee injury playing touch rugby in 2017 that nearly ended his career, and has continued competing while managing the long-term effects of the injury, remaining the current world and Olympic record holder in the 400m and one of South Africa's most celebrated athletes.
Sprinter (400m)
How They Played
Explosive speed endurance, lane 8 world record performance
Lasting Impact
Greatest 400m runner of all time, first to break 10s, 20s, 44s
Career Honours
- 2016 Olympic gold 400m
- 2015,2017 World champ 400m
South African Athletes