
JOHANNESBURG – Olympic champion and world 400m record holder, Wayde van Niekerk, is among seven athletes added by Athletics SA (ASA) to the revised team list of the ‘preparation squad’ for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Van Niekerk, who has not yet made his comeback from a lengthy injury hiatus, has now been included in the 4x400m relay squad in addition to the 400m where he is defending champion.
With ASA having recently announced a 56-member preparation squad, the updated group features a total of 63 individuals who are all hoping to ultimately make the final cut for the quadrennial games.
On the track, Ruan de Vries is an addition in the men's 110m hurdles, while sprinters Henricho Bruintjies and Emile Erasmus have both received the nod for the 4x100m relay squad.
Following the inclusion of Bruintjies and Erasmus, national sprints coach, Paul Gorries will have 10 men to work with ahead of Tokyo, forming a powerful SA squad in the sprint relay event.