As Americans, we are lucky to watch the athletes of Team USA obliterate record after record and win gold after gold. Michael Phelps alone has won more medals than some countries ever have! Sometimes though, it's important to take a step back and allow ourselves to be humbled by the other amazing triumphs that occur at the Olympics. Media coverage thus far has rightfully surrounded Simone Biles and the Final Four's superiority in gymnastics and Michael Phelps' continued domination in the water -- but there is another inspiring athlete that we could all learn a thing or two from, and you might have never heard of him.

During the men's 400m, a world record that was set 17 years ago was crushed when Wayde van Niekerk ran for the gold medal. The South African runner is the only athlete in the world to run the 100m in under 10 seconds, the 200m in under 20 seconds, and the 400m in under 44 seconds, as well as the first South African athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in track since 1928. Talk about a long awaited celebration! His coach Anna Botha, an unassuming white woman who is exactly 50 years his senior, is the secret ingredient to van Niekerk's success -- and he knows it. "She's an amazing woman. She's played a huge role in what I am today," van Niekerk says of his mentor to Fox Sports. An unspeakable bond between two very unlikely people was rewarded with one of the most surprising wins of the Rio Summer Olympics, and it was well deserved.

Van Niekerk's extreme athleticism doesn't come as a surprise, though. His mother was also a track and field superstar who competed on the national level in the 90s. Sadly, she was banned from competing in international events, such as the Olympics, due to South Africa's apartheid regime of racial segregation. Her son's gold medal win after being coached by a white woman brings the story full circle -- over 10 years after she would have had her own Olympic run.

The fastest man to run around a track in history has overcome a lot to get where he is today. The Olympics, which have a tone of harmony and unity, come at a time where out world is filled with racial tension and so much unnecessary hate. The amazing triumph of Wayde van Niekerk and his coach, as well as all the other countless inspiring stories that come from the Olympics, help to remind us what is truly important. If this Cinderella story doesn't make your heart smile, or at least make you want to delete your Netflix account and go for a run, then I'm not sure what will.