Athletics | Nene smashes men’s 400m 44-second barrier in Nairobi
Three weeks after anchoring South Africa to a memorable 4x400m victory at the World Relays, Zakithi Nene produced another standout moment at the Kip Keino Classic, winning the men’s 400m at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting in Nairobi in a world-leading 43.76 on Saturday (31).
Three weeks after anchoring South Africa to a memorable 4x400m victory at the World Relays, Zakithi Nene produced another standout moment at the Kip Keino Classic, winning the men’s 400m at the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting in Nairobi in a world-leading 43.76 on Saturday (31).
With five Gold level meetings done and five to come, the Kip Keino Classic fell in the middle of the series. This year’s event took place at the Ulinzi Sports Complex, a smaller stadium compared to the traditional Kasarani and Nyayo Stadiums, but the atmosphere was electric on a day when six meeting records and two world-leading marks were set.
Nene’s 400m triumph was both of those things. The South African pulled away from a quality field to win by more than a second, taking half a second off the 44.22 PB he set at the South African Championships earlier this year. His 43.76 performance now propels the 27-year-old to 16th on the world all-time list.
Nigeria’s Chidi Okezie was second in 44.98, while Kenya’s Zablon Ekwam was third in 45.01.
