Ithemba loMzantsi Afrika lokubuya nentaphane yeembasa emidlalweni entlobontlobo ebanjelwe eTokyo, eJapan, liphelele emoyeni emva kokuba iimbaleki ebekuthenjelwe kuzo zingakwazanga ukwenza umsebenzi obulindelekile kuzo. Phakathi kwezo mbaleki ezigqwidizileyo nangona beziqale kakuhle kukho uWayde van Niekerk no-Akane Simbine. UNiekerk woyisakele kwisigaba esiphambi kwesokugqibela kwi-400m ashiywe kuyo ziimbaleki ezifana neSteve Gardiner waseBahamas, uMichael Norman waseMelika no-Isaac Makwala waseBotswana. Ukungaqhubi kakuhle kukaWayde van Niekerk kube ziindaba ezikrakra kuye ngoba akakwazanga ukuyikhusela imbali awayenza ngo-2016 eRio, eBrazil – apho waqwabaza imbali yembaleki yodumo yaseMelika, uMichael Johnson.
Emva kokuzama ngeCawe, uNiekerk ebenalo ithemba lokwenza umsebenzi ongcono nangona evumile ukuba unexhala. Ukushiywa kwakhe ngoMvulo kutshabalalise amathemba oMzantsi Afrika osenembasa yegolide enye jwi oyifumene emidlalweni ye-Olimpiki kulo nyaka. “Ndiphoxeke kakhulu yindlela endibaleke ngayo. Bendilindele okungcono kakhulu kum – kodwa ke izinto azenzekanga ngendlela ebendifuna ngayo. Kwenzekile okwenzekileyo, okwam kukuphosa ngasemva ndiye phambili,” utshilo uVan Niekerk emva kokushiywa ekuqaleni kwale veki. Ingxelo ekhutshwe ngu-IOL Sport ithe uVan Niekerk angancedisa iqela leembaleki ezine zoMzantsi Afrika ezikhokelwa nguSimbine kwi-100m.
Emva kokonzakala kukaLeotlela, kuye kwashiyeka iimbaleki ezifana noThando Dlodlo noClarence Munyai. La madoda ekhokelwa nguSimbine, akhe enza ezibukwayo kwiWorld Relay ebibanjelwe kwilizwe lasePoland kwiinyanga ezigqithileyo. Kodwa isigqibo ngokubandakanywa kukaVan Niekerk sixhomekeke kumqeqeshi, uPaul Gorries. Nangani izinto zingawuhambeli kakuhle uMzantsi Afrika emidlalweni ye-Olimpiki kulo nyaka – yona indadi elinenekazi, uTatjana Schoenmaker, yenze imbali ngokubuyela ekhaya nembasa yegolide kwi-200m. USchoenmaker wophule irekhodi lokudada umgama oyi-200m ngemizuzu engaphantsi kwemibini eyagqityelwa ngo-2013.
Kuvulwe isikolo esixabisa iR106-million KwaMaxhama