Wayde van Niekerk kicks off his 2022 comeback with a win at the American Track League meet in Atlanta, Georgia – this victory is a sprint in the right direction.
Atlanta, Georgia (05 July 2022) – Wayde van Niekerk, the 400m Men’s World Record holder and proudly South African athlete, showcased his sporting comeback at the American Track League meet in Atlanta, Georgia. He ran a time of 44.58.
Van Niekerk has been undergoing a lengthy recovery and rehabilitation period after he faced an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. The injury occurred during a game of celebrity rugby for charity in 2017. Not wanting to cause irreparable damage, he took his time through the recovery process to ensure he could come back to the sport without concern for the injury. With the pandemic, it meant he had to face even more time away from the track.
This is what makes his return so exciting. While his injury may have been nearly five years ago, the pandemic put a hold on his track career and brought with it some tough luck. Seeing him come back to his first race of 2022 with a time below 45 seconds was just outstanding!
“Blessed weekend and a positive step forward. Grateful for finishing my race healthy and looking forward to the next. Thank you for all your love and support” – Wayde van Niekerk
Now, with two weeks to go until the World Athletics Championships, things are looking exciting for the South African-born record holder. He is still making his comeback, but this victory is a sprint in the right direction.
Take a look at the race below.
The 400m world record holder is *officially* back.
Here’s Wayde van Niekerk’s 44.58 from our @americantrack broadcast last night. pic.twitter.com/qVMYHKAFkw
— Will Boling (@will_boling) July 3, 2022
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