Wayde Van Niekerk Runs First Race Since 2017 ACL Injury

By Adam Kopet

Wayde Van Niekerk made his return to the track at the Free State Championships in South Africa following an ACL injury that kept him away from the sport for more than a year.

Van Niekerk competed in the 400 meters where he narrowly won in 47.28, taking the lead in the final meters.

🇿🇦@WaydeDreamer made his long awaited return to the track on Saturday by winning the Free State Championships in 47.28 sec 👏👏👏🙏💯@lsabre_Avenger @TnFjunkie @AtoBoldon @NelsonCarterJr @watchathletics @BacktrackSports @gabyandersengz @RunBlogRun pic.twitter.com/y3PZWlbBiG

— 🇯 🇺 🇸 🇹 🇸🇵🇴🇷🇹🇸 (@JustSportsTweet) February 25, 2019

After repeating as IAAF World Outdoor champion over 400 meters and earning a silver medal in the 200 meters in 2017, Van Niekerk tore his ACL during a celebrity rugby match. The 400-meter world record holder has not raced since the 2017 World Championships. He set his world record of 43.03 in the 400-meter final at the 2016 Olympics, running in lane eight.

As the reigning IAAF World Outdoor champion over 400 meters, Van Niekerk gets automatic entry into this year's championships in Doha, Qatar.