Latest news with #ZakithiNene
IOL News
a day ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Star sprinter Akani Simbine struggles on wet London track, while Zak Nene takes bronze
Akani Simbine (centre) struggled to a lowly fifth place in the 100m at the London Diamond League meeting on Saturday. Image: AFP Two of South Africa's top sprinters struggled to repeat their recent heroics at a wet and gloomy London Diamond League meeting on Saturday afternoon, as 100m star Akani Simbine's winning streak ended and 400m ace Zakithi Nene had to settle for bronze. The 100m at London Stadium with a capacity crowd of 60 000 had been billed as a showdown between Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles and 200m champion Letsile Tebogo of Botswana. Yet the star-studded field – with Simbine boasting the world lead this year – was upstaged by Jamaican Oblique Seville, who took the gold in a fast 9.86 seconds. Lyles finished second, in 10 seconds flat, while British runner Zharnel Hughes was third in 10.02. Simbine was fifth, in a time of 10.08 while Tebogo finished in seventh. There was another upset result in the 400m, where British runner Charles Dobson secured the win in a personal best time of 44.14sec with a late surge. His compatriot, and pre-race favourite Matthew Hudson-Smith, the Olympic silver medallist, took silver in 44.27 and Nene the bronze in 44.29. The race marked a return to competition for the South African one-lap star after a six-week absence. South Africa's Zakithi Nene, centre, took bronze in the 400m event of the Diamond League athletics meeting at the London Stadium on Saturday. Image: AFP Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading His coach Victor Vaz feels Nene – who boasts this year's world-leading time of 43.76 at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi – may have paid the price for a relatively pedestrian first 200m, by his high standards. The official race statistics bear testimony to that, listing his 200m split time at 21.23. 'He was a little bit casual in the first 200 and Hudson-Smith on his inside closed the gap, and that told me Zak was relaxed,' Vaz told Independent Media Sport exclusively from his KZN base after the race. 'If you look at the timing splits, you can see that when he ran that Kenyan best or world's fastest time, he ran a sub-21 for the 200, and this time he was just over the 21. And if you look at Hudson-Smith's 200 time, it was faster (21.03). So he closed the gap. 'And Zak usually is up in the first three when he comes out of the 300, and he wasn't this time. He had enough in the tank, but just not enough to possibly get him into a higher position.' The veteran coach, who lives on the KZN North Coast, still takes comfort in the fact that the 27-year-old Nene continues to post impressive times over the one-lap race. 'If you look at the times, they look phenomenal. Not a single 400m runner in the world except for Zak has run under 44, so maybe it was the day, maybe the weather, maybe the wet tartan, but I don't think it would have affected Zak. I just think he was a little bit casual in that first 200, that's all. But it was a good race.'
News24
a day ago
- Sport
- News24
SA's Nene claims podium finish in 400m as Simbine misfires in 100m London dash
It was a battle between Briton Matthew Hudson-Smith, right, and South Africa's world leader Zakithi Nene until it wasn't, when Charlie Dobson came from nowhere to pip both to the post in the men's 400m final at the Diamond League meeting in London on Saturday. Be among those who shape the future with knowledge. Uncover exclusive stories that captivate your mind and heart with our FREE 14-day subscription trial. Dive into a world of inspiration, learning, and empowerment. You can only trial once.
IOL News
5 days ago
- Sport
- IOL News
South African 400m star Zakithi Nene prepares for London Diamond League showdown
The in-form Zakithi Nene (centre) will take to the track again against a tough 400m field at the London Diamond League meeting on Saturday. SA's 400m star Zakithi Nene returns to the track at Saturday's London Diamond League meeting ready to build on his status as the fastest one-lap runner in the world this year against tough opposition. Nene, whose time of 43.76 seconds is the world lead for 2025, will take comfort in the fact that none of his challengers who will line up in the starters' blocks at the London Stadium have come close to that time this year, with season's best times hovering around the mid-44s. Home favourite and Paris Olympics silver medallist Matthew Hudson-Smith could be among Nene's strongest rivals. Home favourite He is in good form after his win at the recent Eugene Diamond League in the US, in a time of 44.10. That field included US 400m runner Jacory Patterson, who pipped Nene to the Rabat Diamond League title in a nail-biting finish. The jet-heeled Nene, fresh from a break in competition after a busy start to the season, has been based at a high-performance centre in Switzerland in the week leading up to the London event, according to his coach, Victor Vaz. While all eyes will be on the 27-year-old South African flyer to see if he can dip below 44 seconds again, Vaz feels the win would be more beneficial to Nene in the build-up to the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September.
IOL News
22-06-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Zakithi Nene's journey from Olympic disappointment to world championship contender
US' Quincy Hall, right, crosses the finish line ahead of South Africa's Zakithi Nene, centre, to win the men's 400m event of the Diamond League athletics meeting at the Olympic stadium in Rome. South Africa's 400m star Zakithi Nene credits a hard reset after the Paris Olympics for taking him up a level in the one-lap sprint, making him one of the early favourites for the world championships in Tokyo later this year. The tall, easy-going sprinter with a fluid, upright style blazed to this year's world-leading time of 43.76sec at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi. The personal best time left him in elite company, joining 400m world record holder Wayde van Niekerk as the only South African athletes to run under 44 seconds in the event. A narrow loss to Olympic champion Quincy Hall (44.22) at the Rome Diamond League meeting by one-hundredth of a second the following weekend (44.23) denied him back-to-back titles. When we caught up with him at Kings Park Athletics Stadium in Durban recently, it was clear how much that result had hurt. No pain, no gain Under the watchful eye of coach Victor Vaz, he was put through a gruelling training routine that made me tired just watching, gliding over the track in blustery conditions at speeds that seemed barely human. Poetry in motion. And just when it looked like he was spent, he would go again after a short rest, showing the kind of drive and determination that champions are made of as he pushed through the pain barrier time and again. No pain, no gain, they say, and for the likeable 27-year-old from Ladysmith, who spent most of his life in Durban, right now the gains are there for the world to see. The turning point for the speedster came after last year's Olympic Games in Paris. 'Walking into Paris I'd been a semi-finalist in the last three, four championships that I had participated in, so I was looking to go one better. Unfortunately, I also go knocked out in the semi-finals there too,' he told Independent Media Sport exclusively after his training session. 'And we finished fifth in the 4X400 relay in the Olympic final. So I think that was the turning point for me in my career. 'I think I really didn't take the Paris Olympics too well, so I found myself in a position whereby my coach Victor Vaz and I were reflecting on the calendar year and how we did throughout the year. 'I've been doing 400s for too long and I'm pretty much programmed to train a certain way, run a certain way, compete a certain way. So we found ourselves in a position whereby we were just relearning the event, fixing some of the things which were an issue.'
News24
07-06-2025
- Sport
- News24
Photo finish: SA's Zakithi Nene pipped by US Olympic champion in 400m thriller
South Africa's Zakithi Nene and American Quincy Hall, left, in a dogfight for the men's 400m race at the Diamond League meeting in Rome on Friday night.
