SOUTH Africa’s poster boy, Wayde “dreamer” van Niekerk, still pinches himself when thinking of his good fortune!
That’s because Wayde is living in a crazy world and interesting things are happening in his life, as his star keeps shining brighter.
The Olympic champion and 400m record holder, with a time of 43,03 seconds under his belt, is one of the most prominent sporting figures in the world.
And things have been crazy for Wayde since he broke the 17-year-old world record set by US icon, Michael Johnson.
The 400m world champion, nominated for the IAAF world athlete of the year award, is the favourite to walk away with this international accolade.
The 24-year-old, coached by veteran Ans Botha (74), is competing for the coveted award against triple Olympic champion Usain Bolt (Jamaica), Thiago Braz da Silva (Brazil), Mo Farah (Britain), Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya), Omar McLeod (Jamaica), David Rudisha (Kenya) and Christian Taylor (the US).
The winner will be announced in Monaco on December 2.
The champion speedster described the IAAF nomination as the biggest highlight of his career.
He’s won all there is to win in Mzansi, but an international award victory will top the list of his achievements.
“It’s just the beginning of my career, but I’ve overachieved, and there’s still more to come. I doubt this feeling will ever sink in, that’s why I use the word crazy a lot,” Wayde said.
“Things happening around me are just crazy.
“I’m also excited to be nominated for this award. I’m a bit more excited and emotional to be nominated for the biggest award in the sport. It’s just crazy.”
Wayde ran his Olympic campaign in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in pain. But the champion hopes his back injury will finally be taken care of.
That’s because he’s jetting off to Germany today in a bid to undergo treatment ahead of next year’s athletics season.
“I have a spine injury and want to sort it out before next year,” the speedster said.
“When my back is fine, I’ll resume training.”
Meanwhile, Wayde celebrated his nomination by launching his Wayde Dreamer Foundation on Friday night, at which R1 million was raised through an auction.
Mobile technology giant, T-System, is a founding partner and sponsor of the foundation.
Also, Mzansi’s golden girl, Caster Semenya, has been nominated for the IAAF Female Athlete of the Year award.