South African Athletics Championships 2023 preview: Full schedule and how to watch live

South African Athletics Championships 2023

Van Niekerk, the king of South African athletics, will make his first appearance in his pet 400m event at the national championships since 2016. The Olympic champion and world record holder will be looking to win his fifth national title in the one-lap sprint event when he steps onto the track at the McArthur Stadium.

Van Niekerk can expect a hostile reception when he lines up against two Young Turks – Zakithi Nene and Lythe Pillay – eager to take down the double world champion.

Chief among the challengers is two-time defending 400m championNene, the top local athlete in the one-lap event over the last two seasons. The 24-year-old Nene enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2022 when he became only the seventh South African to dip below 45 seconds in the 400m. He has since done it on two more occasions, including a personal best of 44.74 seconds which ranks him the fifth South African of all time.

While Pillay is yet to run a sub-45 second time, he has demonstrated a temperament for big events after winning gold in the men’s 400m final at last year’s World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia. Pillay clocked a personal best of 45.28s to claim his maiden global title.

Van Niekerk will use the championships as a launching pad for the rest of his season, which may include a shot at reclaiming his world title in Budapest in August.

“I want to be back on the podium and get back to winning gold medals and challenging world records,” Van Niekerk told Gsn24 live .

“That has always been my goal, that has always been what I am looking forward to, and with that comes competition and challenges from various competitors. To get myself to the top, I have to start winning, which is a key focus for my upcoming competitions.

“I’ve experienced gold medals, and I have experienced a world record; I’ve experienced winning races, so that is where you want to be.”

Story by African Olympics. com