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Rio 2016 round-up: Wayde van Niekerk breaks Michael Johnson’s 400m record, while "Ultimate Olympian" Michael Phelps retires

By Rachel Swatman
Published

An incredible variety of significant world records were set at the Rio 2016 Olympics over the course of the weekend.

Here Guinness World Records shines a spotlight on some of the amazing feats that have been achieved at the Games over the past few days.
 

Fastest run 400 metres (male)

 
Last night one of South Africa’s star athletes, Wayde van Niekerk, smashed Michael Johnson’s (USA) 17-year-old record with a sensational time of 43.03 seconds.
 
 

Some thought Michael Johnson's 400m record would last forever.

Wayde van Niekerk however... https://t.co/l8BTFaaRUtpic.twitter.com/s8M4ZpRbcP

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 15, 2016
  
The 24-year-old track runner, who carried his country’s flag at the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics, bettered the record of 43.18 that was set by Johnson back in 1999.

Here is why I respect #UsainBolt "he made his way up the stairs to congratulate #WaydevanNiekerk" pic.twitter.com/QnaTUTB4Ep

— Jerome Damon (@jerome_k_damon) August 15, 2016

Most Olympic medals won, Men

Swimming phenomenon Michael Phelps today officially announced his retirement after an impressive medal haul in Rio which has seen him extend his record for being the most decorated male Olympian of all time
 
The 31-year-old notched up an incredible five golds and one silver to bring his total medal count to 28 over the course of four Olympics.
 
"The Baltimore Bullet" has competed in five Olympic Games but did not manage to get among the medals back in 2000 while swimming in Sydney.
 
Of the 28 medals Phelps has won, 23 are gold. Only 37 countries have taken home more medals. <script defer="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js" type="text/javascript"> </script> <h2>Fastest run 10,000 metres (female)</h2> <div> </div> <div>Almaz Ayana from Ethiopia also broke a long-standing record when she ran the 10,000 metres event in an incredible 29 minutes 17.45 seconds.</div> <div> </div> <div>The previous record was 29:31.78 and had remained unchallenged for 23 years after being achieved by China’s Wang Junxia back in 1993.</div> <div> </div> <div>This record led Almaz to her first ever Olympic gold medal.</div> <div> </div> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p lang="en" dir="ltr" ><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ETH?src=hash">#ETH</a>'s Almaz Ayana wins a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Gold?src=hash">#Gold</a> and breaks the 10k world record with a 29:17.45 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/athletics?src=hash">#athletics</a> <a href="https://t.co/g2JdqEmlFH">pic.twitter.com/g2JdqEmlFH</a></p> — Rio 2016 (@Rio2016_en) <a href="https://twitter.com/Rio2016_en/status/764124526854758401">August 12, 2016</a> </blockquote> <div> </div> <h2>Cycling – Men's 4 km team pursuit</h2> <div> </div> <div>Friday saw the powerful GB cycling team of Sir Bradley Wiggins, Ed Clancy, Owain Doull and Steven Burke win the men’s team pursuit event in a record-breaking time of 3 min 50.265 sec.</div> <div> </div> <div>The nail-biting race saw the boys take home gold and beat their own record of 3 min 51.659 sec, which was achieved at the London 2012 Olympics (by an almost identical line-up of Bradley Wiggins, Ed Clancy, Steven Burke and Geraint Thomas).</div> <div> </div> <div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Simply brilliant from <a href="https://twitter.com/TeamGB">@TeamGB</a><br><br>More on the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/rio2016?src=hash">#rio2016</a> team pursuit gold: <a href="https://t.co/AWGOqEz0xf">https://t.co/AWGOqEz0xf</a> <a href="https://t.co/ZH0xHTGWFI">https://t.co/ZH0xHTGWFI</a></p>— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) <a href="https://twitter.com/BBCSport/status/764225760265576449">August 12, 2016</a></blockquote></div> <div> </div> <div>As a result, Wiggins extended his record for the <strong>Most Olympic cycling medals won (male)</strong>, having secured his eighth. Wiggins has won five gold, one silver and two bronze medals from 2000–16.</div> <div> </div> <div>Great Britain’s female track cycling team, consisting of Katie Archibald, Laura Trott, Elinor Barker and Joanna Rowsell-Shand, broke the <strong>Fastest women's 4-km team pursuit</strong> yet again and successfully defended their title by winning gold.</div> <div> </div> <div>The race against the USA on Saturday saw the foursome extend their record from 4 min 12.151 sec (video below) to 4 min 10.236 sec.</div> <div> </div> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oFO1bLD5Sh0" frameborder="0">video
 

Oldest Olympic individual swimming gold medalist (male)

 
At the age of 35 years and 78 days, Olympic veteran Anthony Ervin earned gold for Team USA in the 50 metres freestyle swimming competition on Friday – winning by just 1/100th of a second.
 
Anthony has broken Michael Phelps’ record as the oldest Olympic individual swimming gold medalist just a couple of days after Phelps earned it by winning the men’s 200 m butterfly.
 
video
 
Anthony also set a brand new world record for the Longest time between individual swimming Olympic gold medals, as it has been 15 years 325 days.
 

Most Olympic team gold medals - Dressage

Germany galloped into the record books by extending their gold medal count to 13 after a team of Sonke Rothenberger, Dorothee Schneider, Kristina Broring-Sprehe and Isabell Werth scored an impressive 81.936 points.
 
Their other golds came in 1928, 1936, 1964-68, 1976, 1984-2008. (Germany's unprecedented streak of 7 consecutive team golds was finally ended at the London 2012 games when host nation Great Britain won by a point.)
 
This team achievement led to a personal record for Isabell Werth, who has equalled Dr Reiner Klimke's long-standing record for the Most Olympic gold medals - Dressage, after winning her sixth.
 
Jamaica's Usain Bolt set a record for the Most consective gold medals won in the 100 metre (male) after coming first in the race for the third time in a row, American swimming superstar Michael Phelps finished the 2016 Olympics with a 26th gold medal - the Most gold medals won at the Olympics (male) - and Team USA has the Most Olympic gold medals won by a country in a single discipline after one of its athletes won gold in long jump for the 22nd time.