South Africa's Wayde van Niekerk makes sprinting history

South Africa's Wayde van Niekerk has become the first athlete to run under 10 seconds for the 100m, 20 seconds for the 200m and 44 seconds for 400m.

Van Niekerk ran 100m in 9.98 seconds in Bloemfontein on Saturday to add to his 19.94 personal best over 200m and 400m world title-winning 43.48.

The 23-year-old was helped by a legal 1.5m/sec tailwind and 1,300m altitude.

"Wow! Finally reaching my dream of sub 10," Van Niekerk wrote on Instagram alongside a video of the race.

Former world and Olympic 200m and 400m champion Michael Johnson wrote on Twitter: "Sub 10, sub 20, sub 44. That's crazy. Great things could be ahead."

Van Niekerk will only run the 400m at the 2016 Olympics in Rio

Note

1. van Niekerk makes history with sub-10 100m in Bloemfontein

2. Van Niekerk runs 19.94 to break SA 200m  in Lucerne in 2015

3. Van Niekerk runs 43.48 in Men's 400m Final at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015