JOIN USVan Niekerk announces arrival in stunning style
In a race of staggering brilliance, Wayde van Niekerk smashed a record that had withstood the test of time for 17 years in the men’s 400M on Sunday night. Michael Johnson’s mark of 43.18 seconds, set at the Seville World Championships in 1999, had been considered one of the toughest records to break. But Van Niekerk simply demolished it at the Olympic Stadium, winning in 43.03 seconds to be the new standard-bearer of his event.
The 24-year-old South African’s feat was all the more remarkable as he was running in lane 8. Earlier this year, he had become the only man to run the 100 below 10 seconds, 200 below 20 seconds and the 400 under 44 seconds. The pace at which he clobbered a top quality field on Sunday suggested he could become the first man to run the event under 43 seconds.
Defending champion Kirani James of Grenada and American LaShawn Merritt nursed gold medal ambitions but all those went up in smoke as Van Niekerk, on the outside track with no one in front of him, ran his own race. He ran at a controlled pace early and as James and Merritt toiled hard, the South African was just ahead coming into the straight. He kept widening the lead and won by a huge margin before looking at the trackside timer and putting his hands to his face.
James, who had started well, fought off Merritt for the silver in 43.76 while the American claimed the bronze in 43.85, both running their season’s best.
“I have dreamt of this since I was a kid. I believed I could break the world record,” said Van Niekerk, who had timed 43.48 seconds to win the world title last year. Johnson, now a BBC expert, called it a massacre. “Van Niekerk is so young. What else can he do? Go under 43 seconds? It is something I thought I could do, but never did,” the American told BBC.
Usain Bolt, watching the race on television, too was impressed. “It was brilliant,” said Bolt. “He was in Jamaica and I knew he was in good shape. My coach (Glen Mills) was saying other than you, he is the only one who can break the world 400M record right now, because he has got speed and strength.”
Van Niekerk, who became the first man to win this event from lane 8, said Bolt and Johnson were his inspiration. “These are the guys that inspired me,” he said. “Usain Bolt, Michael Johnson, I learned from them, and even the guys that ran with me – James and Merritt.”.