Grenad's Kirani James ran a brilliant race but was unable to defend his 400m Olympic title, finishing second in the finals at the Olympic Games underway in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He had won the gold medal for the Caribbean island back in the 2012 Olympic Games in London. But, despite finishing with a season’s best of 43.76 seconds on Sunday, James did not match up to the record-breaking speed of Wayde van Niekerk from South Africa. Van Niekerk, in 43.03 seconds, obliterated Michael Johnson’s 1999 record in the event. LaShawn Merritt from the United States was third in 43.85 seconds. Another Grenadian, Bralon Taplin, also made the finals but did not end up among the medalists. According to James, having two finalists in the clash, meant a lot to Grenada. “It means a lot not just for me but for my country… To have two guys in an Olympic finals in one of the toughest race; it’s a great achievement,” James told journalists. Source: bvnews