UJATSHULISWA wukuthi uzongena nomgqigqo omuhle kumaWorld Championships azob seBudapest ngenyanga ezayo umgijimi wakuleli, uWayde van Niekerk, kulandela ukunqoba omunye umjaho ngeSonto.
UVan Niekerk uphinde wadla umhlanganiso emjahweni ka-400m kwiWanda Diamond League eLondon, eqeda ngesikhathi esingu-44.36. Ushiye abagijimi base-United States of America, uBryce Deadmon (44.40) noVernon Norwood (44.46).
Bekungokwesithathu enqoba kwiDiamond League kulo nyaka. NgoJuni 15 uphume phambili e-Oslo, eNorway, eqeda ngesikhathi esingu-44.38 kwathi ngoJulayi 16 wanqoba eSilesia, ePoland, ngo-44.08.
Uphinde wanqoba imijaho emithathu eNingizimu Afrika ngoMashi nango-Ephreli nowodwa owawuseKingston, eJamaica, ngoJuni.
UVan Niekerk (31) akakwazanga ukuvikela indondo yegolide ayinqoba kuma-Olympic ayeseRio ngo-2016 njengoba engafinyelelanga kowamanqamu eTokyo ngo-2021.
Ubelokhu ezama ukubuyela ezingeni eliphezulu kusukela alimala edolweni edlala umbhoxo nabanye osaziwayo ngo-Okthoba 2017.
Uthe uzimisele ukuqhubeka nale fomu uma esebuyela komunye umqhudelwano omkhulu, amaWorld Championships, azoba seBudapest, eHungary, kusukela ngo-Agasti 19.
“Kuyisinyathelo esikhulu lokhu. Ngicabanga ukuthi kube yinselelo kule minyaka embalwa edlule selokhu ngabuya ekulimaleni kodwa manje sengibalwa nabathathu abaphambili emhlabeni,” kusho u-Van Niekerk ekhasini le-Citius Mag kwiYouTube ngemuva kokunqoba ngeSonto.
“Kuyigxathu elikhulu futhi elibalulekile kimina. Ngibheke ngabomvu ukubona ukuthi imijaho elandelayo ingiphatheleni. Ngizohlaba ikhefu elincane ngaphambi kokulibangisa eBudapest ukuze ngiphumuze umzimba nomqondo.
“Ngizobuyela e-United States ngiqhubeke namalungiselelo ami kodwa inhloso ukuthi ngifike kumaWorld Championships ngiwumqemane.”
UVan Niekerk uthe ukubuyela ezingeni eliphezulu kube yinselelo enkulu, hhayi ngokomzimba kuphela kodwa nangokomqondo. Kweminye imijaho ubeqala kahle kodwa agcine engayiqedanga ngenxa yokuthunukala noma ukulimala kabusha.
“Bekumele ngilwe kodwa ngiyazi ukuthi ukugijima yinto ekumina. Ngenze izinto ezinkulu kulo mdlalo kanti eminyakeni embalwa ezayo ngifuna ukuwuhlonipha ngokungithatha ungibeke lapho ngikhona namuhla.”
UVan Niekerk usenqobe kabili kumaWorld Championships, ngo-2015 eBeijing naseLondon ngo-2017.