PICTURE: GETTY IMAGES On Saturday‚ Van Niekerk clocked 9.98 seconds in Bloemfontein to qualify for the 100m sprint at the Olympics.“The 23-year-old hasn’t competed in a 100m race since his junior days‚ so his previous PB (personal best) of 10.45 — also set in Bloemfontein back in 2011 — was due for serious revision. But he surprised almost everyone‚ himself included‚ with his performance on Saturday. “After clocking a PB of 10.12 into a -1.9m/s headwind in the heats‚ the breeze changed direction for the final. Aided by a 1.5m/s following wind – and with a little bit of assistance from Bloemfontein’s altitude — Van Niekerk won the final in 9.98‚” the IAAF said.Van Niekerk who normally competes in the 200m and 400m‚ the latter in which he is the reigning world champion‚ holds personal bests of 19.94 seconds and 43.48 seconds for the distances‚ respectively.He has held South African records for both but currently only holds the record for the 400m event. He is the first athlete from Af...
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