Zakithi Nene Qualifies for the World Championship Finals in Tokyo. Image- Anton Geyser/ Gallo Images.
(The Post News) – Zakithi Nene continued his remarkable rise on the international stage by securing a place in the men’s 400m final at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
The 26-year-old South African delivered a composed and dominant performance in his semi-final on Tuesday evening, clocking 44.20 seconds to win his heat and automatically qualify for the final.
Running in lane five, Nene executed a near-flawless race. He started steadily, conserving energy through the back straight, before shifting gears in the final 150 metres. By the time he hit the home stretch, he had already pulled ahead of the field, and with qualification assured, he eased off slightly in the final 20 metres a sign of both confidence and tactical maturity.
Despite not pushing to the line, his time was enough to comfortably win the heat and secure one of the coveted automatic spots in Thursday’s final.
His semi-final ranked fifth overall, but that placement doesn’t fully reflect the threat he poses in the medal race. Earlier this season, Nene stunned the athletics world with a personal best of time that still stands as the second fastest in the world in 2025.
“We’re here now. Survive and advance is the name of the game,” Nene said after the race. “I survived and advanced and I’ve got one more round left.”
Only Botswana’s Collen Kebinatshipi, who set a world lead of 43.61 in a separate semi-final on Tuesday, has gone quicker this year.
Nene’s progression to the final caps off a breakout year for the sprinter, who has shown consistent form across major competitions. His mix of raw speed and increasingly sharp race management now positions him as a genuine medal contender heading into the final.
Elsewhere in the 400m semifinals, Lythe Pillay, South Africa’s other representative in the event, finished sixth in his heat with a time of 44.82 and did not advance. Although the result marks the end of his World Championships campaign, the 21-year-old showed promise in a stacked field and will take valuable experience into the next phase of his career.
Athletics South Africa has reason to be encouraged as the Championships continue, with Nene carrying the nation’s hopes into the final and several other athletes still in contention across events.
With the men’s 400m final set for Thursday, all eyes will be on Zakithi who’s now just one race away from global glory.
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