ATHLETICS NEWS - South Africa's Olympic gold medallist Wayde van Niekerk will miss next year’s Commonwealth Games after suffering a serious knee injury in a celebrity touch rugby match, the sprinter said on Tuesday.
The 400-metres Olympic and world champion has travelled to Vail in the United States for surgery after he suffered medial and lateral tears of the meniscus, as well as a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
The 25-year-old will undergo six months of rehabilitation in Vail, Doha and South Africa, his management company confirmed, which will rule him out of the Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast in April.
Following the retirement of Jamaican sprint great Usain Bolt, Van Niekerk is keen to compete in the 100 and 200 metres as well as the 400, but will now have to put those plans on hold.
“I was looking forward to competing in the 100-metre and 200-metre events in Gold Coast, and participating at the (South African) national championships in March, so this is unfortunate timing,” Van Niekerk was quoted on his management company’s website (in-site.co.za).
“But this is sport and these things happen. I trust that the team I have around me, including the medical professionals, will make this process as smooth as possible.
