Having walked away as the big winner of the 2015 SA Sports awards, Wayde van Niekerk feels he still has a long way to go in his career.
The 23-year old Cape Town-born track runner has now set his sights on winning a gold medal in next year’s Rio Olympics.
At the awards, Van Niekerk walked away with the SA Sports Star of the Year, Sportsman of the year, and the People's Choice award, and said he felt honoured to have been given such recognition.
“It feels great to be recognised like this but my job is not done yet,” Van Niekerk said.
“There’s a whole lot that I want to achieve in my career. The Rio Olympics for one, that’s where my primary focus is set at the moment. I want to achieve something great there, possibly a gold medal. Anything is possible. But we’ll just have to wait and see.
“Most people see it as pressure, but I don’t,” he added, referring to a possibility of him winning gold..
“I’m just going to continue being the guy that I am, and that is to continue working hard towards my goals. That’s the best and only away to go about it. Hard work and discipline always help you to produce the needed result. That’s how we grow in our respective fields, or careers, as individuals. The key thing is to remain consistent at all times.”
Van Niekerk, though, who won a gold medal in the IAAF World Championships in the 400m just four months ago, admits his ambition of winning gold in Rio won’t come easy.
“You are bound to face obstacles, especially if you are determined to achieve something in your career. But the key is to never give up, even when the going gets tough. I’m testament to that.”