London — Wayde van Niekerk will not bask in the glow of being dubbed the next big track star by Usain Bolt, but instead vowed to work hard to live his dream. He was speaking at a media conference on Wednesday, one day after Bolt’s at which the Jamaican had tipped the 400m world-record holder to become the sport’s next headline act. Van Niekerk did not quite pull the numbers Bolt did, but he still packed out the venue in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. It was a far cry from the last world championships in Beijing two years ago, when just one colleague and this reporter interviewed Van Niekerk in his hotel. Now the interest is too high for such intimate opportunities and there are set time limits. Then, Van Niekerk was aiming to make the podium; now he is trying to become the second man after Michael Johnson to win the 400m-200m double at a world championship. Van Niekerk said greatness could not be passed on by Bolt’s pronouncements. "It’s one thing someone saying he can be the nex...
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