Wayde van Niekerk crosses the finish line as he broke the 400m world record. Photo: ReutersSouth Africa's Wayde van Niekerk ran the fastest single lap in history to win the 400 metres gold medal in 43.03 seconds and break a 17-year-old world record at the Olympic Games. 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. Johnson, who won back-to-back Olympic titles in the event in 1996 and 2000, was dumbfounded by the quality of Van Niekerk's finish. From lane eight, a world record," Johnson said on the BBC.

Source: Otago Daily Times August 15, 2016 00:56 UTC