Harare - Nijel Amos won a historic silver medal for Botswana in the 800m at the London 2012 Olympics, but in the aftermath of world record-breaking feats by other athletes at the Games, the significance of his achievement appears to have been lost.

True, he was no match for Kenyan superstar David Rudisha who obliterated the 800m world record in London.

And the exploits of Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake and co have left sports lovers with few superlatives to shower on Amos.

But Amos’ silver, the first such medal to be won by Botswana on the track at an Olympics, was special in its own way.

For instance, few people are aware that the time ran by the teenage Motswana athlete was faster than any other Olympic gold medal winner in the 800m before London 2012.

Only Rudisha, the man who beat him, has run an Olympic 800m race faster than Amos.

Not bad for a man who turned 18 in March this year.

And given how he has rapidly improved in the past year, Amos looks firmly set to become the best 800m runner in history.

Amos’ time at London 2012 is the second-fastest 800m Olympic time since the first modern games at Athens 1896.

This also means his time is faster than 27 gold medalists who have triumphed over that course between Athens 1896 and Beijing 2008 – a period of 112 years!

His 1min 41.73s was almost three seconds faster than the time that Wilfred Bangui of Kenya ran to win at Beijing 2008; and it is almost four seconds better than the time Nils Schumann of Germany ran to capture gold at Sydney 2000.

Overall, only Rudisha and Wilson Kipketer have run faster than Amos over 800m in history.

Rudisha ran 1min 41.01s in Italy and 1min 41.09s in Germany; while Kipketer ran 1 min 41.24 in Zurich and 1 min 41.73s in Stockholm, Sweden, in July 1997.

Amos has somehow shaved six second off the time he recorded in the race that thrust him into the spotlight at the 2011 African Junior Athletics Championships.

That his rapid improvement has come within just one year underlines both the hard work the teenager has put into his running, and the natural talent that he possesses.

Can there be any doubting that he is poised for greatness and a step away from the big time?

Not since Mozambique’s Maria Mutola and Namibia’s Frankie Fredericks blazed their way to glory on the track has Southern Africa seen such an athletic talent.

Who would have thought that in 2012 this boy from Marobela Village in northeastern Botswana would be cheered on by a capacity crowd at the Olympic Stadium in what is often considered the most strenuous race in athletics.

The 800m race is not an easy one.

Rudisha’s 1min 40.91s was almost four seconds faster than the time ran by his countryman Bungei when he won gold in the same race in Beijing four years ago.

Rudisha shaved a tenth of a second off his own world record, which he set two years ago when he was only 21.

This was the first world record in an 800m Olympic final since Cuba's Alberto Juantorena’s 1976 run, put into perspective how remarkable the feat is.

And the time that Amos ran at the Games this year is exactly the same time that was set by London Games chief organiser, Sebastian Coe, when he hit the big time in setting a world record back in 1981 – a mark that lasted 16 years.

The significance of the achievement is not lost on Amos.

"I'm really happy about it," he told reporters after the race. "It was my motivation to run against Rudisha so I pushed very hard."

British track legend, Coe, said it was one of the greatest Olympic races he had ever witnessed.

"That was simply an unbelievable performance," said Coe.

"David Rudisha showed supreme physical and mental confidence to run like that in an Olympic final.

"Instead of just doing enough to win the race he wanted to do something extraordinary and go for the world record as well.

"Rudisha's run will go down in history as one of the greatest Olympic victories. I feel privileged to have witnessed it in London."

Seven of the eight runners in that 800m final in London set personal bests.

These included Andrew Osagie, who despite finishing eighth set a best time. In fact, the time that Osagie ran (1min 43.77s) would have been enough to win gold at Beijing 2008!