Wayde van Niekerk

Who is Wayde van Niekerk?

Wayde van Niekerk is a sprinter from South Africa who competes in the 200 and 400-meter races. Every success story begins with a dream, and Wayde van Niekerk’s life story, who describes himself as a dreamer, is no exception.

The sportsman has brought enormous delight and pride to his country by winning multiple major trophies.

Even after reaching such heights of accomplishment, he does not appear to be slowing down any time soon

Wayde is the current Olympian and world record holder at 400 meters, as well as the fastest man in the world for 300 meters.

Furthermore, the athlete has two gold medals from the African Championship and one silver medal from the World Championship.

Wayde van Niekerk’s Family and Childhood

Wayde van Niekerk is thirty years old. On July 15th, he celebrates his birthday.

Odessa Swarts and Wayne van Niekerk gave birth to the athlete, but it was not an easy birth.

Wayde was born at 29 weeks and weighed only 1.9 kg.

Odessa recalls the doctors warning her that the newborn baby would not live since he was only skin and bones.

Wayde, on the other hand, was born a fighter and has survived to make history in the future.

He spent the next 12 years of his life in Cape Town, but due to his parents’ divorce, he moved to Bloemfontein with his mother. After that, his mother remarried Steven Swarts.

Wayde has always been an athletic child as a result of his excellent genes. His father and mother were also fantastic athletes back in the day.

His father was a sprinter who also competed in high jump and rugby.

Similarly, his mother ran and jumped high before having to stop owing to her pregnancy.

He is also a distant relative of Cheslin Kolbe, a well-known South African rugby league player.

Alnisha van Niekerk, his aunt and godmother, was also a high jumper.

More Facts About Wayde van Niekerk

Wayde van Niekerk: Schooling

Niekerk attended Simonsberg Primary School in Cape Town, where he developed his exceptional athletic abilities.

He had competed in his first race and played rugby with his cousin.

The two fantastic athletes used to play on the same team, and the teacher used to give them pocket money for every try they scored.

Following his parents’ divorce, he relocated to Bloemfontein and attended Bellville Primary School.

For his outstanding athletic ability, he was later awarded a scholarship at the elite Grey College High School.

In 2012, Wayde enrolled at the University of Free State, where he met his former coach, Tannie Anna Botha.

She was essential in Wayde’s decision to focus in one lap sprints, as he had previously intended to be a high jumper and had only ran in 100m-200m races.

So, after joining Tannie Anna Botha, he started sprinting 400 meters.

His former coach, Ans Botha, was an athletics coach in her mid-70s.

Wayde’s career was immensely aided by her relentless training and support.

In terms of schooling, Wayde van Niekerk graduated from university with a marketing degree.

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Wayde van Niekerk’s Professional Career

Wayde van Niekerk’s sports career began when he initially enrolled at the institution.

When he raced his first race, his parents saw a bright future for him.

Growing up in a family with deep athletic origins, Wayde always hoped to carry on his parents’ legacy.

he was also blessed with exceptional athletic abilities.

The athlete made his international debut in the 2020 World Junior Athletics Championships.

He finished fourth in the 200-meter sprint, recognizing his own ability.

Following that, he made his breakthrough by winning gold in the 200 meters in the 2011 South African Athletics Championships.

Furthermore, his talent for 400 meters began to emerge in 2012.

His newly discovered talent soon began to shape his career, as he set new personal and world records.

Wayde also won the 400m race in the 2015 World Championships.

A really historic occasion occurred when he won gold for his country in the men’s 400 meters at the 2016 Olympic

Games with a new record time of 43.03 seconds at the age of 24 years and 30 days.

He had broken Micheal Johnson’s 1999 World Championship in Athletics record of 43.18 seconds.

Wayde made his riches in the 400m, but the irony is that he despises the race.

Furthermore, in 2016, the athlete became the first person to run 100 meters, 200 meters, and 400 meters in less than ten seconds, twenty seconds, and 44 seconds, respectively.

Wayde is also the only athlete to run sub-10, sub-20, sub-31, and sub-44 times in the 100m, 200m, 300m, and 400m, respectively.

Wayde van Niekerk Suffers Knee Injury

Wayde van Niekerk’s career was derailed after he suffered a catastrophic knee injury during a celebrity touch rugby game.

The athlete was at the top of his career at the time; he had set world records, married his lover, and was even recognized as the heir apparent by Usain Bolt, the world-famous runner known as the fastest man on the planet.

Unfortunately, the knee injury kept him out of the Commonwealth Games in 2018, and he had to spend six months recovering.

According to the athlete, he had medial and lateral meniscus injuries as well as an anterior cruciate ligament tear, although he suffered more mentally than physically.

Wayde also claimed that a few amazing players who suffered awful big injuries reached out to him, talked to him, and motivated him.

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Wayde van Niekerk smashed Micheal Johnson’s 17-year-old world record in the eight-lane at the 2016 Rio Olympics, despite being put in the most challenging and outermost lane.

He, like many others, was skeptical after suffering such an accident, but he never gave up hope.

On the contrary, he stated that he has made peace with all that has occurred and is ready to return stronger than before.

He has worked harder than ever since then and will compete in the Tokyo Olympics 2021.

Honorable Mentions:

•  Silver medalist at the African Championships x 1,
• Olympic Games finalist x 1, World
• Championships finalist x 3,
•  Diamond League meeting winner x 6
• Current World Record holder – 400m x 1
•  Current African Record holder – 400m x 1
•  Career World Records x 1

Personal Life of Wayde van Niekerk

Wayde is as successful in his personal life as he was in his professional life.

Chesney Campbell is Wayde van Niekerk’s wife.

The couple met at the University of the Free State and have been dating ever since.

The lovely couple got engaged in December 2016, and the athlete delighted in alerting his followers on social media.

Chesney has been with Wayde since they first met and swore to love each other forever at their wedding in October 2017.

We could imagine the pair enjoying their holidays before the outbreak, traveling all over the world.

Furthermore, on his social media in early July 2021, the sportsman joyfully declared that he is going to be a father. The happy couple is expecting and happier than ever, like they promised.

Net wealth

Niekerk surely lives the high life as a well-known athlete and world record holder.

The net worth of Wayde van Niekerk is believed to be $3 million.

The gifted Olympian has achieved the pinnacle of his career at such a young age, bringing recognition, celebrity, and fortune to himself.

There is currently no information on his real estate and properties, but based on his social media, we can assume that the sportsman lives a wealthy lifestyle.

He has also received numerous sponsorships and endorsements from companies such as Audi and Addidas.

As a result, the sportsman is frequently seen riding various cars from his partner brand.

Wayde van Niekerk’s vehicle

Similarly, his sponsorship with Addidas is reported to be between $350,000 and $500,000.

He also has his own line of merchandise that is famous among his supporters and athletics aficionados.

The goods are available on Amazon and the Addidas website.

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Wayde van Niekerk discusses social media.

In this day and age, there are very few people who are not interested in social media;

similarly, Olympian Wayde is active on many social media sites.

The sportsman shares a lot of his personal and professional life on social media, so his supporters are always up to date on what’s going on in his life.

We can see the athlete’s daily life thanks to social media.

As a world-class athlete, his supporters are continuously updated on his successes and successful ventures.

we can assume that not many of his admirers are familiar with his personal life and family.