Categories: News

Athletics-Record-holder Van Niekerk eases through 400m heat, U.S. trio advance

South African world record-holder Wayde van Niekerk made a confident return to the World Championships on Sunday, easing through his 400 metres heat, as a trio of Americans also advanced. Rio Olympic champion and twice world champion van Niekerk set a speedy pace through the first half of the track but slowed through the finish to win, conserving his energy a year after he failed to reach the final in Tokyo, citing mental struggles.

“I need to open up my legs a little bit to get my muscles going and see what I need to work on before I get to the semi-final,” said Van Niekerk, who won back-to-back world titles in 2015 and 2017 but missed 2019 due to injury. “I feel much, much better but obviously my mentality is to get into the finals and see what happens.”

Americans Michael Norman and Champion Allison, the only men to break 44 seconds this season, faced little threat in Eugene, Oregon, as the action carried on under scorching sun. Norman, who suffered a hamstring injury in Doha and failed to reach the podium in Tokyo, looked comfortable on the springy Hayward Field track, easing up through the final metres to cheers from the home fans as he aims to turn around his run of tough luck.

“I’ve had this goal for three years now and track hasn’t been fair to me the last three years but I’m going to make this my year and compete to the best of my ability,” said Norman. “It was a super controlled, super easy race and I’ll go back and watch film and see what areas I can improve on.”

Making his world debut, the 23-year-old Allison easily rolled through to Wednesday’s semi-final. “It was good to get out there, but I approach it like a normal track meet,” said Allison. “You just have to go out there and race and be yourself.”

Compatriot Michael Cherry, a relay champion in Tokyo and Doha, also went through. Three times Olympic medallist Kirani James of Grenada advanced along with Botswana’s Bayapo Ndori, who produced the fastest time of the day with 44.87, a personal best.

The event kicked off without the reigning Olympic and world champion Steven Gardiner of the Bahamas, who is sidelined with injury. On the women’s side, Jamaican Stephenie Ann McPherson produced the fastest time in 50.15, as Bahamian Olympic champion and 2019 silver medallist Shaunae Miller-Uibo rolled through to Wednesday’s semi-final with a comfortable win.

“We have a long break in between but the main thing is to get through the rounds. Anything is possible,” Miller-Uibo said. “I just want to get familiar with things for the next round. I feel great.”

Marileidy Paulino and Fiordaliza Cofil also advanced after collecting mixed-relay gold on Friday for the Dominican Republic. “I didn’t know how my body would recover from the mixed relay,” Cofil told reporters. “I have a coach who trusts me and does everything for me. He believes I can make it to the final. That’s what we are here for.”

Reigning champion Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain is serving a two-year ban for an anti-doping violation for missing out-of-competition tests.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Agency Desk

Recent Posts

Student Loan Payments Set to Rise in August 2025: Will You Pay More?

Starting August 1, 2025, federal student loan borrowers will see interest return and repayment plans…

14 hours ago

Next $725 stimulus payment: When is the August 2025 deposit coming?

Families in Sacramento County enrolled in the FFESP program will receive their next $725 stimulus…

14 hours ago

What is the minimum wage in Illinois in 2025? Here are the New Rates

Illinois updated its minimum wage in 2025. Pay now depends on your age, job type,…

3 days ago

Credit Report: How to Check It and Understand What It Means?

Your credit report shows how you handle money you borrow. Learning to access and read…

3 days ago

SUN Bucks 2025: Full list of stores where you can use the summer food benefit

SUN Bucks 2025 lets families buy food during summer using an EBT card. You can…

4 days ago

SSDI Payment Coming on July 23: See If You’re Getting Paid This Week

If you receive SSDI and were born between the 21st and 31st, your next Social…

4 days ago