Wayde Van Niekerk to receive a hero’s welcome in Bloemfontein
In front of a boisterous Rio crowd, Wayde Van Niekerk broke the first track and field world record of the Olympic Games with a blistering 43.03 second run from the unlikely position of lane eight in the 400m for men, destroying the two previous Olympic champions in the process. Van Niekerk became the first South African athlete to win an Olympic Gold medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The Free State Department of Sport, Arts, Culture, and Recreation supported van Niekerk through the Free State Sport Science institute, where van Niekerk went through an extensive conditioning and sport science programme. Van Niekerk then went on to earn a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014, and set the word alight with his performance in the 400m, becoming the world champion in this event.
To celebrate our Free State hero, the Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation is hosting a Hero’s Welcome to welcome Van Niekerk back home. Members of the media and public will get the opportunity to see an Olympic and World Champion in real life as Van Niekerk want to thank the public for their support publically.
The welcoming procession will start Hofmann Square then move to at Grey College, where Van Niekerk spent his high school years, then move to the University of the Free State, Mangaung Outdoor center and finish at Twin City mall in Heidedal.
Van Niekerk will be traveling through the streets of Bloemfontein in an open top bus, and the public are expected to line the streets to welcome back our hero. The procession will make a stop at the above mentioned venues as to give the public an opportunity to see this Free State icon in person. Wayde will also be available for autographs.
The full programme is as follows:
Date: 9 September 2016
Time and Venue
11h30 – 12h00 Hoffman Square
12h30 – 13h30 Grey College
13h50 – 14h20 UFS – Pelliespark Athletics Stadium
14h30 – 15h10 Mangaung Outdoor Center
15h25 – 16h00 Twin City Mall
MEC for Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Mrs. NS Leeto said: “We are immensely proud as the people of the Free State to have a talented individual like Wayde in our midst. He is a testament to what dedication and hard work can achieve, and it is an honor to associate with a world champion as a province. Let us now celebrate the return of one of our own in true recognition of what his performance has meant to the people of the province.
The anticipation of his performance throughout this year has paid dividends, and to claim the world champion, Olympic champion and world record holder as one of our own, is again a testament of the Free State Provincial Government’s commitment to sport excellence.”
