Rio Olympics 2016: Wayde van Niekerk breaks world record to win Olympic gold

Rio Olympics 2016: Wayde van Niekerk breaks world record to win Olympic gold

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Wayde van Niekerk wins 400m gold in new world record time

South Africa's Wayde van Niekerk broke Michael Johnson's 17-year-old 400m world record to sensationally win Olympic gold at Rio 2016.

The 24-year-old finished in 43.03 seconds, 0.15 quicker than the time Johnson clocked in Seville in 1999.

Grenada's Kirani James, the London 2012 champion, finished 0.73 behind to take the silver medal, with American LaShawn Merritt in bronze.

"It was a massacre," said Johnson, who won two Olympic 400m titles.

"Van Niekerk is so young, what else can he do? Can he go under 43 seconds? It is something I thought I could do, but never did.

"Usain Bolt will be retiring soon, this could be the next star."

Michael Johnson's world record of 43.18 had stood for 6,198 days

Van Niekerk, who won South Africa's first gold medal of the Games, said: "I have dreamed of this since I was a kid.

Breakthru South Africa: Telling our success story.

"I believed it was possible. I am just glad things went my way. I thank Michael Johnson for setting such a great example for us. I just did my best."

Van Niekerk's earlier runs in Rio gave little indication of what was to come.

He beat James and Merritt at the World Championships in Beijing last year, with all three going under 44 seconds, but qualified fifth fastest for the final.

James set off fast at the start of the race, but Van Niekerk, in lane eight, powered around the final bend to beat his previous personal best by 0.45.

Not only was it his first Olympic medal, he also became the first man to win an Olympic 400m title from lane eight.

Van Niekerk was still trackside doing interviews when Usain Bolt won 100m gold for the third straight Games half an hour later.

Wayde van Niekerk: Who is South Africa's 400m Olympic champion?

Bolt interrupted his own victory celebration to seek out the South African, who spent time in Jamaica working with Bolt and his coach, Glen Mills.

"He's very fast and keeps on going," said Bolt, who claimed he had predicted Van Niekerk would break the world record. "I wasn't really surprised he got it.''

Silver medallist James added: "I'm happy to be part of a race that made history. We have put this sport on a pedestal."

Great Britain's Matthew Hudson-Smith, who finished last in 44.61, said: "It was just mental how quick that was."

Men's 400m world record progression since 1968:
Time (seconds)	Athlete	Year	City
43.86	Lee Evans (USA)	1968	Mexico City
43.29	Butch Reynolds (USA)	1988	Zurich
43.18	Michael Johnson (USA)	1999	Seville
43.03	Wayde van Niekerk	2016	Rio de Janeiro

The making of a champion

Van Niekerk is trained by Ans Botha, a 74-year-old great-grandmother who has been coaching track and field since the 1960s.

They have been working together for the past three years, during which Van Niekerk has become world and now Olympic champion.

Earlier this year, he ran 9.98 seconds for the 100m to become the first athlete to run under 10 seconds for the 100m, 20 seconds for the 200m and 44 seconds for 400m.

Van Niekerk is also a huge Liverpool fan and prepared for Sunday's final by watching them beat Arsenal 4-3 in the Premier League.

"I was losing my mind because it was quite a tight match," he said.

"My brother's an Arsenal fan. Now I've got the world record and Liverpool beat Arsenal. I've got a lot to brag about."

Van Niekerk is not the only member of his family to win a medal in Rio. His cousin, Cheslin Kolbe, won bronze with South Africa's sevens rugby team.

Analysis

Former 400m world record holder Michael Johnson: "Oh my God! From lane eight, a world record. He took it out so quick. "I have never seen anything from 200 to 400 like that. That was a massacre from Wayde van Niekerk. He just put those guys away."

Former British sprinter Darren Campbell: "You know something special is happening when Kirani James is five metres behind and LaShawn Merritt is right there with him. Monday's headlines should all be about Usain Bolt winning the 100m, but how can it not be Wayde van Niekerk beating the great Michael Johnson's 400m world record?"

Reaction

British sprinter Nigel Levine: "Can't believe I just saw a human being run 43.03 seconds for a 400m."

British 400m runner and two-time Olympian Martyn Rooney: "43.03... Wow... He said he wanted to go 42 and nobody believed him... Wow! Congrats"

British sprinter Richard Kilty: "That was one of the best sporting performances in history @WaydeDreamer new world record 43.03 wow!"

Derek Redmond on Twitter: "43:03 holy moly Van Niekerk"

British sprinter Adam Gemili: "Wooooooow. He nearly ran 42. World record.

BBC Sport 

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Breakthru South Africa:

Documenting and promoting the successes and exploits of South Africa and South Africans.

Celebrating the heroes and heroines of our nation.

South Africa wins world student cluster competition... again.

South Africa wins world student cluster competition... again.

by Kleinric

The ISC High Performance Student Cluster Competition has students competing to build the best supercomputer within a set budget. They are judged based on the performance of various benchmarks, cost and power consumption.

The CHPC South Africa runs a national competition and then chooses a team to compete against teams from Germany, USA, China, and others.

Wits won the last national competition. 4 Wits students and 2 Stellenbosch students were chosen as the SA team. They just beat 11 other teams to come first.

This is the 4th time SA has competed.

·       2016 - SA First

·       2015 - China First, SA Second

·       2014 - SA First

·       2013 - SA First

Congrats to Wits, Stellenbosch and CHPC!

Breakthru South Africa:

Documenting and promoting the successes of South Africa and South Africans.

Celebrating the heroes and heroines of our nation.

South African wins Dakar Rally

South African wins Dakar Rally

Giniel de Villiers, a South African, completed the final stage of 227 km to win the 30th Dakar Rally, driving a VW Touareg II – this after close calls in 2006 when he made 2nd place and 2007 when he missed out on victory at stage nine due to turbocharge issues.

 This was not only the first win for a South African, but also for Volkswagen who finally made Mitsubishi eat their dirt after that company has dominated the race for the past 7 years.

 South Africans also featured elsewhere in the race – the second place went to Mark Miller whose co-driver is from SA and the Nissans which came 4th and 5th were both built by Nissan Motorsport right here in SA, under Glynn Hall and the team from Nissan Motorsport.

 Car Results – Overall Standings:

 1. De Villiers/Von Zitzewitz   VW   48:10:57

 2. Miller/Pitchford   VW   48:19:56

 3. Gordon/Grider   Hummer   49:57:12

4. Tollefsen/Evans   Nissan   54:15:31

 5. Holowczyc/Fortin   Nissan   54:48:46

 Bike Results – Overall Standings:

 1. Coma   KTM   52:14:33

2. Despres   KTM   53:40:11

3. Fretigne   Yamaha   53:53:29

 4. Casteu   KTM   54:32:27

 5. Rodrigues   KTM   54:36:44

Breakthru South Africa:

Documenting and promoting the successes of South Africa and South Africans.

Celebrating the heroes and heroines of our nation.

NGI, South Africa wins Public Agency of the Year award

NGI, South Africa wins Public Agency of the Year award

National Geo-spatial Information (NGI), Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR), South Africa, has won Geospatial Media and Communications' Public Agency of the Year award for 2015.

NOIDA, India - March 23, 2016 - PRLog -- National Geo-spatial Information (NGI), Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR), South Africa, has won Geospatial Media and Communications' Public Agency of the Year award for 2015. The award shall be presented during Geospatial World Forum on May 25, 2016 at World Trade Centre, Rotterdam. The jury comprises of renowned professionals representing the industry, academia, and government and multilateral organizations.

NGI has been recognized for its extensive efforts in South Africa and beyond in the following areas: digital aerial imagery and maps, national control network survey information, spatial data infrastructure and survey and geospatial advisory services. The jury has recognized NGI's role in the development of geospatial technologies not only within the country but also across Africa, especially in knowledge sharing and capacity building.

"NGI has played a vital role in developing and adopting latest technologies and practices in formulating South Africa's frameworks and policies to enhance the uptake of spatial information in the country. While recognizing NGI's efforts in enabling decision-making in South Africa, I would like to complement Dr. Derek Clark for his impeccable vision and guidance," said Sanjay Kumar, CEO, Geospatial Media and Communications.

"The management and staff of the Chief Directorate, NGI, are really honored to have received this prestigious award. We are humbled to know that our efforts in contributing to the developmental agenda of South Africa and other African countries through geospatial information and technology programs have received this recognition. It inspires us to continue on our journey in promoting geospatial information and technologies for a better life for all," said Dr Derek Clarke, Chief Director, NGI, South Africa.

About Geospatial Leaderships Awards

Established in 2007, by Geospatial Media and Communications, the Geospatial World Leadership Awards have evolved as the premium geospatial awards and acquired the reputation of being most well accredited global recognition. Categories of these awards are aligned with characteristics and directions of geospatial industry.

About Geospatial Media and Communications

Geospatial Media and Communications is an internationally accredited organization, having committed itself to serve stakeholders of geospatial community and work towards opening new era of industrialization, while facilitating collaboration and demonstrating value and benefits of geospatial technology and information for governance, businesses and people.

Breakthru South Africa:

Documenting and promoting the successes of South Africa and South Africans.

Celebrating the heroes and heroines of our nation.

Majority Female Ranger Unit from South Africa Who won Top UN Environmental Prize

Pretoria, 7 September 2015 - The Black Mamba Anti-Poaching Unit, a South African and majority-women ranger group, was announced as one of the winners of the United Nation's top environmental accolade, the Champions of the Earth award.

With this award, in the Inspiration and Action category, UNEP is recognizing the rapid and impressive impact the Black Mamba unit has made in combatting poaching and the courage required to accomplish it.

UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said, "Community-led initiatives are crucial to combatting the illegal wildlife trade and the Black Mambas highlight the importance and effectiveness of local knowledge and commitment."

"Their many successes are a result of their impressive courage and determination to make a difference in their community. The Black Mambas are an inspiration not only locally, but across the world to all those working to eliminate the scourge of the illegal wildlife trade."

"While their work contributes most toward ecosystem preservation and halting biodiversity loss, Goal 15 of the Sustainable Development Goals, it also exemplifies the action-driven solutions needed to achieve all of the SDGs. With every rhino saved the Black Mambas demonstrate that action on a local level is critical to achieving global sustainability and equity."

Since being founded in 2013, the 26-member unit has also helped arrest six poachers, reduced snaring by 76 per cent, removed over 1,000 snares and put 5 poachers' camps and 2 bush meat kitchens out of action.

The area that they protect, the Balule Private Game Reserve, is home to an abundance of wildlife - including not only rhino but leopards, lions, elephants, cheetahs and hippos. It is part of the Greater Kruger National Park, a network of over 2 million hectares of protected areas that is home to thousands of birds, impalas, giraffes, wildebeest, buffalos, antelopes, hyenas, crocodiles, fish and zebras.

Protecting the rhino is vital in South Africa, where 1,215 rhinos were killed in 2014 alone. This is an increase of over 12,000 percent since 2004 and symptomatic of a devastating epidemic that has pushed the rhino closer to the edge of extinction.

Leitah Mkhabela, a member of the Black Mamba rangers, said: "I am not afraid, I know what I am doing and I know why I am doing it. If you see the poachers you tell them not to try, tell them we are here and it is they who are in danger."

"Animals deserve to live; they have a right to live. Do your part. When demand ends, the killing will end. Say yes to life. Say no to illegal rhino horn and elephant ivory."

For three weeks at a time, the rangers patrol the park - walking up to 20km a day, checking its fences and seeking out poachers, their trails, camps and snares. They know their ground so well that even a moved stone alerts them to poachers.

During their time off, they also use their local networks to identify potential poachers and take appropriate action to discourage them. One ranger specifically targets the children in the communities, seeking to connect them with the parks' wildlife, soil and water.

In their communities, they contribute to the local discussion about the connection between money, criminal gangs and poaching. They understand how the extreme poverty that surrounds the park and demand from Asia combine to produce the current surge in poaching. They encourage, by example, positive engagement with the parks and discourage new members of the community from being recruited to the poachers' network.

Their difficult, intense and dangerous work both within and outside the park fundamentally undermines the international poaching syndicates that threaten to wipe out populations of rhino and elephant in the wild.

The award, to be presented in New York on the 27 September 2015, is in acknowledgment of this fierce, practical courage.

About Champions of the Earth

The annual Champions of the Earth awards are the highest environmental accolade that the United Nations can confer upon outstanding individuals and organizations. Previous laureates of this inclusive award range from leaders of nations to grassroots activists - all visionaries whose leadership and actions drive the world ever closer to its aspirations of environmental sustainability and a life of dignity for all. To date, the Champions of the Earth Awards have recognized 67 laureates in the categories of policy, science, business and civil society.

This year, the award year aims to support the Sustainable Development Goals by illustrating, through the examples of the laureates, that the transition to low-carbon, resource-efficient, inclusive and sustainable economic models is not just possible, but already in progress.

The remaining laureates will be revealed throughout September. The awards will be handed out at a Gala Ceremony at the close of the Sustainable Development Goals summit, on September 27.

Cecilia Kinuthia-Njenga, Head, UNEP Office in South Africa, +27 12 354 8092, cecilia.njenga@unep.org

Breakthru South Africa:

Documenting and promoting the successes of South Africa and South Africans.

Celebrating the heroes and heroines of our nation.

NGI, South Africa wins Public Agency of the Year award

NGI, South Africa wins Public Agency of the Year award

HomepageNational Geo-spatial Information (NGI), Department of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR), South Africa, won the Geospatial Media and Communications’ Public Agency of the Year award for 2015. The award shall be presented during Geospatial World Forum on May 25, 2016 at World Trade Centre, Rotterdam. The jury comprises of renowned professionals representing the industry, academia, and government and multilateral organizations.

NGI has been recognized for its extensive efforts in South Africa and beyond in the following areas: digital aerial imagery and maps, national control network survey information, spatial data infrastructure and survey and geospatial advisory services. The jury has recognized NGI’s role in the development of geospatial technologies not only within the country but also across Africa, especially in knowledge sharing and capacity building.

“NGI has played a vital role in developing and adopting latest technologies and practices in formulating South Africa’s frameworks and policies to enhance the uptake of spatial information in the country. While recognizing NGI’s efforts in enabling decision-making in South Africa, I would like to complement Dr. Derek Clark for his impeccable vision and guidance,” said Sanjay Kumar, CEO, Geospatial Media and Communications.

“The management and staff of the Chief Directorate, NGI, are really honored to have received this prestigious award. We are humbled to know that our efforts in contributing to the developmental agenda of South Africa and other African countries through geospatial information and technology programs have received this recognition. It inspires us to continue on our journey in promoting geospatial information and technologies for a better life for all,” said Dr Derek Clarke, Chief Director, NGI, South Africa.

About Geospatial Leaderships Awards

Established in 2007, by Geospatial Media and Communications, the Geospatial World Leadership Awards have evolved as the premium geospatial awards and acquired the reputation of being most well accredited global recognition. Categories of these awards are aligned with characteristics and directions of geospatial industry.

http://geospatialmedia.net/

Breakthru South Africa - Documenting the successes of South Africa and South Africans.