South African 400m record holder Wayde van Niekerk continued his progress back to the heights he once reached by winning his second consecutive event in Switzerland on Monday night.
The 30-year-old clocked a season’s best of 44.33 seconds in the 400 meters at the Gala dei Castelli in Zurich, days after clocking 44.39 seconds in the same event at the Diamond League pre-programme meeting last Thursday.
He edged out 2012 Olympic 400m champion Kierani James of Grenada, who was second fastest with a time of 44.38 seconds.
Van Niekerk’s latest time was the 10th-fastest men’s 400m in 2022, showing signs of resurgence after his freak injury in a charity rugby match in October 2017, a year after he set the world record at the Rio Olympics .
He recently missed out on the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham after failing to qualify, although he reached his first final in five years at the world championships in Eugene, Oregon, just weeks before the event.
Another South African in the same heat on Monday night was Zakita Nene, who crossed the line in 45.75 seconds to finish third.
Akane Simbine also competed in the men’s 100 meters in Bellinzona, but finished only fifth in 10.21, while American Brandon Carnes won the heat in 10.04 seconds.
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