Not many athletes would tell Wayde van Niekerk he is a no-hoper in a sprint race. But friend and 100m ace Akani Simbine says he and the 400m world record-holder, who will face off in the 200m at the World Championships in London next week, enjoy teasing each other. "I always tell Wayde that he’ll never beat me in the 100m and he’ll be like: ‘okay, I can dream about that’ and I’ll be like: ‘dude, the most practical way for us to compete is the 200m because it’s in the middle for both of us’." At the national championships in Potchefstroom in April, Simbine downed Van Niekerk in the 100m but had to settle for silver in the 200m. "For us it’s a fun thing because we like competing against each other, we bring the best out of each other. We want the best for each other." But Simbine, owner of the 9.89sec SA 100m record, was adamant Van Niekerk, SA’s second-fastest runner with a 9.94 personal best, would never take him in the short sprint. "That’s my baby. Like the 400m is his baby, the 1...
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