Wayde van Niekerk pulled from race after feeling 'lower back discomfort'

Wayde van Niekerk wanted to race the 400m in Budapest on Tuesday night‚ but he was pulled out by his management as a precautionary measure because of a niggle in his lower back.

The Olympic champion from Rio 2016‚ who injured his right knee badly in late 2017‚ was supposed to have raced world champion Steven Gardiner of Bahamas and two of the four fastest men in the world so far this year‚ Americans Michael Norman and Michael Cherry.

But he pulled out just before the race‚ won by Gardiner in a season’s best 44.47.

“He was warming up for the race and felt a discomfort in his lower back‚” said agent Peet van Zyl.

“He wanted to race‚ but myself and coach Lance Brauman pulled him from the race [because it’s] so close to Tokyo as it was not worth risking it.”

It is understood that Van Niekerk will pay a visit to see German doctor Hans Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt‚ who has worked previously with the South African as well as Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt.

Van Niekerk‚ racing at top international level this season for the first time since his injury‚ pulled up during a 200m race in the US in May after feeling a tightness in his hip.

He returned to competition in Europe in June to seal his qualification for the Tokyo Olympic Games‚ which will run from July 24 to August 8.

The first round of the men’s 400m is set for August 1.