by Larry EderThe adidas Boost Games will be held on Sunday, May 23, 2021. The adidas Boost Games began to evolve in 2017 as adidas and Global Athletics looked to shake up the status quo of putting on track meetings, with a special emphasis on attracting young fans, families and younger athletes.
Wayde Van Niekerk, London 2017, photo by Mike Deering / The Shoe Addicts
Wayde Van Niekerk is the Olympic champion at 400m from 2016. He is also the world record holder at 400 meters outdoors (43.03), plus Wayde owns the 300m best as well.
In 2015 Wayde took gold in the 400 meters (43.62) and in 2017, Wayde took gold in the 400m and silver in the 200 m (20.11).
In 2017 Wayde Van Niekerk sustained an injury in his knee, and he has been on the road to recovery ever since.
Earlier this year, Wayde ran 20.10, which is giving him confidence in his renewed journey.
We saw a confident Wayde Van Niekerk this morning, in our remote adidas Boost Boston presser, hosted by Michelle Sammett of World Athletics.
In the presser, Wayde spoke about how confident he felt after his 20.10 in South Africa, and how he looks at this race as his first under the coaching eye of Lance Brauman, coach of Noah Lyles and Shaunae Miller-Uibo.
Wayde Van Niekerk had been coached, in his career by Ans Botha, and in recent months moved to Lance Brauman, not out of any negative experience with Ans Botha, but, as he noted in social media, “to see where he can go.”
Wayde is both a quietly religious man and a quietly confident man. His ability to race so well at 400m suggests a huge endurance reserve, well developed speed (100m in 9.94, 200m in 19.84, 300m in 30.81 and 400m in 43.03), strong work ethic, and the ability to push himself into unconsciousness.
What will he learn from Lance Brauman? How will he relate to his new training partners? And how will be deal with some of the speedsters in the 400m, from Fred Kerley, who just went 9.96, to a resurgent Kirani James, 2012 London Olympic gold medalist, to some of the surprises we see each and every season?
Wayde Van Niekerk will run on Sunday in the adidas Boost Boston Games as he will the rest of the season: each race, he will get a little better, as he focuses on the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
The 2021 adidas Boston Boost Games will be held on Sunday, May 23, 2021. The meet will go from 8:30 AM until 6 PM Eastern time. The TV window is NBC in the US, from 4:30 PM to 6 PM Eastern Daylight Time.
Here’s all you need to know on adidas Boost Boston!
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— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) May 23, 2021
