Wayde Van Niekerk: 5 Interesting Facts About South Africa’s World Record Holder

• South Africa's Wayde van Niekerk comes from a sporty family, and both his parents were athletes
• Van Niekerk is a massive fan of Liverpool FC and got to meet players and Jurgen Klopp at Melwood
• Usain Bolt once tipped the South African sprinter to be the face of athletics after his retirement

Wayde van Niekerk is loved not only in South Africa but all around the world.

The Olympic and World record holder has become a household thanks to his sprinting exploits, but injury curtailed his meteoric rise.

After setting a new meeting record in his last Diamond League run, van Niekerk is looking to return to being the best in the world at the upcoming World Athletics Championships in Budapest later this year.

Ahead of the showcase in Hungary in August, Sports Brief looks at five interesting facts about the South African sprinter.

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1. Van Niekerk has athletic parents

A love for athletics runs in the van Niekerk household. Despite Wayde focusing more on the high jump in his early sporting doubts, there was a strong belief that he would follow his parents into sprinting.

Van Niekerk’s father, Wayne, played rugby, did high jump and was a sprinter, while his mother, Odessa, was also a track athlete.

As noted by News24, van Niekerk’s mother held more than six sprint records across high schools and clubs at both provincial and national levels.

2. Wayde’s World Cup-winning cousin

It’s not only Wayde’s parents that made a name for themselves with their sports success; his cousin did as well.

The sprinter is related to Springbok player Cheslin Kolbe, and the duo played rugby together as youngsters.

As noted by BBC, both cousins won medals at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. While Wayde set a new world record in the 400 metres, Kolbe won a Bronze medal with the Blitzboks. Kolbe also won the Rugby World Cup with the South African national team.

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3. Van Niekerk loves Liverpool

While he may be a sprint star who played rugby, van Niekerk is a massive football fan.

The South African is a huge supporter of English Premier League side Liverpool FC. After his heroics at Rio, van Niekerk got to go to Melwood and meet with the players and staff of the club. He was particularly excited to get a hug from Jurgen Klopp.

4. Van Niekerk had Bolt’s backing

Not many athletes can say they have the backing of Usain Bolt.

Before the Olympics in Rio, van Niekerk received an invitation to train with Bolt’s coach Glen Mills in Jamaica, and the decision worked wonders. After breaking the world record, even Bolt took notice.

As noted by News24, the Jamaican sprint king said that van Niekerk could take over from him as the face of sprinting once he retired.

5. Wayde achieves sprinting history

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While he is a world champion in the 400 metres, van Niekerk previously admitted that the 200 metres is his favourite event. The South African has also run in the 100 metres and made history in the sprint.

As noted by World Athletics, the South African is the first man in history to run faster than 10 seconds for 100m, 20 seconds for 200m and 44 seconds for 400m.

Van Niekerk sets new record

Wayde van Niekerk is finding his form once again in the 400 metres.

The South African athlete has been plagued by injuries since the 2016 Olympics in Rio but has found his form in the early athletics season as he looks to return to the top of the mountain.

As reported by Sports Brief, van Niekerk ran a blistering pace in his last outing at the Silesia Diamond League, setting a new meeting record in the process.

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Lyles shows support for Wayde

World 200-metre champion, Noah Lyles, has called out the global athletic governing body, World Athletics, for downplaying van Niekerk's birthday.

The athletics body left a birthday wish for the 400-metre world record-holder, but the American was not impressed with them, as Sports Brief reported.