Wayde makes 13-year-old boy's dream come true
Chandler van Steer, 13, with his hero Wayde van Niekerk. Picture: Rusana Philander Chandler van Steer, 13, with his hero Wayde van Niekerk. Picture: Rusana Philander
Cape Town - A 13-year-old’s dream was realised when he finally met his sporting hero, 400m world-record holder, Wayde van Niekerk.
Chandler van Steer from Matroosfontein was surprised to meet Van Niekerk on Wednesday.
The boy is also in a television advertisement.
Van Niekerk told Chandler: “Hi Chandler, I saw you in the advertisement. It was nice meeting you.”
The youngster asked Van Niekerk: “What makes a good athlete?”
Van Niekerk responded: “Take part in all kinds of sporting codes before you finally decide.”
Chandler does athletics and plays cricket and rugby.
He said: “I always told them that I wanted to meet him. But I did not know that I was going to meet him today.”
His parents, Charlton and Yolanda van Steer, said they wanted to thank local radio station HeartFM that hosted the event.
Aden Thomas of Heart FM said: “It is fantastic that Wayde took time to chat to Chandler. It was a quick chat, but he will always remember this day. This will inspire him to excel in sport.”