For Zakithi Nene, this weekend’s Diamond League final in Brussels is about more than simply making up the numbers. For the first time, the South African 400m runner will actually get to compete for the coveted Diamond League trophy after qualifying for the season-ending showpiece in previous years without being able to take his place on the starting line.
“Funny enough, as much as I’ve qualified for a lot of Diamond League meets, it’s actually the first one where I’m able to compete,” Nene told IOL Sport exclusively from Europe on Wednesday.
He qualified in 2023 but opted against travelling to the final in Eugene, while last year he again qualified but did not compete. This time there are no such complications.
Having finished third in the Diamond League standings following stellar performances, including a victory at the Stockholm leg and a blistering 43.89s second-place finish in Paris, Nene will line up alongside the best 400m runners in the world on Friday night with a genuine opportunity to challenge for the title.
“It’s just a reflection of my consistency this season,” he said. “I’m very much happy to win a Diamond League, finish in the top three and qualify third. So it’s just a reflection of my season and I’m very happy that I’m able to start there and compete.”
That consistency is particularly satisfying given the challenges Nene has had to overcome. His preparations were disrupted by injury early in the season and, by his own admission, this has not been quite the same campaign as last year when he was producing faster times. Yet the 28-year-old has remained fiercely competitive on the global stage. Beyond his Diamond League exploits, he proved his big-stage pedigree last month by claiming the 400m bronze medal for South Africa at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Most importantly, Nene is fully healthy as the season reaches its climax.
“I think more than anything I’m healthy, so that’s what I’m most happy about,” Nene said. “I’ve been training pretty well, pretty consistent.”
Rather than chasing an ambitious time in Brussels, Nene is concentrating on executing the race he has prepared for.
“You can’t put a time to anything at this point,” he said. “I think it’s all about executing my best race.”
That approach has been shaped by racing the best throughout the season. Nene has repeatedly found himself in stacked Diamond League fields, including alongside Botswana’s world champion Collen Kebinatshipi, and believes competing against athletes who are not afraid to test themselves has helped raise his own standards.
Elevated standards
“Every Diamond League race that I’ve raced in this year had a stacked field,” he said. “No one was ducking and diving, and that’s a good thing. If you’re going out there to compete against the best, that elevates your standard as well.”
At this level, he has learnt, the difference between success and disappointment can come down to tiny margins – tweaking race patterns, being mentally prepared and having the ability to dig deep when the race reaches its most demanding stage.
“The physical preparation is already done,” he said. “So I think just being mentally tough and able to take it down to the wire is what I’ve also learnt.”
That resilience has arguably been Nene’s biggest achievement this season.
“I’m very much happy with being able to run another sub-44 this season,” he said, referencing his 43.89 clocking in Paris. “For me, just being able to pick myself up and say, ‘I’m here’, despite the hardships that I faced, and being able to compete with the guys and be competitive, I’m very much happy with that.”
There has been recognition of that progress at home, too.
At the second annual KZN Athletics awards in Durban, Nene was named Male Track & Field Athlete of the Year and Male Athlete of the Year, while also receiving the Breaking the Ceiling Award. For Nene, such awards can provide motivation for the next generation.
That idea of raising standards extends to the current generation of South African sprinters. Nene will be joined in Brussels by Akani Simbine, Gift Leotlela and Sinesipho Dambile, and believes there is a growing conviction within the group that South Africans belong among the world’s best.
The Simbine factor
He points to Simbine as a particularly important influence.
“The one person, the common denominator in all of us when we have these conversations, is Akani,” Nene said. “He’s inspired each and every individual.”
The ability to call on Simbine for advice about difficulties or navigating the international circuit has, Nene believes, helped create a significant mental shift among the athletes.
“We’ve always had the talent,” he said. “I think the resources weren’t there fully, but we were able to make means with what we’ve got.”
And now, when one South African succeeds, the others are motivated to respond.
“When you line up in a Diamond League meet where there’s a couple of South Africans, when you see one do well, you’re like, ‘OK, I need to up my game. He can’t be the only one that does well,’” Nene said. “It’s good competition. It’s healthy, of course, for each one of us in our respective event.”
That healthy competition will again be on display in Brussels, where Nene will finally find out what it feels like to compete for the Diamond League crown.
