Translator: dapotaturs
Release Date: 09/02/2023
The "Track and Field Athletics Kingdom " was the largest comprehensive athletics discussion forum in China, bringing together almost 80% of the athletics enthusiasts and sports commentators. Even professional sports journalists, athletes, and officials from various levels of sports departments would occasionally visit this forum to gather insights from the athletics enthusiasts' suggestions and analyses. Occasionally, the forum would conduct polls and invite certain athletes or coaches for Q&A sessions based on the results.
Discussions among the forum members primarily revolved around the potential and future prospects of athletes in the sport. Of course, there were also critical discussions about certain athletes or teams.
Overall, the forum served as a semi-professional platform gathering numerous athletics enthusiasts. The forum members had a deep love for track and field, and they held high hopes for outstanding or promising athletes. They wished for these athletes to grow and break through their limits, eventually becoming top-notch international athletes.
Within the forum, the sprinting section was one of the highly active sections. Despite the fact that the domestic sprinting results were not impressive, the pursuit of speed and the thrill of pushing one's limits in sprinting always attracted the attention of many enthusiasts.
Currently, the most prominent 100 meters sprinter in China was undoubtedly Fang Yu. However, since Fang Yu broke the 10-second barrier in the 2015 World Athletics Championships, his performance had not been ideal over the past two or three years. He had been hovering around 10.10 seconds and even failed to break the 10.05-second mark throughout 2017.
Apart from Fang Yu, there were only seven active athletes in China who could run under 10.30 seconds in the 100 meters event. Among them, only two athletes, including Fang Yu, could run under 10.20 seconds.
As a sprinter in both the 100 and 200 meters events, Qiu Wen had a personal best of 10.62 seconds in the 100 meters. However, he was turning 22 years old this year, and at the same age, Fang Yu's personal best was 10.55 seconds.
On the forum, the members had been observing Qiu Wen's progress in the 100 meters event from his high school years up until the 2017 outdoor season. For the forum's athletics enthusiasts who closely followed domestic sprinting talents, Qiu Wen's steady improvement was seen as evidence of his progress. Many forum users believed that Qiu Wen had significant potential in the 100 meters event. They speculated that if he could have a breakthrough during his prime years, he might have the chance to become the next Fang Yu.
Not only was Qiu Wen's potential recognized in the 100 meters, but the forum's track and field enthusiasts also held high hopes for his performance in the 200 meters. With a personal best of 21.37 seconds, he was already close to the national elite level standard. In a review of the young athletes who had the potential to break the 21.35-second barrier in the 200 meters during the 2018 outdoor season, Qiu Wen's name had appeared.
For such a young athlete who showed promise in both the 100 and 200 meters events, suddenly announcing a shift to the 400 meters was indeed surprising.
User 1: 【Huh? Qiu Wen is switching to the 400 meters? This doesn't make sense. I remember that during the winter training of the provincial athletics team in Province S, there was a special Weibo report. At that time, the report said Qiu Wen was still focusing on specialized training for the 100 and 200 meters. How long has it been since the winter training? The outdoor season just started. How can he suddenly switch to the 400 meters? There's no logical reason for this!】
User 3: 【Exactly, the current state of the 400 meters event in China is not as competitive as the 100 and 200 meters. Qiu Wen was doing well in the 100 and 200. Why would he suddenly switch to the 400? Is the provincial athletics team of Province S planning to focus on the 400? But their original 400 meters athletes, Zhang Wei and Hu Li, have average performances in the event. Moreover, Zhao Heping, their coach, hasn't produced any strong 400 meters athletes in the past!】
User 7: 【I just sent a direct message to the official Weibo account of the Provincial Sports Team in Province S. What the OP said is true. The Provincial Athletics Team of Province S has already officially announced that Qiu Wen is switching to the 400 meters event. The official announcement about Qiu Wen's event change will also be included in the athlete movement announcement to be released by the Sports Team's official Weibo account in April.】
User 10: 【Wow, is this for real? Qiu Wen is actually giving up the 100 and 200? I haven't heard anything about him having talent in the 400 meters event. What is the Provincial Athletics Team of Province S doing? Are they really taking a good prospect in the 100 and 200 and shifting him to the 400?】
In this thread, a lot of forum users expressed their confusion about the unexpected decision by the Provincial Athletics Team of Province S to have Qiu Wen switch to the 400 meters event.
However, the surprises in the thread didn't stop there. The forum attracted not only track and field enthusiasts but also individuals with connections in the sports industry, including sports journalists. Some users had connections in the sports circles and quickly reached out to insiders in the Provincial Sports Team of Province S to gather additional information about Qiu Wen's event switch.
Through these connections, the name "Su Bai" appeared in front of all the forum users.
User 33: 【Guys, just got some info. It's not just Qiu Wen switching to the 400 meters, but there's more to it. The coach mainly responsible for Qiu Wen's 400 meters training is not Zhao Heping, but Su Bai.】
User 35: 【Su Bai? Who's that coach? I don't seem to have come across this person in the coaching circles. Although there's a sprinter named Su Bai in domestic sprinting, I think he's from the Provincial Athletics Team of Province S, right? I remember he's a guy who runs the 100 meters.】
User 37: 【That's right, the one responsible for Qiu Wen is that guy who used to run the 100 meters.】
...
...
???
This comment caused yet another round of astonishment.
What does this mean? Not only did Qiu Wen switch events, but the coach assigned to him is not an experienced 400 meters coach, nor someone like Zhao Heping, but a 100 meters sprinter?!
Wait a second, who is this sprinter? What's their background? Are they so impressive that they can guide another former 100 and 200 meters sprinter to train in the 400 meters event?!
Many forum users who initially remained relatively calm about Qiu Wen's event switch were now completely taken aback. The approach being taken in this matter was beyond their wildest imagination.
Due to this second explosive piece of information about "Coach Su Bai," forum users immediately started searching for any and all information related to Su Bai.
As the saying goes, the collective effort of many can achieve great things. While Su Bai might not have achieved particularly remarkable results as an athlete during his active career, his name and presence left a mark in the athletics community. With the combined efforts of the users on the forum, a series of information and details about Su Bai were dug up.
Su Bai, currently 23 years old, was a former 100 meters sprinter in the Provincial Sports Team of Province S. He had a personal best of 10.88 seconds in the 100 meters, and was awarded the title of National Level One Athlete. In March 2018, he officially retired from athletics and transitioned to the Provincial Sports Team of Province S as a cook in the athletics team's kitchen. He was responsible for preparing meals in collaboration with the team's nutritionist and head chef, Sun Xiangdong, for the nutrition needs of the team's key athletes.
On March 27, 2018, an internal notice was posted by the S Province Athletics Team, stating that Su Bai would be responsible for coaching athlete Qiu Wen in the 400-meter event effective immediately. This includes developing a comprehensive year-round training plan, event arrangements, and other related tasks for Qiu Wen.
The sources of information from these forum users are diverse, as they not only found textual information but also managed to locate a photo of the internal announcement posted on the bulletin board of the S Province Athletics Team.
There you have it, this piece of news has been completely confirmed – Qiu Wen is indeed switching to the 400-meter event, and Su Bai has genuinely become the coach responsible for Qiu Wen's 400-meter training.
As they looked at the series of messages summarized by the forum members, the users of the forum were utterly baffled.
What in the world is going on?
Not only has Qiu Wen, a promising 100-meter and 200-meter athlete, been switched to the 400-meter event, but his coach is also a bewildering figure. A retired 100-meter sprinter with a personal best of only 10.88 seconds during his active period, and who spent half a month working as a chef after retiring?
User 88: [Is the S Province Athletics Team out of their minds?! Isn't their head coach, He Yishen, quite competent? The team's atmosphere and performance have always been good. What's going on this year? Have they gone mad? They are letting something as unbelievable as this slide? He Yishen didn't intervene at all in this bizarre and incredible matter?]
User 90: [Let's not even talk about He Yishen, but Zhao Heping is also a competent coach! Qiu Wen is a promising talent that he personally developed in his hands. He must have hoped that Qiu Wen would achieve something in the 100m and 200m events to add to his own credentials. How could he allow such a baffling thing to happen?]
User 95: [I've searched around repeatedly, and this Su Bai is an orphan, completely on his own. It doesn't seem like he has any background. Why does his story sound so unbelievable? He retired directly at the age of 23 from the sport, which I can understand as realizing he had no potential in the sport and retiring early to find another path. But then he ends up in his original team's cafeteria, and not just that, he changes his career from a chef to a coach?!]
Discussions were in full swing, and many people couldn't make sense of why this situation had arisen. After all, the S Province Athletics Team was considered a strong team in the field of athletics within the country. It had always maintained a good reputation. Whether it was the treatment of athletes, the team's investment in athlete training, or the dedication to coach development and learning, among dozens of provincial teams across the nation, S Province Athletics Team was always ranked in the top five.
In the past, the S Province Athletics Team had been held up as a model for other domestic athletics teams. Who could have imagined that today such a earth-shattering event would suddenly explode?
While discussions were ongoing, some forum members with connections took the initiative to contact insiders from the S Province Athletics Team to gather further information about the situation. Their concern stemmed from their reluctance to see any track and field talents lost or compromised. After all, the shortage of talent in domestic sprinting was a very real issue. Watching a sprinter with potential for growth suddenly switch to another event was baffling for these track and field enthusiasts who had deep emotional connections and expectations for the sport. They were not willing to let the situation develop ambiguously without clarity.
As many track and field enthusiasts actively sought information about the matter, news of this situation quickly reached the director of the S Province Athletics Team, Li Peisheng.
Li Peisheng was already aware of the situation, as the announcement of Su Bai's transfer to the coaching staff had to go through his office. How could they release such an announcement without his knowledge?
He just hadn't anticipated that this situation would cause such a huge commotion. This was not good for the team's reputation. After some consideration, Li Peisheng asked both He Yishen and Wu Shengping, who were still involved in coaching roles within the athletics team, to come to his office. He intended to discuss with them and release an official statement through the team's official social media channels to explain the situation clearly to the wider community of track and field enthusiasts.
He Yishen and Wu Shengping arrived at Li Peisheng's office together. Once they were there, Li Peisheng stood up and shook hands with Wu Shengping. "Coach Wu, it seems we need your assistance this time."
Currently, Li Peisheng had high expectations for the coaching results from both Qiu Wen and Su Bai. After all, a sprinter like Qiu Wen, who could run a 47.58 in his debut, was extremely rare. Li Peisheng had also heard about Su Bai's influence on Qiu Wen. From his perspective, talented athletes like Qiu Wen and new coaches like Su Bai needed to be protected. Their mental well-being shouldn't be burdened by online public opinion.
On their way to the meeting, He Yishen and Wu Shengping also learned about the details of the situation.
Wu Shengping smiled and said, "Rest assured, Director Li. As far as the recent adjustments to Su Bai and Qiu Wen's roles and projects within the S Province Athletics Team are concerned, I personally fully support them. I'm also eagerly looking forward to the results that Coach Su and Qiu Wen will achieve. If there's anything I can assist with, just let me know."
Over the past couple of days, Su Bai had left a deep impression on Wu Shengping. Moreover, the decisions made by the S Province Athletics Team were well-considered and fully in accordance with regulations and reason. In this situation, Wu Shengping didn't mind pulling some strings.
Upon hearing Wu Shengping's words, Li Peisheng immediately breathed a sigh of relief. With Wu Shengping's support and assurance, it was likely that this matter could be resolved smoothly.
After obtaining Wu Shengping's agreement, Li Peisheng instructed his secretary to draft an official statement. He went over the details of the situation with both He Yishen and Wu Shengping to ensure the accuracy of the statement. Once everything was clarified, Li Peisheng had the written announcement sent to the team's social media team responsible for online operations. The announcement was then published on the S Province Athletics Team's Weibo and official public account.
After seeing the announcement, He Yishen and Wu Shengping both directly reposted it. Wu Shengping's repost included his own words: "These past few days, I happened to be in communication with the S Province Athletics Team and witnessed the entire process of Qiu Wen's project transition. Coach Su not only possesses exceptional culinary skills but also has the ability to accurately uncover the potential strengths of athletes. He can provide the correct guidance to team members. I believe that under Coach Su's guidance, Qiu Wen will undoubtedly achieve impressive results in the days to come."
With this statement, Wu Shengping was essentially endorsing both the S Province Athletics Team and Su Bai. From his position, it wasn't strictly necessary for him to do so. However, he genuinely believed in Qiu Wen's potential in the 400-meter event and saw Su Bai's capabilities. From his perspective, clarifying the misunderstanding right now would be beneficial to everyone.
As a result, the official announcement from the S Province Athletics Team, along with the reposts from Wu Shengping and He Yishen, were directly released.
On the Track and Field Athletics Kingdom forum, the athletics enthusiasts were initially engrossed in discussions about the situation. Suddenly, a new post appeared on the homepage of the sprinting sub-forum.
"Hey, everyone! S Province Athletics Team has released an announcement, and Wu Shengping has also reposted in support!"
Huh?
While the first half of the post was understandable, the second half left everyone puzzled.Wu Shengping reposted in support?
Wasn't he the national team's sprint coach? Why was he involved in this matter?
Everyone immediately opened Weibo, checked the S Province Athletics Team's official account, and then visited Wu Shengping's Weibo.
And then, everyone rubbed their eyes in disbelief – wait, was what was written in this announcement true?
Su Bai, a graduate of the Sports Training program at S University, combined his identity as an athlete with his training experience to possess a rich and keen understanding of sprinting. Before retiring, Su Bai had long observed and researched the sprinting techniques and physical qualities of his teammate Qiu Wen. Although he hadn't immediately joined the coaching team of the S Province Athletics Team after retiring, Su Bai continued to maintain his interest in the sport.
Upon learning that Qiu Wen hadn't achieved satisfactory results or improvements in his performance during winter training, Su Bai approached Coach Zhao Heping. He proposed the possibility of Qiu Wen transitioning to the 400-meter event and provided an analysis of the situation.
The announcement released by the official Weibo account of the Athletics Team had certainly been polished and beautified to a certain extent. However, these embellishments were based on factual information. For those who weren't aware of the original circumstances, some parts of the announcement might not seem like embellishments at all, but rather a more positive portrayal of the facts.
In any case, within this announcement, the reasons behind Qiu Wen's project transition were explained. It also detailed the 400-meter test results that Qiu Wen achieved over multiple days, under the attentive observation of Zhao Heping, He Yishen, and Wu Shengping. Additionally, the significant role that Su Bai played in this process was highlighted.
Upon reading through the entire announcement and considering Wu Shengping's immediate support and endorsement, the credibility of the situation grew even stronger.
But that's not all. The official Weibo account of the S Province Athletics Team also went ahead and directly published Qiu Wen's test results from those two days – six in total. The results were presented in the form of a segmented curve graph depicting his performance in the 100-meter splits.
This time, the forum erupted once again. However, the uproar wasn't fueled by haste, anxiety, or anger as before.
After everyone had finished reading the announcement, their collective sentiment was along the lines of – if this is actually true, it would be a great thing!
As everyone knew, the 400-meter event in China had been stagnating for countless years. Perhaps due to a significant gap between China's 400-meter event and international or even top Asian standards, despite substantial investments in research and resources, there hadn't been any remarkable breakthroughs.
After years of this situation persisting, both coaches and athletes in China lost faith in the 400-meter event. As a result, there were fewer athletes willing to train for the 400-meter event, and fewer athletics teams were inclined to invest substantial resources in cultivating 400-meter athletes.
Track and field enthusiasts were undoubtedly hoping for a prodigious talent to emerge in the 400-meter event. However, in the past, sightings of such 400-meter prodigies were extremely rare.
The announcement from the S Province Athletics Team and the test results they disclosed for Qiu Wen's first attempt at the 400-meter event ignited a spark of hope in the hearts of all those following this event in the track and field community.
Achieving a time of 47.58 seconds in his first test without any prior specialized training for the 400-meter event was truly remarkable. Moreover, out of the six tests conducted, Qiu Wen managed to break the 48-second barrier three times, with these three results consistently hovering around the range of 47.60 seconds.
This data was truly exceptional!
Every track and field enthusiast who saw these results felt like they had been injected with a powerful booster of confidence for the 400-meter event.
Look!
We do have a 400-meter prodigious athlete in our country! Even though this talent was discovered a bit late and is almost 22 years old, the valuable training he underwent in the 100-meter and 200-meter events lays a solid foundation. As long as he truly possesses talent, with his previous background, his future performance development should have no issues!
From the initial confusion and anger upon receiving the news, to the surprise after reading the announcement and the data, the track and field enthusiasts on the Track and Field Kingdom forum experienced a roller coaster of emotions.
Fortunately, the final announcement and the positive news behind it were enough to uplift the spirits of these track and field enthusiasts.
Topic: "Running 47.58 in the First Test, I'm Excited to See Qiu's Official Results in Upcoming Races! According to the track and field team's announcement, Qiu will participate in domestic major competitions later this year. I hope he can adapt to the 400-meter event training quickly and achieve even better results!"
With this post, the forum users' mindset completely shifted from resisting Qiu Wen's event change to supporting and anticipating his performance in the new event.
S Province Athletics Institute, Training Ground
Amidst the fervent online discussion, it was just the first day of Qiu Wen and Su Bai officially transitioning into their new roles in the 400-meter event.
After communicating with his mentor Zhao Heping in the morning, Su Bai decided to use a short-term training plan he had developed in his system training space to focus on Qiu Wen's speed and pacing control. He also planned to utilize the newly acquired skill, "Dynamic Body State Analysis," to observe and analyze Qiu Wen's overall condition in greater detail.
Only with sufficient observational data could he formulate a more comprehensive year-long training plan.
Meanwhile, Zhao Heping advised him to distinguish between the daily training plan and the pre-competition preparation plan, emphasizing the importance of adjusting the athlete's individual state. This included modifying training volume and using competition practice to manage the athlete's competitive state and aiming to peak during major competitions.
Whether it was Su Bai, Zhao Heping, or Qiu Wen himself, they all approached the 400-meter training with cautious yet restrained enthusiasm.
The S Province Athletics Team hadn't had a notable advantage or successful experience in the 400-meter event. With a talented athlete like Qiu Wen now present, they hoped to guide him effectively and help him achieve outstanding results without unnecessary detours.
Su Bai, Zhao Heping, and Qiu Wen only learned about the events unfolding on the Track and Field Kingdom forum after their full day of training. He Yi Shen specially came to the training ground to explain the situation in detail.
"In short, this is the current situation," He Yi Shen earnestly said. "Announcing Qiu Wen's and your potential in this manner can indeed help quell public opinion for now. However, if Qiu Wen fails to achieve the expected results in upcoming competitions, the opinions could flip again."
"This pressure is for you, but it's also your motivation. Work hard, stay determined, and don't disappoint everyone."
Su Bai was momentarily stunned. This was the first time he had garnered such attention online. The attention made him slightly nervous, but it also ignited a stronger sense of responsibility within him.
Qiu Wen, on the other hand, was simply excited. Grinning, he said, "Don't worry, I'll train hard! I won't let everyone down!"
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