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Legend meets legend: Bolt congratulates Van Niekerk

Cape Town - Moments after clinching a third straight 100m Olympic gold medal, Usain Bolt went over to congratulate Wayde van Niekerk on his 400m victory.

Jamaican superstar Bolt won the 100m title in Rio in 9.81.

Some 25 minutes earlier, Van Niekerk smashed American Michael Johnson's 17-year old record by 0.15, winning in 43.03 for South Africa's first track Olympic medal in 96 years.

It was a fitting moment between two champions, and Van Niekerk revealed the nature of their conversation afterwards. 

"I was over there (Jamaica) for about two weeks training with him,"  Van Niekerk said.

"He’s been such a huge rock in inspiring me as an athlete.

"He told me back in Jamaica that I would break the world record and he came to me afterwards and said ‘I told you that you can do it’.

"These are guys that inspire me each and every day to be the best Wayde that I can be."

Van Niekerk added that he would love the opportunity to race against Bolt one day.

"My favourite event is the 200m so I would love to race him one day when I’m big," the fastest man ever over 400m said.

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