It was Van Zyl’s second consecutive second-place finish in a Diamond Meeting race. In both cases he ran times faster than 49 seconds. To top it all, he did it against top class competition including the winner, Bershawn Jackson (US), a former world champion and the Olympic and World Championship medallist, and Javier Culson (Puerto Rico) and Michael Tinsley (US), both Olympic and World Championships medallists, who last night finished 3rd and 4th respectively.
Jackson’s winning time was 48.71 seconds. Van Zyl was second in 48.92s and Denis Kudryavtsev (Russia) third in 49.01s.
“It is a pity that I was drawn in lane eight, but I am not complaining because it is always a privilege to compete in the Diamond League. I am excited that I was able to hold my own against some of the best 400-hurdlers. From a psychological point of view it is important that these athletes realize that I mean business when I am competing against them. It is all about earning the respect of your fellow competitors,” the Tuks/HPC athlete said.
Being able to finish the race strongly is another positive that Van Zyl took from his performance.
“I really felt good over the last 90 metres, which means that my hard work is beginning to pay dividends. My coach said after the race that she thinks am definitely capable of running faster times. However, I am not too worried about times at the moment. It is more important to feel good after the race.”
