'It's a real privilege' - Wayde van Niekerk proud to end his 400m career with rising group of talented South African runners

World Record holder Wayde van Niekerk has expressed his pride in medalling and concluding his 400m career alongside the talented group of emerging South African runners.

On the final day of the Tokyo 2025 World Championships, the South African 4x400m relay squad of Lythe Pillay, Udeme Okon, Van Niekerk, and Zakithi Nene lit up the track by grabbing a bronze medal and ending an 8-year wait for a spot on the podium.

They clocked an astonishing time of 2:57.83, the same as USA in second, while Botswana were the heroic gold medal winners in 2:57.76, thus claiming Africa's first men's 4x400m world title in history.

Van Niekerk shone brightly on the night, proving why he's the WR holder by clocking the fastest split time of 43.26s to give the young squad the needed boost to challenge for a medal.

"For me, it's really just about finding a place of stability in the race and put us in a good position for Zak to finish strong and I think he was really a great anchor and I think for the two guys that started as well, they really put us in a great place to be in a great contention for that medal," said Niekerk in a post-race interview.

When asked what the future holds for the young South African runners, the 33-year-old two-time world 400m champion (2015 and 2017) said he's confident on their success and carrying on his torch on the global stage.

"These are really confident guys, and I have a lot of excitement for each and everyone of their careers coming up. I think they've really positioned themselves in a great place, and I think today was a real reflection and indication of what they can do in the next few years, and I'm just excited to see where the future is going. For me, it's a real privilege that I can say I finished my 400m career with these great athletes."

Van Niekerk stunned the world when he blazed to a jaw-dropping 400m world record of 43.03s to become the Rio 2016 Olympic champion.

Unfortunately, a series of injuries hindered his progress, forcing him to focus on the 200m instead, and not reach the global height he once attained.

At the Tokyo 2025 World Championships, he bowed out in the 200m semifinals, but his exceptional fast time in the relays to help the young South African squad win the bronze medal was a clear indication of his prowess and legendary status as one of the greats in athletics history.