By winning a gold medal and setting a new world record in the 400-meter dash on Sunday, South African sprinter Wayde van Niekerk immediately became the world’s most famous “Wayde.” The 24-year-old South African is young, telegenic, and very, very good at running. Running out of the far outside lane in Rio de Janeiro’s Olympic Stadium, van Niekerk glided past Olympic gold medalists Kirani James and LaShawn Merritt to finish in 43.03, smashing Michael Johnson’s 17-year-old mark of 43.18.
It was a truly beautiful thing, and it’s reasonable to assume that van Niekerk will keep on getting better. But can he become the next Usain Bolt?
Bolt isn’t just the most celebrated athlete in track and field. For most people in the world, I’d venture, he’s the only track athlete they’ve ever heard of. Bolt, who on Sunday won his third straight Olympic gold medal in the 100 meters, has said he will likely retire in 2017. Wayde van Niekerk has trained with Usain Bolt and is friendly with Usain Bolt. But can he fill Bolt’s golden shoes? Let’s weigh the evidence.
Point in favor: Van Niekerk is the first man in history to run the 100 meters in less than 10 seconds, the 200 meters in less than 20 seconds, and the 400 meters in less than 44 seconds. Truly, this is a Bolt-ian level of prowess.
Point against: Does not yet have a signature celebration gesture. May I suggest the Pavarotti? In it, you extend your right arm as if singing “ ’O Sole Mio,” and then you actually sing as much of the song as you can remember.
Point in favor: Van Niekerk’s coach, Ans Botha, is a 74-year-old great-grandmother who seems to be a very charming person. In 2015, Botha told the International Association of Athletics Federations that she and her athletes “can laugh, but when we have to work hard, we work hard,” which is good, because it will take a lot of hard work to become the next Usain Bolt.
Point against: Ans Botha, the 74-year-old great-grandmother, is already starting to get overexposed. The Ans Botha backlash is coming. Will her star pupil be able to survive it? He either needs to cut ties with the great-grandmother now or minimize his risk by adding 10 to 20 additional great-grandmothers to his coaching team.
Point in favor: Van Niekerk has overcome much adversity in his life, beginning with his premature birth at 29 weeks. In May, he donated 500,000 rand to the neonatal unit at the hospital where he was born.
Point against: Wayde van Niekerk is very, very hard to spell. Let’s begin with that first name, which is proof that Dwyane Wade’s could’ve theoretically been even more confusing. That “van” in the middle is written in lowercase, which just looks wrong, and Niekerk feels like it has too many i’s and not enough e’s. You will never get press coverage, young man, if sports writers fear they will look foolish every time they attempt to jot down your name. I suggest changing it to something simpler, like “Ben Johnson.”
Point in favor: Usain Bolt apparently encouraged van Niekerk to break Johnson’s world record, and has called van Niekerk “a cool person.”
Point against: His fifth-grade teacher said Van Niekerk was “very quiet” to the point where “[s]ometimes you didn’t know that he was in your class.” While being quiet could be an interesting endorsement niche, the Amtrak quiet car and the Library and Information Association of South Africa don’t have the marketing budgets of, say, Coke.
Point in favor: Van Niekerk is a huge fan of the Premier League team Liverpool, and apparently spent the hours before his race on Sunday watching Liverpool take on Arsenal. “I was losing my mind because it was a tight match,” he said. “We got the win. My brother is an Arsenal fan. Now I’ve got the world record and Liverpool beat Arsenal. I’ve got a lot to brag about.”
Point against: Liverpool F.C. is owned by Fenway Sports Group, which is also the parent company of the Boston Red Sox. After his victory in Rio, expect to see a lot of pink Wayde van Niekerk hats.
Point in favor: He is a spokesman for an anti-bullying campaign sponsored by Cartoon Network in South Africa. “I know only too well what it feels like to be bullied,” he said.
Point against: Bullies buy sneakers too.
Point in favor: Van Niekerk is no party animal. He is very devout, and enjoys sharing his Christian faith via Twitter and Instagram.
Point against: Though his posts are never preachy, sometimes they are confusing:
Is he trying to say the Lord wears Adidas? Mixed messages there.
Verdict: Wayde van Niekerk will either be the next Usain Bolt or the next Tim Tebow. If, after the Olympics, he announces his plans to try out for the Boston Red Sox, we’ll know which path he’s chosen.
