24-year-old Wayde Van Niekerk is the reigning World and Olympic champion in the 400m © AFP/File / Adrian DENNIS
BOSTON, United States, Jun 5 – South Africa’s Wayde Van Niekerk and Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas each captured their 200 metre races on the second day of a track and field event in Boston on Sunday.
The 24-year-old Van Niekerk, who is the reigning World and Olympic champion in the 400m, clocked a winning time of 19.84 on a temporary built track to beat runnerup BeeJay Lee (20.17) at the Boston Boost Games.
Because the competition was run on a straight line instead of the traditional curved track and field surface the time will not be listed in 2017 International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) records.
“I still have a lot of work ahead of me,” said Van Niekerk, of Cape Town, who will run the 200m next weekend in Kingston, Jamaica. “But it is a positive result.”
The reigning Olympic champion in the 400m, Miller-Uibo, won the women’s 200m with a time of 21.76. She beat the American Natasha Hastings (22.50) and Kimberlyn Duncan (22.81). Miller-Uibo’s time was also boosted because the race was run in a straight line.
