Wayde van Niekerk was the only story of the week. The rest of the world thought it was Usain Bolt, but even Bolt thought it was Wayde. When Bolt made his embrace of Van Niekerk a priority ahead of an obligatory TV interview, it was a salute from one exceptional athlete, who will soon depart the scene, to another, who is beginning to take centre stage.A year ago, when discussing Van Niekerk's breakthrough race in Paris, I suggested that we might not fully appreciate the enormity of the few seconds Wayde van Niekerk spent running around the Stade de France track.That was when he ran the 400m in less than 44 seconds for the first time. The 44-second mark is like the four-minute mile, the 10-second 100m or the two-hour marathon. Only 10 men have run it under 44 seconds. Van Niekerk became the 10th that July night in Paris (43.96). He did it 63 days later to become world champion (43.48) and on Sunday he ran it faster than anyone has ever done to become Olympic champion (43.03).If we didn't fully appreciate the Paris moment, we never expected his phenomenal progression in just over a year.Sunday's gold-medal, world-record run not only defied belief - Michael Johnson's 17-year-old world record of 43.18 was said to be unassailable - it came after the most difficult of draws.The outside lane is the worst to start in because the rest of the field is staggered behind you. You can't see your opponents unless they overtake you and Van Niekerk, on the outside, had no intention of allowing that to happen.At the 2004 Olympics Alleyne Francique of Grenada was the form runner in the 400m. He drew the outside lane and finished fourth. In another situation, he would have beaten the first three in his sleep.During the 1971 South African championships at Pilditch Stadium in Pretoria, the clear favourite was Marcello Fiasconaro, who before then had run the 400 in under 46 seconds - world-class at that time."I was considered a shoo-in," Fiasconaro recalled this week. But he was allotted the outside lane and lost to Dicky Broberg, an 800m specialist who won in 46.1 seconds - a time well outside Fiasconaro's best."The outside lane is the most difficult place to be in the 400," said Fiasconaro. "You don't see your opponents if you are leading until about the final bend, when you might catch a glimpse."By that time the extreme exertion results in the burning sensation in the muscles, a searing agony. The only comfort, says Fiasconaro, is that everyone else in the race feels the same.The pain is only obvious to those suffering on the track. On Sunday night in Rio (early Monday morning here) Van Niekerk appeared in no distress as he accelerated away from Kirani James, a compatriot and pupil of Francique, who finished second.In Beijing last year, when he became world champion, Van Niekerk had to be stretchered off the track so exhausted was he at the end. On Sunday he lingered to pose alongside a panel showing his world-record time.And just for the record, Van Niekerk has best times for the 100m of 9.98 seconds, set this year; 15.89 for the 150m (2011); 19.94 for the 200m (2015); 31 for the 300m (on Sunday); and now 43.03 for the 400m.Even a 400m in under 43 seconds now seems possible for him...