ERST LESEN! » 16-year career.Small things turn into big

RIO DE JANEIRO -- Exploding out of the blocks in Lane 8, Wayde van Niekerk didnt see another runner in the entire Olympic 400-meter final.He didnt need to. It was just him against the clock.The South African sprinter broke Michael Johnsons 17-year-old world record on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro, leaving two of the greatest one-lap runners of this era in his dust. Van Niekerk finished in 43.03 seconds -- 0.15 seconds faster than Johnson ran on Aug. 26, 1999, at the world championships in Seville, Spain. Johnsons mark was considered one of the almost untouchable records in track.I was running blind all the way, Van Niekerk said. I thought someone was going to catch me -- whats going on, whats going on -- and it gave me motivation to keep on pushing.Van Niekerk, 24, became the first South African since 1928 to win an Olympic gold medal on the track, according to ESPN Stats & Information.He leaned at the finish line, which he really didnt need to do, as Kirani James (43.76) of Grenada and LaShawn Merritt (43.85) of the United States werent even in the picture. James, the defending Olympic champion, finished with the silver, and Merritt, who won gold eight years ago in Beijing, hung on for bronze as he staggered across the line.Van Niekerk drove a wedge in the rivalry between James and Merritt at the world championships last August, when he beat both with such a lung-searing performance that he left the track on a stretcher.Now hes the fastest ever. This time, instead of collapsing at the finish, Van Niekerk dropped to one knee and put his head in his hands. Moments later, he draped the multicolored South African flag around his shoulders and took off his spikes. As he did so, Van Niekerk pointed at the clock to make sure everyone saw his time. It was hard to miss.Even Usain Bolt thought so. He sought out Van Niekerk and congratulated him moments after winning an?unprecedented third 100-meter title. The compliments kept on coming with Johnson, a track and field analyst for BBC, weighing in as well.Oh my God! From Lane 8, a world record. He took it out so quick, Johnson told the BBC. I have never seen anything from 200 to 400 like that. That was a massacre from Wayde van Niekerk. He just put those guys away.The competition didnt stand a chance. James thought he possibly had enough in the tank to catch Van Niekerk around the final curve. No one did. This was really a race for silver, with James easily holding off Merritt, who had to dig deep to cling to bronze.He just wouldnt slow down, James said. Usually, what happens is the last 100, guys start to slow down a little bit, but he just kept going. When you keep going like that, obviously a record is going to fall.Akani Simbine, Van Niekerks roommate in the Olympic Village, said his teammate was targeting the record.But we didnt bring it up much because thats just added pressure, you know, said Simbine, who finished fifth in the 100 final. He knows what he needs to do, and we believe in what he can do.It was just a thing of, OK, he said hes going to do it, break the world record, and here he did it.A world record was precisely what the sport needed in the wake of a Russian doping scandal that grabbed the headlines before the Olympics. A fast, fresh face was also a boost because Bolt cant be around forever.Van Niekerk is so young, what else can he do? Can he go under 43 seconds? Johnson said. It is something I thought I could do but never did. Usain Bolt will be retiring soon. 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When the exchange concluded, the two men bowed to each other, a fitting gesture to celebrate the bridge from Suzukis native Japan to Cooperstown.Suzuki began building that bridge when he came to the major leagues as a 27-year-old rookie in 2001. Three-thousand hits later, hes a memorabilia-making machine.The Suzuki collection at the Hall of Fame numbered more than two dozen items even before his triple Sunday at Colorado, where he became the first Japanese player to reach 3,000 hits. When he and his teammates returned to Marlins Park to begin a homestand, Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson was there to collect additional Suzuki souvenirs.Jeff asked me about the stuff, Suzuki said through an interpreter. I was happy to give it to him. I have an agreement with Jeff that when I die, all of my stuff is going to go to Jeff and the Hall of Fame.Suzuki, a baseball history buff, has visited Cooperstown six times.There is no current player Ive encountered who has as deep an appreciation of baseball history as Ichiro, Idelson said. This is a guy who understands his place in history. Because of that, as a sport and as a country, were all the richer.While Major League Baseball celebrated Suzukis achievement, it was even bigger news back home. Several dozen reporters and photographers from Japan had been logging lots of air miles following their nations most famous athlete as he approached the milestone and subsequently went into a slump.With the triple in Denver -- only his second hit in 17 at-bats since July 29 -- he said his overriding emotion was relief that so many of his countrymen would be reuniited with their families.ddddddddddddFor the last couple of weeks, there have been a lot of members of the media following me, Suzuki said. Im just so happy they can go back to their homes now.Suzukis characteristically humble attitude regarding his achievement transcended the language barrier. When asked to name the most famous person to congratulate him on 3,000 hits, he responded in English.Justin Bour, he said, drawing laughter.Bour, the Marlins rotund first baseman, is famous mostly in his own family but expressed gratitude for the recognition from Suzuki.I think hes just trying to make me feel better after he blasted me yesterday for being fat, Bour said.Suzuki, Bour and the Marlins are in playoff contention for a change. Miami hasnt been to the postseason since 2003, and Suzuki has made it only twice in his 16-year career.Small things turn into big things, he said. I hope our team can continue to do the small things and theyll turn into big things.Meticulous preparation is a Suzuki hallmark, and he spoke at a news conference more than four hours before Mondays game already in uniform. That included sunglasses atop the bill of his cap, even though he was going to be playing indoors at night.While ready for action, he was in need of a new bat. Suzuki put aside the one that produced the historic triple, one of the few mementoes he has kept.I really dont have much, he said. Most of it is in my home in Seattle. Its something I think Ill enjoy once I become a grandpa.At 42, hes old enough to start thinking about grandchildren -- and retirement. He has often said he wants to play until at least 50, but he sidestepped that subject Monday, saying hes taking it one at-bat at time.With Suzukis help, even baseball cliches have gone global. ' ' '