Wayde van Niekerk Shatters 400m World Record and Wins Gold
Dubbed as the race of the games, Wayde van Niekerk smashed the Men’s 400m final and bagged a new world record. – By Kit Fox
South Africa’s Wayde van Niekerk made history Sunday night, shattering a 17-year-old world record in the 400 metres by running 43.03. American Michael Johnson held the previous mark of 43.18, set in 1999.
The gold medallist from 2012, Grenada’s Kirani James, won silver with a 43.76, followed by American LaShawn Merritt, who earned a bronze with a 43.85. It was the first time in Olympic history that three men ran under 44 seconds in a 400-metre race.
Van Niekerk, appearing in his first Olympics, is the first South African to win gold in the event in 96 years. Though the performance puts him in the history books, van Niekerk had previously become the only person to ever run under 10 seconds in the 100, under 20 seconds in the 200, and under 44 seconds in the 400. The 24-year-old ran his world record Sunday from the eighth lane, defeating his opponents by a stunning margin.
“I just went out there and did my best tonight,” van Niekerk told the BBC after thanking previous record holder Johnson.
The South African is on the cusp of breaking the 43-second mark in the 400, a time once presumed impossible.
Johnson commented on the race to the BBC, saying, “He put those guys away. Van Niekerk is so young, what else can he do? Can he go under 43 seconds? It is something I thought I could do, but never did.”
This is our first gold medal at the 2016 games.
Van Niekerk’s feat is even more remarkable given he is half a century younger than his coach. He is under the tutelage of 74-year-old Ans Botha, who has been coaching track since the 1960s.
Later in the evening session in front of a packed crowd at Olympic Stadium, the new world-record holder was congratulated by another history-maker. Usain Bolt, who became the first athlete to ever win three consecutive golds in the 100 metres, ran up into the stands after his race to congratulate van Niekerk.
Speaking afterwards Van Niekerk was still shell-shocked. ‘I’d love to tell you guys more but I honestly can’t remember the race, I’ll have to go back and watch it on television,’ he smiled bemusedly. ‘All I know is that I left it all out there tonight. I left it in God’s hands here at a challenging Olympics.’
‘I ran blind the whole race, I still don’t know what happened out there but it was just so awesome to be here and inspired by guys like Usain Bolt, Michael Johnson, and tonight guys who I ran against like Kirani James and LaShawn Merritt.’
What I can remember is that I thought someone would catch me, it was quite lonely out there and thought “what’s going on?” but I kept on pushing and even dived a bit for the finish line.’
Bolt’s reaction to Van Niekerk’s finishing time – priceless!
Usain Bolt’s reaction to Wayde van Niekerk’s WR 43.03 in the 400m final. #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/GJIaMLGzIZ
— Stephen Nelson (@Stephen__Nelson) August 15, 2016
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