Wayde van Niekerk: The 74-year-old coach behind South African's golden run at Rio 2016 Posted Aug 18, 2016 She's a 74-year-old veteran coach, whose philosophy is you're never too old to learn. South Africa's Wayde van Niekerk sensationally won Olympic 400-meter gold at Rio 2016 -- smashing Michael Johnson's 17-year-old record along the way -- and he has his coach Anna Botha to thank. (CNN)