South African Sprinter Wayde Van Niekerk Wins Gold, Sets New World Record

South African track and field sprinter Wade van Niekerk won gold in the men's 400 meters category and set the new world record at the Rio Olympics on Sunday.

RIO DE JANEIRO (Sputnik) — Van Niekerk ran the distance in 43.03 seconds, beating US sprinter Michael Johnson's record of 43.18 seconds, which was set in August 1999.

Silver was won by Grenada's Kirani James who ran the distance in 43.76 second, while US sprinter LaShawn Merritt finished the third after running for 43.85 seconds.

The 2016 Summer Olympic Games are being held in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro from August 5 until August 21.