World Athletics Championships 2023: Gardiner out of world 400m as Van Niekerk sneaks through

Gardiner, who missed last year’s world champs in Eugene through injury, looked in total control of the third of three semis at the National Athletics Centre but crashed to the ground with 100 metres to go.

Steven Gardiner of Bahamas gets mediacl assisted on the track after falling in the men’s 400m semifinal during day four of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Olympic champion Steven Gardiner of the Bahamas failed to make it into the final of the men’s 400m at the World Athletics Championship in Budapest after pulling up injured in his semifinal on Tuesday.

Gardiner, who missed last year’s world champs in Eugene through injury, looked in total control of the third of three semis at the National Athletics Centre but crashed to the ground with 100 metres to go.

South Africa’s world record holder Wayde van Niekerk endured an agonising wait to qualify as one of the two next fastest after missing out on one of the two automatic qualifying spots in the semis.

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Van Niekerk, who set the world record of 43.03 sec when winning gold in the Rio Olympics in 2016, clocked 44.65sec in a semi won by Jamaican Antonio Watson.

Also advancing to Thursday’s final are Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith, who set an European record of 44.25sec to win his semi, Grenada’s 2012 Olympic champion Kirani James, Jamaican Sean Bailey and Norway’s Havard Bentdal Ingvaldsen.

The United States will be represented by Vernon Norwood, a multiple relay medallist, and Quincy Hall. World indoor champion Jereem Richards of Trinidad and Tobago missed out after finishing behind Van Niekerk.