The men’s 400m final had been tagged one of the most anticipated races of the Rio 2016 Olympics, but no one was prepared for what happened at the Olympic Stadium on Sunday as reigning World Champion Wayde Van Niekerk smashed Michael Johnson’s World Record with an incredible time of 43.03s to win GOLD in Brazil.
Though drawn in Lane 8, Van Niekerk’s unleashed his inner beast, accelerating after the curve to keep his rivals at bay. Defending champion Kirani James won Silver in 43.76s as USA’s LaShawn Merritt took the Bronze in 43.85s.
The men’s 400m final was meant to serve as an appetizer to the men’s 100m final, but the race was taken to another level by the South African who crossed the finishing line way ahead of James and Merritt, making it the first time in Olympic history that three men have run inside 44s.
It was no surprise that Machel Cedenio who finished in 4th place, set a National Record (NR) of 44.01s, while Botswana’s Karabo Sibanda was spectacular, coming 5th in a Personal Best (PB) of 44.25s, his second PB within 24 hours.
Bahrain’s Ali Khamis Khamis raced to an NR of 44.36s in 6th position, while Bralon Taplin and Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith finished 7th and 8th respectively in 44.45s and 44.61s.
Unlike the Beijing 2015 World Championships where Van Niekerk collapsed after racing to GOLD in 43.48s, this time around the 24-year old seemed better prepared to contain the rigours that came with exerting himself in a race that was simply out of this world.
Van Niekerk also obliterated Johnson’s 20-year Olympic Record (OR) of 43.48s, which incidentally, was his winning time in Beijing last year. With this incredible feat, Van Niekerk becomes the first African to win the Olympics 400m title, the same way he became the first man from the continent to win the world title in the event.
