His winning time of 48.78 was not good enough to beat first placed David Greene of the United Kingdom (48.62), but faster than the A World Championships qualifying time of 49.25.

LJ’s coach, Nico van Heerden, told the daily Beeld in an interview that his athlete was nervous because his dethroning as SA champion was still fresh in his mind. He very much needed a morale booster and his performance in Prague was therefore exactly what the doctor ordered.

At the same meeting Tuks’ Stephan Louw, who will represent Namibia at the World Championships, won the long jump (7.95 m).

• LJ takes part in an international meeting in Greece on June 10. It is the same venue and meeting where he last year won in an excellent time of 48.22.