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By Ashfak Mohamed 
8h ago
CAPE TOWN – He had to work hard to achieve it, but in the end, Wayde van Niekerk returned victorious to the track in Switzerland on Tuesday night.
The Olympic champion lined up on the fourth street of the Gala dei Castelli in Bellinzona, dressed in pink shoes, a blue shirt and black pants.
It was the first event for the 28-year-old since Covid-19 halted all athletic activities, with Van Niekerk’s return delayed by a positive coronavirus that appeared to be a ‘false positive’ as he tested negative before and after.
But it meant he was isolated at his training base in Gemona, Italy for 25 days before Italian authorities authorized him to train outdoors again.
And the lack of competitive action was evident during the first 200 meters Tuesday night, as Van Niekerk slipped out of the blocks in soft, clear conditions.
He took his time picking up his speed, and he was actually out of the top four heading down the stretch.
Back to business @adidasrunning # Forty3 #Silent storm # Fifteen27 pic.twitter.com/YkbFpSo0D6
– Wayde van Niekerk (@WaydeDreamer) September 14, 2020
But the 400-meter world record holder found another march in the last 50 meters and took the honors in 45.58, the best of a season, albeit well below his world mark of 43.03, with Dutch athlete Jochem Dobber second in. 45.78 and Karol Zalewski from Poland. third at 46.03.
While the time was not particularly fast by world standards, the race was a breakthrough for Van Niekerk as he began his preparations for the grand prize: the Tokyo Olympics next year. He will now return to South Africa to plan the next phase of his program for the local summer.
Well done Wayde van Niekerk @WaydeDreamer! Solid return to the track in Bellinzona, Switzerland tonight with victory in the 400m at 45.58 @IOLsport @Athletics #WaydevanNiekerk #GalaDeiCastelli #Athletics
– Ashfak Mohamed (@ashfakmohamed) September 15, 2020
Meanwhile, sprinter Akani Simbine extended his winning streak to three in Europe with another victory in the 100 meters in Bellinzona.
After a long wait on the blocks, Simbine finally got going, but had to keep her legs pumping all the way to the line to claim first place at 10.02. He managed to hold off Italian Filippo Tortu (10.07), followed by Yupun Mudiyanselage of Sri Lanka (10.24).
The other South African on the track, Antonio Alkana, finished third in the 110-meter hurdles with the season’s best time of 13.40.
In a very close long jump competition, Ruswahl Samaai was forced into second place in the final round of the competition by Finn Kristian Pulli, who produced an 8.08m effort for victory.
Samaai took the lead in the second round with a jump of 8.03m, and followed it with 8.04m in the third round, which he held until the end, when Pulli triumphed with his last jump of the night.
World champion Tajay Gayle of Jamaica had to settle for third place (7.99m).
Simbine and Alkana will now move to Rome to participate in the Diamond League event on Thursday.
@ashfakmohamed
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