Wayde van Niekerk wins gold, sets world record

Wayde van Niekerk, golden boy of South Africa and the world!

It was well clear of his previous best of 43.48.

The 24-year-old finished in 43.03 seconds, 0.15s quicker than the time Johnson clocked in Seville in 1999.

LaShawn Merritt of the United States, the 2008 Olympic champion, claimed bronze in 43.85, the first time the top three had run under 44 seconds in an Olympic 400 final.

Van Niekerk was still trackside doing interviews when Usain Bolt won 100m gold half an hour later, and revealed the Jamaican had predicted his success.

Now he may be the first man to soon dip below 43 seconds in the event long revered as one of the toughest tests of speed and endurance.

Bolt couldn’t resist one tiny dig, however, saying he would be world 400m record holder should his coach Glen Mills have had his way.

Van Niekerk, who won the 400 meters in an astonishing 43.03 seconds, is reported to be the first man to win the Olympic gold from lane 8.

“After the semi-final I felt extremely good. What she’s achieved as a coach-I’m just thankful to be part of the history she’s made”. “I thought someone was going to catch me – what’s going on, what’s going on, and it gave me motivation to keep on pushing”. I thank Michael Johnson for setting such a great example for us. “I have never seen anything from 200 to 400 like that”, Johnson told the BBC.

“Yes, I watched the Liverpool match before”, he said.

“I didn’t care”, he said.

Usain Bolt races in the 100m semifinals, before going on to win his third successive 100m Olympic gold.

In his post-race press conference, Bolt entertained the notion of racing Van Niekerk at another distance.

Since the two teamed up, van Niekerk’s achievements have racked up dramatically.

“This is the ideal opportunity to thank each and every one who has supported me and has been a part of this journey and to thank everyone in SA”.

“Thinking back to where I was four years ago, it shows anything is possible for anyone that believes”.