South Afrca’s Wayde van Niekerk broke one of the most famous long-standing world records in sport when he won the 400 metres Olympic gold medal in Rio de Janeiro. His time of 43.03 secs bettered Michael Johnson’s 43.18 which had stood since 1999. Running from the difficult lane eight, he also beat two previous Olympic champions Kirani James and LaShawn Merritt. Not only was it his first Olympic medal, he also became the first man to win an Olympic 400m title from the outside lane.
