DOHA, Qatar – Despite the absence of defending champion Wayde van Niekerk as a result of a long-term knee injury, South Africa could have another representative in the men's 400m final at the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar later this week.
Sprinter Thapelo Phora finished third in his one-lap heat on Tuesday, clocking 45.45 seconds and booking his place in the semifinal on Wednesday.
Derrick Mokaleng also delivered a solid performance, taking fifth position in his heat in 45.87. However, he narrowly missed out on a spot in the penultimate round by just 0.05.
Former world champion Kirani James of Grenada was the fastest athlete in round one, completing the circuit in 44.94.
Teenager Zeney van der Walt was unable to make an impact in the women's 400m hurdles, settling for sixth place in her first-round heat in 57.11.