Usain Bolt vs Wayde Van Niekerk - it could happen

17 August 2016 - 12:34 By TeamTalk Media
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World 100m record holder Usain Bolt and 400m world record holder Wayde van Niekerk are both eager to race each other in the future.

South Africa's Wayde van Niekerk celebrates winning the Men's 400m Final during the athletics event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 14, 2016.
South Africa's Wayde van Niekerk celebrates winning the Men's 400m Final during the athletics event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 14, 2016.
Image: Adrian DENNIS / AFP

Both men won gold in their respective events at the Rio Olympic Games on Sunday evening with Bolt taking his Olympic gold medal tally to seven when he won the 100m.

But South African Van Niekerk stole Bolt's thunder slightly earlier in the evening as he set a new world record of 43.03s.

The two have a good relationship as they trained together in Jamaica earlier in the year and naturally everyone is eager to see two of the world's fastest men take on each other.

  • Usain Bolt on Van Niekerk: 'I told him in Jamaica he'll break the world record'Win or lose, Usain Bolt was always going to dominate the Olympic headlines on Sunday but Wayde van Niekerk offered his embattled sport some hope for the future beyond the Jamaican's retirement with a stunning world record on the Rio track. 

"I would love to race him one day," Van Niekerk, who is the only runner in history to dip under the 10s mark in the 100m, the 20s mark in the 200m and 44s in the 400m, said when asked about taking on the Jamaican over 200m.

He added: "When I’m big...

"I would even love to run 100m with the big dogs one day."

Bolt was asked a similar question and he was also keen.

"I think that would be a good race. This year I was hoping I was in good shape and my coach told me they were going to put on a 300m," he said.

"I wasn’t in the best of shape but I really, really wanted to be in that race so hopefully next season, if he’s in good shape and my coach puts the meet on again, I’ll get the chance to run.

"I would really like to compete against him over 300m."

- TeamTalk Media

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