Full coverage: 2016 Rio Olympics
South Africa has just the one gold medal, but it was won in style. Wayde van Niekerk was smashing the 400 meters world record on his way to victory.
The 24-year-old clocked in with a time of 43.03 seconds, beating Michael Johnson’s record of 43.18, which stood since 1999.
Despite the achievement, van Niekerk already has his sights set on new goals.
Interview with Wayde van Niekerk: South African sets new world record running 43.03 seconds