Result: Wayde van Niekerk smashes 400m world record

South Africa's Wayde Van Niekerk wins the final of the men's 400 metres athletics event at the 2015 IAAF World Championships at the 'Bird's Nest' National Stadium in Beijing on August 26, 2015
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South Africa's Wayde van Niekerk breaks Michael Johnson's 400m world record to win Olympic gold in Rio de Janeiro.

Wayde van Niekerk has broken Michael Johnson's long-standing 400m world record to win Olympic gold.

The South African had been drawn in lane eight but he produced one of the most memorable displays in the history of the sport as he clocked 43.03s.

Before the race, Kirani James and Lashawn Merritt had been tipped to do battle for gold but they were left in Van Niekerk's shadow as he went out hard over the first 200 metres.

His rivals would have expected him to tire during the closing stages but he only increased speed to break Johnson's best time of 43.18s, which had stood for 17 years.

James and Merritt came home in times of 43.76s and 43.85s respectively while Great Britain's Matthew Hudson-Smith was eighth in 44.61s.

Matthew Hudson-Smith competing in Birmingham on June 27, 2014
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CountryGoldGSilverSBronzeBTotal
1 United StatesUnited States26202268
2 Great BritainGreat Britain1516738
3 ChinaChina15131745