South Africa's Wayde Van Niekerk celebrates winning the mens' 400m event during the Diamond League athletics meeting Athletissima in Lausanne on July 6, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Fabrice COFFRINI (Photo credit should read FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images)

Home » Wayde Van Niekerk Races to Top of the World Again, Breaking Michael Johnson’s 21-Year World Record

Wayde Van Niekerk Races to Top of the World Again, Breaking Michael Johnson’s 21-Year World Record

Olympic champion and world record holder Wayde van Niekerk fired a crackerjack shot across the bows of any pretenders to his World Championship 400-metres crown in Switzerland on Thursday night, breaking Michael Johnson’s 21-year record in the 400m. Lining up for his first international one-lap event of the year, Van Niekerk cruised to a meeting […]

By SAPeople
07-07-17 11:22
in Fab South African Stuff
South Africa's Wayde Van Niekerk celebrates winning the mens' 400m event during the Diamond League athletics meeting Athletissima in Lausanne on July 6, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Fabrice COFFRINI (Photo credit should read FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images)

Olympic champion and world record holder Wayde van Niekerk fired a crackerjack shot across the bows of any pretenders to his World Championship 400-metres crown in Switzerland on Thursday night, breaking Michael Johnson’s 21-year record in the 400m.

South Africa’s Wayde Van Niekerk celebrates winning the mens’ 400m event during the Diamond League athletics meeting Athletissima in Lausanne on July 6, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Fabrice COFFRINI (Photo credit should read FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images)

Lining up for his first international one-lap event of the year, Van Niekerk cruised to a meeting record of 43.62sec at the Lausanne Diamond League.

That eclipsed former world record holder Michael Johnson’s meet record of 43.66 set 21 years ago on 2 July, 1996

And the scary news for any of those would-be pretenders to Van Niekerk’s World Championships crown that he donned in Beijing in China two years ago is that the Bloemfontein blitz was once again slowing down over the final stages.

Just over a month away are the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London and right now (in fact all year after his great form over 100, 200 and 300m) Van Niekerk looks to be in the pound seats.

Van Niekerk’s performance produced a proud podium of Africans as Botswana’s Baboloki Thebe and Isaac Makwala ran 44.02 and 44.08 respectively.

That 43.63 was not only a world-leading time and meeting record but also a Diamond League record. In his wake there were two personal bests and three season’s best, proof of the South Africa’s phenomenal pulling power.

Source: SASCOC.co.za

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