RIO DE JANEIRO — Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa smashed the world record in the 400 meters on Sunday, burying a strong field and stunning the Olympic Stadium crowd.
Including Usain Bolt, who was in the tunnel preparing to race in the 100.
Van Niekerk sprinted away from the previous two Olympic gold medalists — Kirani James of Grenada and LaShawn Merritt of the USA — stopping the clock in an astonishing 43.03.
The number itself ...
43.03
... is hard to believe.
Track and field has been keeping records for more than a century, and the sprinting records have stood the test of time.