Michael Johnson Reacts Instantly After His Seemingly Unconquerable World Record Is Beaten

You're not supposed to win finals from lane eight, but Wayde van Niekerk did. That was not the South African's most astonishing achievement on Sunday night. That was beating what appeared to be one of the most impregnable world records in track and field - Michael Johnson's 17-year-old 400m time of 43.18.

Van Niekerk smashed Johnson's time by 0.15. Whether you choose to believe in it or not is another thing.

Conveniently, Michael Johnson was commentating on the BBC and reacted immediately after van Niekerk set the new mark.

Johnson was remarkably magnanimous. 'Oh my God' were his first words. He also said that 'From 200m to 400m, I have never seen anything like that.'

Picture credit: Sportsfile