Yancarlos Martinez may still be a newcomer to the sport, but the former baseball player will head to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games with his name already in the record books.
The 23-year-old won the 200m at the recent Ibero-American Championships, which doubled as the official test event for this year&rsquo;s Olympics, and his winning time of 20.19 established a respectable stadium record for the rest of the world&rsquo;s top sprinters to aim at when the half-lap event gets underway at the Games on 16 August.
The stadium record may not last beyond the first round, but Martinez himself hopes to go all the way to the final.
Like most boys growing up in the Dominican Republic, Martinez &ndash; the third youngest son of four siblings &ndash; first took up baseball, the country&rsquo;s most popular sport, in his hometown of San Cristobal, 25km west of the capital Santo Domingo.
He carved his talent, hoping like many teenagers to make it to the Major League Baseball in the USA. He excelled with his speed as an outfielder and came close to joining an MLB organisation, but one day he was hit in his right wrist during a game and it affected his batting ability.
&ldquo;At 21 years of age, I felt depressed knowing that my future as a baseball player was over,&rdquo; said Martinez. &ldquo;I moved to Santo Domingo for athletics. I trained there during the week and played baseball at home in San Cristobal on the weekends.
&ldquo;My father wanted me to be a baseball player and he was initially sad because he did not want me to change sports. That&rsquo;s why I did both during a period of time and kept working hard to help my family financially.&rdquo;
At just 1.67m (5ft 6in) tall, his build did not impress local coaches and nobody wanted to commit to training him. He then ran into Cuban coach Yaseen Perez, a former sprinter and a guide runner who guided Adrian Iznaga to world and Paralympic medals in the 2000s.
&ldquo;He was motivated to practice athletics and I told him that we could work together,&rdquo; recalled Perez of their first encounter early in 2014. &ldquo;He was jumping over some hurdles in just the second week of training. I was impressed by his natural power. I have rarely seen something like that, so I knew I had an unpolished diamond in front of me.&rdquo;
In his first official race at a local meeting in June of 2014, Martinez clocked 10.68 into a -2.0m/s headwind. Later that day he improved to 10.60, also into a headwind, to finish second in the final.
A steady progress paved the way for his first international experience at the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games in Mexico in November. He set personal bests of 10.35 and 10.29 to finish fourth in the 100m, just missing the bronze medal by one hundredth of a second. Three days later, he anchored the 4x100m team to a national record of 39.01 for silver.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t know much about athletics, I didn&rsquo;t even know how to lean forward at the finish line,&rdquo; said Martinez. &ldquo;I really enjoyed the Games, running the relay and winning silver with a national record.&rdquo;
<h3>Breakthrough and racing Bolt</h3>
With a full year of training behind him, Martinez&rsquo;s progress continued early in 2015. In his first 100m race of the season, he equalled the 22-year-old national record of 10.16. Later that day, he also broke the national 200m record with 20.37.
He went on to set four more national records at the Pan-American Games in Toronto two months later, clocking 10.14 in the 100m, 20.30 and 20.22 in the 200m and 38.67 in the 4x100m.
&ldquo;It was a great experience being on the same team as Felix Sanchez and Luguelin Santos,&rdquo; said Martinez, who finished seventh in the 200m in Toronto. &ldquo;We took some photos together and I realised I could one day become a world-class athlete like them. Running with some of the world&rsquo;s best athletes convinced me that I could run as fast, or faster, one day.&rdquo;
Two weeks later, Martinez claimed his first international medal when he finished second in the 200m at the NACAC Senior Championships in San Jose, Costa Rica. &ldquo;That medal motivated me a lot to keep working hard,&rdquo; he said.
But an even bigger experience was yet to come.
On his global championships debut at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015, Martinez was drawn in the same first-round heats as Usain Bolt in both the 100m and 200m.
&ldquo;When I started to learn about the sport and got to know the big names like Usain Bolt, you always dream of running against one of them one day,&rdquo; said Martinez, who went on to finish fourth in the semifinals of the 200m, narrowly missing a spot in the final. &ldquo;It really made me happy and I had a chance to shake hands with him.&rdquo;
<h3>Indoor debut</h3>
The IAAF World Indoor Championships Portland 2016 was the next big event on the calendar and Martinez&rsquo;s coach advised him to try this new experience.
&ldquo;The 60m is not my favourite, but my coach encouraged me to try it as it would help me learn new things,&rdquo; said Martinez. &ldquo;I learned new things about improving my start and the first part of the race. It will definitely help me in 100m and 200m.&rdquo;
Following three indoor races, where he set and equalled the national indoor 60m record of 6.78, his early season form hinted 2016 could see him get closer to the world&rsquo;s best.
He ran 20.40 in his first 200m of the year and set a season&rsquo;s best of 10.15 over 100m in late April. His exploits at the Ibero-American Championships in Rio de Janeiro came two weeks later. On the same day as his 200m victory, he anchored his team to gold in the 4x100m, clocking a national record of 38.52.
After setting a national record of 38.52 in the heats, the Dominican Republic currently occupies one of the 16 qualifying slots for that event at the Olympic Games.
&ldquo;I went to Brazil feeling a bit tired after a bit of travelling, but I felt fine through all the races,&rdquo; said Martinez. &ldquo;In the semifinals I ran the bend fast and then eased off on the home stretch. In the final, I gave it all and was surprised by the 20.19. I am sure I can run faster when I am more rested.
&ldquo;The Rio track is the best I have ever stepped on. I loved it. I am sure the Games will be very exciting running.
&ldquo;We have done some great work together,&rdquo; he added of his 4x100m teammates. &ldquo;We are confident we can improve further at the Olympics.&rdquo;
Running fast in the Olympic stadium not only gave Martinez a lot of confidence, it has also opened the door to appearances on the European circuit. He will compete at the IAAF World Challenge meeting in Madrid on 23 June and hopes to make his IAAF Diamond League debut at some point this summer.
<h3>Returning to Rio</h3>
Martinez is happy with his accomplishments, but he remains grounded. &ldquo;When I train, I focus on executing each part of the race,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I am not worried about the time. If you do things right, a good time will come up. I finish my races strong, but still need to work on my start.&rdquo;
His coach believes Martinez has the potential to be among the world&rsquo;s best.
&ldquo;He is yet to develop all his capacity,&rdquo; said Perez. &ldquo;He is coming from baseball, so the volume is not as intense. We are taking it one step at a time to keep him healthy and to keep him around in the sport for many years.&rdquo;
And after the initial reluctance about a switch from baseball to athletics, Martinez&rsquo;s father is now convinced that his son has a future in the sport.
&ldquo;My mom has supported me in all decisions I have made. My father wanted me to stick to baseball, but he is happy now. He told me, &lsquo;You are a fighter and have made the difference in the family; keep fighting for your dreams&rsquo;.
&ldquo;Luguelin (Santos) has given me a lot of advice and he believes I can become the first Dominican to run 100m under 10 seconds,&rdquo; added Martinez, who loves to play softball and is working on completing his high school diploma when he is not on the track.
Martinez also insists that Perez has been instrumental in his rapid rise.
&ldquo;He has helped me a lot and is like a second father to me,&rdquo; said Martinez. &ldquo;He trusted in my potential and was patient when working with me. He said I could one day run at the Olympic Games.&rdquo;
That dream will soon become a reality.
Javier Clavelo Robinson for the IAAF

Yancarlos Martinez may still be a newcomer to the sport, but the former baseball player will head to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games with his name already in the record books.

Yancarlos Martinez, from baseball player to Olympic-bound sprinter

<a href="#FR">Fran&ccedil;ais</a>
IAAF President Sebastian Coe was present at the Ibero-American Championships in Rio de Janeiro, which finished on Monday (16), and which doubled as the official test event for athletics for the forthcoming Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
Coe &ndash; who was accompanied by Rio 2016 Olympic Games President Carlos Nuzman and its executive director for sport,&nbsp;Agberto Guimaraes &ndash; applauded the preparations in the Olympic Stadium, with athletics taking place between 12-21 August. &nbsp;
&ldquo;It will be a very good event and the message to people is &lsquo;come and watch it&rsquo;," said Coe. "You will see some of the most outstanding athletes not just of their generation, but in the history of the sport.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve spent time with our (IAAF) technical delegates and they&rsquo;re very pleased with how these championships have been delivered for the athletes. And the great thing about a test event is that you go away and absorb all those things that you need to absorb and learn from over the next 80 days.&rdquo;
The possibility of world records in Rio was raised by local reporters, perhaps in similar fashion to David Rudisha&rsquo;s 800m standard in London four years ago, and Coe sounded an optimistic tone.
&ldquo;I sincerely hope so," he said. "It&rsquo;s a very fast surface, Mondo is a great provider of tracks and have been our partner for many years. So yes, with a full stadium of noisy, passionate track and field fans, the athletes will raise their game and rise to the occasion."
<h4>Lowe goes high</h4>
The competitive highlight over the three days of the 17th edition of the Ibero-American Championships came in the women&rsquo;s jumps.
As a test event, guests from outside the Ibero-American family were invited and one of those who benefited was US high jump record-holder Chaunte Lowe, who won her specialist event with a world-leading 1.96m.
Local pole vault star Fabiana Murer, the 2010 world indoor champion and 2011 world champion, opened her Olympic campaign &ndash; which she has announced will be her last competitive season at age 35 &ndash; with a win at 4.60m.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m far from my best form and I still lack speed, but I wanted to test the track to see how it feels to vault here,&rdquo; said the South American record holder at 4.85m. "I had eight jumps which enabled me to know that the track is very good."
In the sprints, Dominican Republic&rsquo;s Yancarlos Martinez set a national record of 20.19 in the 200m. Martinez also anchored the 4x100m team to victory with another national record of 38.52.
But his compatriot Luguelin Santos, the Olympic silver medallist, only finished second over one lap of the track in 45.58, finishing behind Cuba&rsquo;s Yoandys Lescay, who won in 45.36.
Chile&rsquo;s Ivan Lopez obtained an impressive double at 1500m and 3000m with 3:38.64 and 7:52.53, the latter a national record, while Brazil&rsquo;s Lutimar Paes and Kleberson Davide got a 1-2 in the 800m with 1:45.42 and 1:45.79 respectively.
In the field, the leading men&rsquo;s performances came from Argentina&rsquo;s German Chiaraviglio, who won the pole vault with 5.60m, and Colombia&rsquo;s Arley Ibarguen who threw 80.28m to win the javelin.
<h4>Colombian women triumph</h4>
In spite of the absence of two-time world triple jump champion Caterine Ibarguen, several other Colombian women displayed good form, topped by javelin thrower Flor Denis Ruiz.
The 25 year-old Ruiz, the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games Champion and South American record-holder with 63.80m from 2014, dominated her event with 62.15m in round three, the second best of her life which sealed her Olympic ticket.
Another fine Colombian victory came from Pan-American Games champion Muriel Coneo with a 1500m win in 4:09.35.
Venezuela&rsquo;s Ahymara Espinosa won the shot with a national record of 18.19m, which also secures her Olympic qualification.
USA&rsquo;s Stephanie Brown Trafton, the 2008 Olympic discus champion, won her event with a season&rsquo;s best of 61.22m while Argentina&rsquo;s Belen Casetta also qualified for the Olympic Games in the 3000m steeplechase thanks to her victory in 9:42.93, a national record.
<a name="FR"></a>Eduardo Biscayart for the IAAF
&nbsp;
<hr />
<h3>Le pr&eacute;sident de l&rsquo;IAAF, Sebastian Coe, donne le feu vert pour les pr&eacute;paratifs olympiques &agrave;&nbsp;l&rsquo;occasion de la comp&eacute;tition test de Rio 2016</h3>
Le pr&eacute;sident de l&rsquo;IAAF, Sebastian Coe, &eacute;tait pr&eacute;sent &agrave; l&rsquo;occasion des Championnats Ib&eacute;ro-am&eacute;ricains organis&eacute;s &agrave;&nbsp;Rio de Janeiro, qui se sont termin&eacute;s ce lundi (16), et qui tenaient en outre lieu d&rsquo;&eacute;preuve test officielle pour l&rsquo;athl&eacute;tisme dans la perspective des tout prochains Jeux Olympiques de Rio 2016.
Le Pr&eacute;sident Coe - accompagn&eacute; pour l&rsquo;occasion par le pr&eacute;sident des Jeux Olympiques de Rio 2016, Carlos Nuzman, ainsi que du directeur d&eacute;l&eacute;gu&eacute; sportif des Jeux, Agberto Guimaraes - a lou&eacute; les pr&eacute;paratifs accomplis dans le Stade olympique, qui accueillera les &eacute;preuves d&rsquo;athl&eacute;tisme du 12 au 21 ao&ucirc;t.
&ldquo;Nous allons assister &agrave; une manifestation du plus haut niveau et le message &agrave; propager au monde entier est qu&rsquo;il faut venir y assister, a d&eacute;clar&eacute; Coe. Les spectateurs pr&eacute;sents pourront y admirer des athl&egrave;tes parmi les plus exceptionnels, non seulement de leur g&eacute;n&eacute;ration, mais de l&rsquo;histoire toute enti&egrave;re de notre sport.
&ldquo;J&rsquo;ai pu &eacute;changer avec nos D&eacute;l&eacute;gu&eacute;s techniques [de l&rsquo;IAAF], et ils se d&eacute;clarent ravis de la mani&egrave;re dont ces championnats ont &eacute;t&eacute; livr&eacute;s pour les sportifs en lice. Ce qui est fabuleux, avec une &eacute;preuve test telle que celle-ci, est qu&rsquo;elle vous donne l&rsquo;opportunit&eacute; de bien prendre en compte tout ce qu&rsquo;il s&rsquo;y est pass&eacute;, de l&rsquo;absorber, et d&rsquo;&eacute;ventuellement agir, quand n&eacute;cessaire. Et il nous reste 80 jours avant l&rsquo;ouverture des comp&eacute;titions olympiques pour nous assurer que tout sera au point.&rdquo;
L&rsquo;&eacute;ventualit&eacute; de voir des records du monde battus &agrave; Rio a &eacute;t&eacute; &eacute;voqu&eacute;e par la presse locale, qui se remm&eacute;morent peut-&ecirc;tre l&rsquo;exploit de David Rudisha sur 800m &agrave; Londres voil&agrave; quatre ans. Lorsqu&rsquo;on a abord&eacute; le sujet avec le Pr&eacute;sident Coe, celui-ci s&rsquo;est montr&eacute; r&eacute;solument optimiste&nbsp;:
&ldquo;Je l&rsquo;esp&egrave;re sinc&egrave;rement, a-t-il ainsi confi&eacute;. La surface install&eacute;e par Mondo, une soci&eacute;t&eacute; du plus haut niveau, et qui sont nos partenaires depuis de longues ann&eacute;es, est tr&egrave;s rapide. En outre, les athl&egrave;tes vont &eacute;voluer devant des tribunes remplies de fans d&rsquo;athl&eacute;tisme passionn&eacute;s qui les encourageront de tout leur c&oelig;ur, ce qui les davantage encore les comp&eacute;titeurs &agrave; se surpasser."
<h4>Lowe tutoie les sommets</h4>
Les points culminants, au niveau des &eacute;preuves les plus disput&eacute;es lors des trois journ&eacute;es de cette 17e &eacute;dition des Championnats Ib&eacute;ro-am&eacute;ricains, ont &eacute;t&eacute; dans les sauts f&eacute;minins.
Comme il s&rsquo;agissait d&rsquo;une comp&eacute;tition test, des invit&eacute;s ext&eacute;rieurs &agrave; la famille ib&eacute;ro-am&eacute;ricaine avaient &eacute;t&eacute; convi&eacute;s &agrave; la f&ecirc;te, dont Chaunte Lowe, d&eacute;tentrice du record des Etats-Unis du saut en hauteur, qui a remport&eacute; sa discipline avec une meilleure performance mondiale de 1,96m.
La star locale, la perchiste Fabiana Murer, championne du monde en salle en 2010 et en plein air en 2011, a lanc&eacute; sa campagne olympique sous les meilleurs auspices, avec une barre &agrave; 4,60m qui lui a valu la plus haute marche du podium. Murer a d&rsquo;ores et d&eacute;j&agrave; annonc&eacute; que cette saison serait sa derni&egrave;re et qu&rsquo;&agrave; sa cl&ocirc;ture elle allait prendre, &agrave; 35 ans, sa retraite sportive.
&ldquo;Je suis loin de ma meilleure forme, et je p&ecirc;che encore par manque de vitesse, mais je tenais &agrave; tester la piste pour me faire une id&eacute;e de ce &agrave; quoi elle ressemblait, a dit celle qui, avec 4,85m, d&eacute;tient le record sud-am&eacute;ricain de la perche. J&rsquo;ai eu huit sauts, et ils m&rsquo;ont permis de me rendre compte que la surface est vraiment tr&egrave;s bonne."
Dans les sprints, Yancarlos Martinez a &eacute;tabli un nouveau record national de la R&eacute;publique dominicaine avec un chrono de 20&rdquo;19 dans le 200m. Martinez a en outre couru le quatri&egrave;me relais du 4x100m, dans lequel il a men&eacute; son &eacute;quipe &agrave; la victoire, avec &agrave; la cl&eacute; un nouveau record national de 38&rdquo;52.
Sa compatriote, Luguelin Santos, vice-champion olympique, n&rsquo;a fini que seconde dans le 400m f&eacute;minin, avec un temps de 45&rdquo;58, derri&egrave;re la Cubaine Yoandys Lescay (45&rdquo;36).
Le Chilien Ivan Lopez a r&eacute;ussi un doubl&eacute; impressionnant 1500m/3000m avec des temps de 3&rsquo;38&rdquo;64 et 7&rsquo;52&rdquo;53 (un nouveau record national du 3000m), tandis que les Br&eacute;siliens Lutimar Paes et Kleberson Davide ont pris les deux premi&egrave;res places du 800m masculin en 1&rsquo;45&rdquo;42 et 1&rsquo;45&rdquo;79 respectivement.
Dans les concours, les meilleures performances masculines ont &eacute;t&eacute; le fait de l&rsquo;Argentin German Chiaraviglio, qui a remport&eacute; le saut &agrave; la perche avec une barre franchie &agrave; 5,60m, et du Colombien Arley Ibarguen, avec un javelot projet&eacute; &agrave; 80,28m qui lui a valu la victoire dans son &eacute;preuve.
<h4>Les Colombiennes au sommet</h4>
En l&rsquo;absence de la double championne du monde du triple saut, Caterine Ibarguen, ses compatriotes colombiennes se sont illustr&eacute;es sur la piste de Rio, notamment la lanceuse de javelot, Flor Denis Ruiz.
Ruiz, 25 ans, qui avait remport&eacute; le javelot f&eacute;minin aux Jeux d&rsquo;Am&eacute;rique centrale et des Cara&iuml;bes 2014 et est d&eacute;tentrice du record d&rsquo;Am&eacute;rique du Sud avec 63,80m r&eacute;ussis cette m&ecirc;me ann&eacute;e, a domin&eacute; ses adversaires ici avec un jet de 62,15m &agrave; son troisi&egrave;me lancer, la seconde meilleure performance de sa carri&egrave;re, d&eacute;crochant ainsi sa qualification pour Rio 2016.
Une autre victoire colombienne &agrave; retenir fut celle de la championne des Jeux Panam&eacute;ricains, Muriel Coneo, avec un 1500m couru en 4&rsquo;09&rdquo;35.
La V&eacute;n&eacute;zu&eacute;lienne Ahymara a remport&eacute; le lancer du poids avec un nouveau record national de 18,19m, synonyme, l&agrave; aussi, de qualification olympique.
Stephanie Brown Trafton, des USA, championne olympique du lancer de disque en 2008, a remport&eacute; son &eacute;preuve avec la meilleure performance de la saison &agrave; date, 61,22m, tandis que l&rsquo;Argentine Belen Casetta s&rsquo;est &eacute;galement qualifi&eacute;e pour les Jeux Olympiques avec une victoire dans le 3000m steeplechase, assortie d&rsquo;un nouveau record national de 9&rsquo;42&rdquo;93.
Eduardo Biscayart pour l&rsquo;IAAF

IAAF President Sebastian Coe was present at the Ibero-American Championships in Rio de Janeiro, which finished on Monday (16), and which doubled as the official test event for athletics for the forthcoming Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Yancarlos Martinez, from baseball player to Olympic-bound sprinter

IAAF President Coe gives green light to Olympic preparations at Rio test event