Tough day for SA athletes in Brussels

South Africa failed to win a single medal at the IAAF Diamond League’s Memorial Van Damme meeting in Belgium on Friday.

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Johannesburg – South Africa failed to win a single medal at the IAAF Diamond League’s Memorial Van Damme meeting in Brussels, Belguim, on Friday evening.

The SA hopes were led by 400 metres World Champion Wayde van Niekerk who made the change to the 200m, but could not find enough on the home straight to garner a medal. Van Niekerk had to settle for fourth place in a time of 20.37 seconds. Starting in lane eight, the South African kept pace with the leaders in the first half of the race, but lost ground in the final 50 metres to be pushed out to fourth. Femi Ogunode crossed the line first in 19.97. American Justin Gatlin withdrew from the 200 after failing to recover from the 100 less than an hour earlier.

LJ van Zyl came sixth in the men’s 400m hurdles. Running in lane nine, Van Zyl crossed the line in 49.86 seconds. Jeffrey Gibson of the Bahamas won in 48.72.

In the men’s 100m, Akani Simbine came seventh in a time of 10.18. Gatlin won in a time of 9.98.

African News Agency