The Sun’s top sports photographer says he couldn’t celebrate David Beckham’s goal as he reveals his favourite snaps
MICHAEL JOHNSON, golden boy of the US track and field team, had already won the 400 metres gold at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
I remember him standing on the blocks before the 200 metres, TV cameras focused on his golden Nike running shoes.
The gun went off and this man sprinted towards me like a racehorse. He came across the line, looked back at the scoreboard, then realised he had achieved a world record 19.32 seconds.
It made the most amazing picture . . . the best I have ever taken for The Sun.
It was my first Olympics. I have been a SunSport photographer for three decades.
When I am at these amazing events it’s like everybody is sitting behind me watching in, whether it’s ringside at the best fights, the finishing line at the Olympics or on the touchline at a World Cup Final.
I have now photographed six Olympics, seven World Cups and too many boxing World Championship fights to remember. When Lennox Lewis became undisputed World Heavyweight Champion in 1999 by beating Evander Holyfield, I had to get the picture of Lewis with all his belts straight after the judges’ verdict.
These are pressure moments I have to capture in a split-second, otherwise I have failed.
When David Beckham scored the winner against Greece to send England through to the 2002 World Cup he celebrated in front of me, but I had to focus and get the image, not cheer and punch the air like the rest of the fans.
More recently there was Claudio Ranieri kissing the Premier League trophy after he guided Leicester City to their astonishing title win in 2016.
I had a great angle on it and managed to get the reflection of his face in the gleaming trophy.
People say I am so lucky to do the job I do. I have to agree!
'Tacos at David Beckham's house'
By Shaun Custis, Head of Sport since 2014
BEING appointed boss of Sun Sport was like becoming manager of Manchester United – one of the top jobs in the game, but you have to produce results. No excuses.
That is what it has always been about on The Sun. I knew it when I was Chief Football Writer — like being United’s centre-forward — where, every day, the pressure was on to have the agenda-setting football story or interview.
That gut-wrenching feeling if another paper beats you never goes away, whether you are the reporter or the Sports Editor.
I have enjoyed tacos at David Beckham’s house, beers at Usain Bolt’s pad, tripped over Mike Tyson and got drunk with Ian Wright and Alan Shearer.
I played in the first match at the new Wembley in front of 30,000 and had rollickings off Bobby Robson and Neil Warnock on TV, and radio. No doubt they agreed with Alex Ferguson’s assertion there are “too many f***ing Custises in this world”. My brother Neil also works on SunSport.
I once had to ask Rio Ferdinand to hang on a second on the phone while I finished interviewing Tiger Woods. Try explaining to a sports nut how that can be one of the most stressful nights of your life! Believe me, it was, as I hammered out words from both of them with half an hour until deadline.
Sport has been integral to The Sun’s success throughout its 50 years, and owner Rupert Murdoch understood that from the outset.
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I was privileged to meet The Sun’s first Sports Editor, Frank Nicklin, in my early days on Fleet Street.
I don’t know what he would have made of the paper today, with our integrated sports desk and stories breaking every five minutes online. But I have no doubt he would have adapted because, incredibly, one of the original members of Frank’s team — boxing expert Colin Hart — still writes for us.
So as we mark five amazing decades, we raise a glass to Frank, Colin and all the other brilliant journalists who have made SunSport such a success.
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