Dylan Bettencourt
South African sprinter Luxolo Adams runs like an engine, and he’s fuelled by the inspiration of Wayde van Niekerk.
Unlike his compatriot who races in the 400m, Adams would like to make a name for himself in the 200m race.
The 25-year-old finished fourth in his 200m semi-final heat on Tuesday night at the World Athletic Championships in Oregon, United States.
He was however made to wait before finding out if he had made the final.
Both Adams and South Africa could breathe a sigh of relief when it was confirmed that he would be in the final.
“That was such a difficult wait. I didn’t know if I should sit, stand, or pray. A slot in the final means the world to me,” an elated Adams told BBC Sport Africa.
Adams initially began his career as a 400m runner but once he incorporated the 200m event into his training, there was no turning back.
Clinching the South African national title in the 200m back in 2018 cemented his career in the distance.
Adams was relatively unknown in South Africa until last month when he surprised the Olympic champion Andre de Grasse to set a personal best of 19.82 seconds – the second fastest time set by a South African in the distance.
“I changed coaches, and we had a different approach,” Adams explained.
“I was doing more of a 400m-based programme, and then we switched to a speedy 200m programme. That’s when I started to become injury free and things changed.” Adams had never before breached the 20 second mark in the race.
“Going to Paris, we had no idea what was going to happen, but we had plans to probably get close to 20 seconds ahead of the World Championships,” he said.
“Things happened a bit faster than we expected.”
Adams explained that while he looks up to Van Niekerk, he has his own story to write.
“He’s a great athlete, I’m looking up to him and thanks to him for being a motivation,” Adams said.
“But I don’t want to say I am following in his footsteps because I am a designer of my own life. I want to write my own history without having to copy someone else.”
Image source: @Netwerk24
