World Athletics announces 16 disciplines for inaugural Ultimate Championship
A total of 16 disciplines will feature at the new World Athletics Ultimate Championship in 2026, the World Athletics announced here on Friday.
Seen by many as the next Usain Bolt, South African sprinter Wayde van Niekerk seems to be unfazed by all the attention he is getting these days and in his latest Instagram post has unveiled an unorthodox fitness regime to keep him fit during the off-season.
The 25-year-old van Niekerk, who won the 400m gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics, has enjoyed a stellar 2017 season, winning the 400m gold at the 2017 World Championships in London before placing second in the 200m to make it a milestone event for South African athletics.
No South African sprinter had ever won two medals at a single two individual sprint medals at a single meet and while Niekerk was pipped to the finish line by Ramil Guliyev in the 200m, his achievement was still remarkable.
Niekerk, who burst onto the scene with his 400m win at the 2015 Worlds in Beijing, has been touted as athletics’ next big thing after breaking Michael Johnson’s 17-year-old record at the Rio Games.
With the track season effectively over, Niekerk is expected to race next in 2018 and plenty of athletes are known for doing cross-training i.e. physical fitness in the form of another sport to keep in shape during the off-season.
Athletics is still reeling from Usain Bolt’s departure, who hung up his spikes after a sub-par showing at the 2017 Worlds in August, but hopes are high that Niekerk will be able to lead the next generation of athletics superstars in the years to come.
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