'It's been a mental battle' - South African speedster reveals challenges eight years after setting World and Olympic Record

Eight years after his historic feat of running a jaw-dropping World and Olympic Record in the men's 400m event, South African track icon Wayde van Niekerk has revealed the challenges of getting back to his best.

The talented South African speedster speaking at the Rabat Diamond League press conference, delved into the frustrations since his heroic night at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and not being able to hit the form again.

"It's very very frustrating, thinking back to 2016/2017 breaking the world record and I felt on top of the world. Immediately the year after that, you starting from scratch and trying to get yourself back and the believe is there," he said.

Van Niekerk broke into the athletics limelight in 2014 when as an unknown sprinter, he won the Commonwealth Games and African Championships silver medal in the 400m.

A year later, at the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, he stunned the track world by winning the world title in a then Personal Best (PB) and National Record (NR) of 43.48s.

With expectations now high on him as the future of the event and one to beat at the Rio 2016 Games, Van Niekerk did the unbelievable when he blazed to the Olympic title in a new blistering World Record of 43.03s, beating the time of 43.18s set by Michael Johnson in 1999.

That same year, he became the first sprinter in history to run the 100m under 10s, the 200m under 20s, and the 400m under 44, thus cementing his name as one of the greatest sprinters in history. He will later successfully defend his world title at the 2017 London Championships and also added the 200m silver medal to his collections.

Unfortunately, an injury sustained during a celebrity-funded rugby match, which resulted in him tearing his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL), has seen him struggle to regain his best form.

Van Niekerk further explained overcoming the setbacks that has plagued him through the years, but remains optimistic on being back to his best with time.  

"It's been a good eight years just trying to get momentum knowing what it's to become a World and Olympic champion, even a world record holder, you know what needs to happen and then after that not getting there physically not being able to break through those barriers has become extremely frustrating and becomes a big mental battle. I'm patient, I've been patient and hopefully I can start building the momentum that I like to," he concluded.