South Africa's speed merchant eyes rare double

Van Niekerk's win in 400 sets stage for repeat in 200

LONDON - Wayde van Niekerk's bid for a first world sprint double since 1995 now turns to the 200m after he stormed to a comfortable victory in the 400m on Tuesday.

After initially struggling with the cold, the 25-year-old South African ran a solid final bend to blast to victory in 43.98sec with a lot to spare, and went straight into recovery mode ahead of Wednesday's 200m semifinals, with the final on Thursday.