Wenda Nel will be challenged by champions on Saturday when she lines up to compete in the 400m-hurdles at the Shanghai Diamond League Meeting. 

Dalilah Muhammad (USA) the gold medallist at the 2016 Olympic Games and silver medallist at the 2017 World Championships as well as Janieve Russell (Jamaica) the Commonwealth Games Champion are racing. Sara Slott Petersen (Denmark) who won the silver medal at the 2016 Games is also in the line-up.

Nel admits to being in for a tough challenge, but she would have it no other way. At the beginning of the year, the Tuks-athlete made a conscious decision not to allow her to be intimidated anymore as it serves no purpose. 

“You can say that I have come of age as I have decided that is high time for me to start believing in my abilities as a hurdler,” explained Nel. 

The first sign that Nel was not going to give up without a proper fight anymore was during the 400m-hurdles final at the South African championships. 

Going onto the lost hurdle at the national championships at Tuks it was no foregone conclusion that she would win as Nel and the 17-year-old world youth champion, Zeney van der Walt (Afrikaans Hoër Meisieskool), were running shoulder to shoulder. The Tuks-athlete just managed to take the victory on the line winning in 55.01s with the young up-start finishing in 55.05s. 

“It was one of the toughest races I ever raced but also one of the most exciting. I was forced out of my comfort zone. In the past when I was in such a situation, I tended to make a mistake, or even worse I just gave up. This time I managed to stay focused. It was a big positive I could take from the race."

Nel’s performance in the final during the Goldcoast Commonwealth Games was another do or die performance. She had to dig deep and fight to win the bronze medal.

“I am proud of the way I raced at the Games. I made a few small mistakes during the race, but I was able to rectify it while hurdling. It meant I was focused and thinking. That was exciting to me,” said Nel referring to the fact that she got her stride pattern wrong between hurdles eight and ten.

According to Nel, she has been told afterwards by a few people that if she did not start off so fast, she could have had a better result at the Commonwealth Games.

“I don’t have any regrets. Experience has taught me that you cannot afford to start too slowly as there is a real chance that you might never catch up. I have crashed and burned going out to fast, but I also had some good results doing so.

“As for Saturday, I will race aggressively. For now, I am not obsessed with running a fast time as I know if I do the small things right it will happen automatically.”