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Wayde van Niekerk beats Michael Johnson's record, wins 400m gold

Related Topics: Wayde van Niekerk, 400 metres

History was made in two facets in the 400-meter final on Sunday night in Rio de Janeiro.

A stunning upset came from lane 8, as South Africa's Wayde van Niekerk set a world record, breaking American Michael Johnson's 43.18 mark. van Niekerk crossed -- and blew away the field -- in 43.03. He also became the first person ever to win a world or Olympic 400-meter race from lane 8.

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Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa blows away the field.

Johnson, the only man to ever win the 400-meter gold twice, held the record from 1999 until van Niekerk shocked the competition and the racing world.