Translator: dapotaturs
Release Date: 09/03/2023
The training regimen Su Bai arranged for Cui Luoheng was somewhat similar to what he had initially given Zhang Wei and Hu Li. He repeatedly instructed Cui Luoheng to forget his original hurdling and rhythm patterns, and to try running in the most comfortable way possible.
For any athlete accustomed to their established hurdling rhythm, this was challenging. Especially for a player like Cui Luoheng, who had excellent rhythm sensitivity and control ability, at the moment Su Bai told him to run freely, he found himself struggling to grasp any rhythm at all.
In anticipation of this situation, Su Bai was actually prepared. Instead of having Cui Luoheng directly perform hurdle running, he had him train on a separate track through flat running to explore his optimal rhythm.
Having trained "A Luo 1" in the training space before, Su Bai could easily use the approach he initially used to train Qiu Wen, providing Cui Luoheng with the most suitable rhythm directly. However, Su Bai understood that he wasn't Cui Luoheng's head coach. After today's test and identification of the issues Cui Luoheng was facing, Zhou Wen would naturally take over Cui Luoheng's subsequent training plan.
Given this situation, Su Bai's role wasn't to have Cui Luoheng solely rely on guidance from others for immediate training results. Instead, he needed to enable Cui Luoheng to quickly grasp his own rhythm exploration methods.
Only when Cui Luoheng mastered the way to perceive and control his rhythm could he, in the future as his flat running speed and hurdle technique improved, gradually adjust his overall rhythm based on his own condition. This would ensure the coordination between rhythm and performance continued to improve.
It's also because of this that Zhou Wen, who was observing from the sidelines, always felt that the morning training of Su Bai and Cui Luoheng wasn't particularly smooth.
Whether it was the short-distance variable-speed running or downhill hurdle running that Su Bai had Cui Luoheng do, it seemed far from his original intention. Su Bai even had Cui Luoheng do multiple sets of starts to the 1st and 2nd hurdles in succession. The overall training content seemed very scattered, leaving one somewhat puzzled.
Initially, Cui Luoheng didn't quite understand Su Bai's arrangements, but over the course of their time together, the subtle influence had led him to trust Su Bai considerably. Even without much explanation from Su Bai, he accepted the training quietly and trained with full effort.
At first, Su Bai would tell Cui Luoheng to forget his rhythm during regular training. However, as the scattered training exercises increased, Su Bai stopped emphasizing this aspect to him.
Most of these scattered exercises were training routines that Cui Luoheng didn't usually encounter. Su Bai had no other requirement for his training, except that each training set could have a rest interval of 10-30 seconds, and the only requirement was to perform at the fastest speed.
The voice in Cui Luoheng's mind gradually transformed from the initial "break the original rhythm" to a rhythm similar to Cui's face, urging him to go "faster, even faster."
Unconsciously, Cui Luoheng had begun to adjust his speed and rhythm himself in order to achieve higher speeds through rhythm adjustments.
On the training field, Su Bai quietly observed Cui Luoheng's movements, watching him unconsciously change and adjust his rhythm. A slightly satisfied expression appeared on Su Bai's face.
Zhou Wen, who had been focusing on observing other team members, now turned his attention back to Cui Luoheng's training. He keenly noticed that there seemed to be some changes in Cui Luoheng's movements and rhythm. Considering what Su Bai had said and the planned adjustments for Cui Luoheng, Zhou Wen quickly realized that Cui Luoheng's rhythm and state while running had indeed changed.
He actually... changed so quickly?
Zhou Wen felt quite amazed by the efficiency of Su Bai's training. Just a little over an hour ago, he thought that Su Bai's training hadn't gone particularly well.
In the afternoon, around 3 o'clock, He Yishen arrived at the hurdle training field as promised. He glanced at the complex expression on Zhou Wen's face and inquired about the effectiveness of Su Bai's training for Cui Luoheng in the morning.
Zhou Wen gave a sidelong look to He Yishen and didn't answer his question directly. Instead, he asked, "I heard that the national athletics team is interested in recruiting Su Bai into the national team?"
"Hmm? You know about it too?" He Yishen nodded. "Not long after the H-city Grand Prix ended the day before yesterday, the Sports Commission sent out some guidance documents. The message was quite clear. The Jakarta Asian Games are about to begin. You know the situation in our domestic 400 meters. After Su Bai trained Qiu Wen into his disciple, our team gained quite a bit of attention during the h-city Grand Prix."
"I guess that during this championship, whether Qiu Wen secures a spot in the Asian Games or not, the national team will likely invite both him and Su Bai to join for the pre-Asian Games training camp. They want to observe Su Bai's coaching methods."
"If everything goes smoothly, the time before the Asian Games qualification trials will be Su Bai's last period with our team."
Sighing, He Yishen continued, "To be honest, I never expected Su Bai to rise up so quickly. I thought he would at least stay with our team for another year or two, until Qiu Wen breaks 46 seconds in the 400 meters."
Hearing He Yishen's sigh, Zhou Wen also shook his head. "The Sports Commission and the national team are eager to find talents. You know that our domestic short-distance events have been lacking for so many years."
"But... it's a pity that he won't stay with our team for a few more years."
After hearing Zhou Wen's regretful words, He Yishen raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong? Did Su Bai's training for Cui Luoheng this morning yield good results?"
Zhou Wen glanced at Cui Luoheng, who was still obediently listening to Su Bai's instructions on the field, and then shook his head. "I can't say for sure, but Cui's overall rhythm has indeed changed."
"Just from a single morning!" Zhou Wen's tone grew heavier as he sighed. "Anyway, let's wait and see during the testing later."
Seeing He Yishen's arrival, Su Bai finished giving Cui Luoheng a few final words and patted his shoulder, encouraging him to do well. Then he turned and walked over to He Yishen and Zhou Wen.
He Yishen looked at Cui Luoheng's attentive demeanor as he listened to Su Bai's words and laughed, "Oh, speaking of which, everyone says Cui Luoheng is the thorn in our team, but I don't see any thorny behavior from him!"
Su Bai approached, and just happened to hear this statement. He nodded seriously, "Yes, A Luo has a good temperament."
Zhou Wen was initially about to say something, but upon hearing Su Bai's remark that "A Luo has a good temperament," he froze in place. After all, Cui Luoheng, though serious during training, couldn't quite be described as having a good temperament, right?
Neither He Yishen nor Su Bai noticed Zhou Wen's puzzled expression. After they exchanged a few words, Su Bai informed He Yishen that Cui Luoheng's testing was ready. Zhou Wen nodded, signaling his assistant coach to act as the starter to give commands to Cui Luoheng.
Unlike Qiu Wen's previous test, Cui Luoheng's test was not suitable for any teammate to compete against him as his opponent. Therefore, on the starting line, he stood alone.
The assistant referee, who was responsible for giving the command, exchanged a few words with Cui Luoheng after seeing that he was prepared, and quickly decided to start the test.
"On your marks, get set."
On the starting line of the track, Cui Luoheng crouched down on his starting blocks, his hands on the ground, fully attentive to the signals from the command. Unlike the curved start of the 400 meters that required a slight control of speed, the start of the 110 meters hurdles, just like the 100 meters sprint, relied heavily on the reaction speed, which would significantly affect the athlete's final performance.
Therefore, every athlete takes the starting position very seriously. Even though this is just a test race, the idea of giving it his all, as advised by Su Bai, was etched in Cui Luoheng's mind. He wanted to see just where his current limits lay, as Su Bai had suggested.
At this moment, Cui Luoheng applied the technique Su Bai had just told him to enhance his focus before the race. He controlled his breathing rate slightly. In a trance, he seemed to hear the sound of his own heartbeat. This heartbeat made him somewhat nervous, but at the same time, he felt that the surrounding noise had diminished.
The only thing he could still notice was the sound of the command coming from the direction of the starting line official.
After the command "get set," and in the briefest of moments after a breath, a "bang" sounded as the starting gun went off. Cui Luoheng's left foot exerted explosive power, pushing off the starting block with all his might, and then he quickly surged forward with the explosive force from the starting block!
During the brief acceleration phase after the start, Cui Luoheng rapidly raised his body's center of gravity and increased his stride, charging toward the first hurdle!
By the trackside, as Cui Luoheng elevated his body's center of gravity, Zhou Wen, who was focused on every move he made, couldn't help but slightly narrow his eyes.
Cui Luoheng's rhythm... had changed!
In the past, under Zhou Wen's guidance, Cui Luoheng's speed in raising his center of gravity was already quite fast, but it was still different from the speed and rhythm he exhibited now—just as Su Bai had said, the angles of various body positions, from the starting stance to the angles of folding the thighs and legs during running, were all precisely trained for athletes over the years.
For a 110-meter hurdler, the ability to quickly raise the center of gravity was crucial, as it directly affected the speed before the first hurdle and the hurdling efficiency over the first and second hurdles.
Therefore, training for reaction times at the start and rhythm in the start phase were truly emphasized in everyday practice. Zhou Wen, as the coach, repeatedly stressed these points to Cui Luoheng.
This was something Cui Luoheng had done well in his training — whenever Zhou Wen gave a rhythm requirement, Cui Luoheng could execute it according to Zhou Wen's instructions and solidify it excellently.
This had always been the point that Zhou Wen was most satisfied with regarding Cui Luoheng. But now, thinking about the possibility Su Bai raised... if that were indeed the case, then those rhythm restrictions he had placed on Cui Luoheng earlier might actually have limited his full potential?
Watching Cui Luoheng on the track, Zhou Wen's emotions were somewhat complex.
He could tell that after Su Bai's adjustments in the morning, Cui Luoheng's rhythm on the track had indeed changed. Just from the timing of that upward shift in his center of gravity alone, it was completely different from his past habits.
On the track, Cui Luoheng didn't think about much else. He followed the breathing technique Su Bai had given him, discarded unnecessary thoughts, and focused all his attention on the track ahead and the 10 hurdles he needed to conquer!
As he was about to reach the first hurdle, his right foot paused slightly before the hurdle. This hurdle step before the hurdle itself allowed him to exert another burst of power, giving him the momentum to leap over the hurdle.
His upper body slightly leaned forward, and his body's center of gravity leaned slightly forward as well. With the force from the hurdle step, he swung his leg quickly over the hurdle, and at the same time, propelled himself forward into the air!
In mid-air, as he flew over the hurdle, his left leg, which had already swung past the hurdle, was rapidly descending. At the same time, his right leg, which acted as the lead leg for the hurdle clearance, was also swiftly whipping and following through to clear the hurdle.
Though this was the first hurdle, which presented the highest difficulty level among the 10 hurdles, Cui Luoheng's performance at this moment was extremely clean and crisp. The hurdling process flowed smoothly, offering a satisfying sense of exhilaration to anyone watching.
By the time his right leg had also swiftly cleared the hurdle, his left leg had already touched the ground. Using the power of his forefoot, he supported himself and carried forward the subsequent steps between the hurdles.
Dah, dah, dah.
His rhythm and pace during the stride between the hurdles were also very clean and steady. After this smooth stride between the hurdles, he was already attacking the second hurdle.
By the trackside, as Zhou Wen watched Cui Luoheng's hurdling from an observer's perspective, a voice echoed in his mind—this is different.
Cui Luoheng's state at this moment was unlike his state during last winter's training, unlike his performances in previous races, and certainly different from his performances when the psychological pressure after a competition led to a less than ideal state. Or perhaps, looking at Cui Luoheng's overall rhythm and performance, Zhou Wen would never have thought, just from observing, that this was the Cui Luoheng he had personally trained.
Even though he hadn't seen the results and data yet, Zhou Wen could already roughly estimate that the Cui Luoheng currently on the track in the midst of the test, whether it was the speed of the starting acceleration over the first eleven meters or the time it took to clear the first hurdle, was far faster than his usual training speed.
With such speed over the first two hurdles, then... what about the next hurdles?
Could Cui Luoheng maintain this excellent rhythm and speed in the subsequent 10 hurdles, in the final sprint phase?
Zhou Wen took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on Cui Luoheng on the track. His arms, folded across his chest, gripped his own arms slightly—just a test, but as he watched Cui Luoheng on the track at this moment, he was actually feeling more nervous than he had during any of the times he had watched Cui Luoheng compete with the team.
On the track, Cui Luoheng didn't think about all this. He had no idea what the others were like. All he knew was that on this track today, he was running faster and more exhilaratingly than any previous time.
The gunshot, the start, lifting his upper body, quickly accelerating forward to clear the hurdle!
Every movement he made seemed to come from his instincts. He couldn't say whether this instinct was good or bad, but he felt that under this rhythm and speed, he could become even faster!
Faster, just a bit faster!
The determination on his tense face exuded a sharp and resolute aura. His gaze was locked onto the next hurdle in front of him. His ears heard only the sound of his heartbeat, "thump, thump," still under his control, but also the slightly urgent sound of his breathing. There was the sound of his feet brushing against the hurdle, then the "thud, thud" of each footstep as he landed on the track...
The sounds outside the track seemed to have nothing to do with him. What he needed to do was to let himself go by feeling and continuously move forward at the fastest speed he could achieve at the moment!
This seems to be inconsistent with the 'hurdle strategy' emphasized by his coach, but at this moment, he really just wanted to run more joyfully!
From the coaching area beside the track, the rhythm and fluctuations of Cui Luoheng's entire hurdling process on the track were more clearly visible.
His speed was constantly increasing. From the start to the first and second hurdles, although the speed was already faster than before, it was still somewhat limited. But after the transition of the third and fourth hurdles, Cui Luoheng seemed to have fully adapted to his current rhythm. His strides were faster each time, and the rhythm between the hurdles was constantly adjusting.
At the same time, his entire hurdling action became more fluid, all of which made his overall rhythm faster and more agile!
It was as if when he attacked the first and second hurdles, he was gradually adapting to the new sense of rhythm. Then, this rhythm quickly ingrained itself in his body and became instinctual in an instant.
This transformation of instinct was so rapid and magical.
Looking at the track now, every rise and fall of Cui Luoheng's hurdling seemed like a sleek cheetah, stretching its body on the track. Its smooth posture and dynamics were enough to captivate anyone with an aesthetic sense.
Cui Luoheng's speed increase lasted until the eighth hurdle, where it slightly declined, but the decline was not significant, just a normal ebb and flow of rhythm.
Immediately after continuously clearing ten hurdles, only the final stretch was left in front of Cui Luoheng—the last sprint section!
As the final moment approached, his speed erupted once again. He lengthened his strides, swung his arms, and charged forward with tremendous momentum. In the end, he leaned forward, crossing the finish line.
It can be said that he indeed, just like Su Bai initially said, gave his all in today's test with the best speed, posture, and strongest will to win, running to the limit of his ability.
So...
What exactly was this speed?
After crossing the finish line, due to the final burst and sprint, Cui Luoheng took a few extra steps to slow down. When his deceleration was over, he suddenly heard cheers coming from not far away. The voices seemed to be from his teammates and assistant coaches.
"Wow! A-heng, you're amazing!"
The teammates who were originally doing their strength training on the side forgot about their own training after seeing Cui Luoheng's performance.
The assistant coach also exclaimed, "Oh my God!" It seemed that Cui Luoheng's performance had left a deep impression.
After taking a couple of breaths, Cui Luoheng turned his head to look at the electronic timing display with black digits on a red background on the track. Then, his eyes widened in an instant. For a moment, he stood there, finding it hard to believe the number he saw.
Not far away, the digital display with a black background and red digits showed the number—13.91.
Amid the astonishment of his teammates and assistant coaches, including He Yishen and Zhou Wen, everyone felt as if they were suddenly awakened from a dream.
"This is... breaking 14 seconds?"
He Yishen was simply dumbfounded. He had always known that Coach Zhou had high expectations for Cui Luoheng, and Zhou had repeatedly said that Cui Luoheng had a good chance of breaking the 14-second barrier before turning 23.
So...
Indeed, this kid was still under 23, and if he remembered correctly, Cui Luoheng... wouldn't he turn 20 just at the end of November this year?
This was a solid and freshly promoted young athlete in the adult category!
Zhou Wen was also taken aback at this moment. He had observed Cui Luoheng's starting and hurdling rhythm, and he knew that his speed this time definitely wasn't slow. However, he hadn't expected that Cui Luoheng would directly break his personal best and elevate it to this level.
He actually broke the 14-second mark?
And it wasn't just barely breaking it.
"Cui Luoheng... What was his previous personal best?" He Yishen was somewhat dazed, turning to ask Zhou Wen.
Zhou Wen fell silent for a moment and then said, "After moving to the adult category, his training PB was 14.21 seconds, and his competition PB was 14.53 seconds."
He Yishen sucked in a breath, "Wow, he actually raised his PB by 0.3 seconds!"
If he hadn't seen Cui Luoheng achieve this score with his own eyes, He Yishen would have wanted to say, "Is this some kind of joke?"
But the fact that this improvement in score had happened was undeniable, and both He Yishen and Zhou Wen watched as this score was achieved.
After thinking it over for a couple of minutes, He Yishen let out a sigh, "Well, back then, Qiu Wen had a difference of more than 3 seconds in the test..."
Although there were many different factors between Qiu Wen's test and Cui Luoheng's test, there was one common factor: Su Bai.
He Yishen's expression was quite complex, and Zhou Wen felt the same way.
Su Bai, as always, remained calm, as if he had anticipated Cui Luoheng's breaking the 14-second barrier.
"Oh, Su Bai..." He Yishen called out to Su Bai.
Su Bai turned his head and looked at He Yishen, puzzled.
He Yishen patted his shoulder and sighed, "Ah, I'm regretting it a bit."
"Huh?" Su Bai's face showed confusion upon hearing He Yishen's words.
Zhou Wen, on the side, understood He Yishen's words. He was regretting letting Su Bai be discovered by the national sports center too early, not allowing him to stay in the provincial team for a couple more years.
Even Zhou Wen was feeling regretful at the moment. After all, in just a little over three months since Su Bai became a coach in the provincial team, there was Qiu Wen, then Zhang Wei, followed by Hu Li, and now Cui Luoheng.
Under his guidance, the team's athletes had exhibited an entirely different level of performance compared to the past. The way he looked at things and the quality of his coaching were such that if he could have stayed in the team for another year or two, who knows if there might be a few more "Qiu Wens" or "Cui Luohengs" in the future?
On one side, both He Yishen and Zhou Wen felt a sense of regret, marveling at Cui Luoheng's astonishing performance while feeling a sense of loss that Su Bai would never return to the provincial team once he entered the national team.
On the other side, after seeing the result of his run, Cui Luoheng stood still in shock, taking a long time to recover.
Breaking the 14-second barrier was the goal that his coach, Zhou Wen, had set for him to achieve within two years. This goal was challenging for many athletes in China. Zhou Wen had set this goal for him due to his high expectations, trust, and belief in Cui Luoheng's talent.
Cui Luoheng had once thought that he would follow the trajectory set by his coach and open the 14-second barrier around the age of 22. Then he would gradually advance in his sports career and strive to break the 13-second barrier, which might be unattainable for him in his lifetime.
However, during the outdoor season this year, continuous failures in competitions and the frustrating feeling of not being able to perform at his true potential during races had left him increasingly silent and uncomfortable.
He used to believe that the goal of breaking the 14-second barrier around the age of 22 was slowly slipping away from him. But today, he suddenly surpassed this invisible barrier in a single step and found himself in the world of times under 14 seconds.
This surreal feeling made him momentarily believe that everything was unreal. It wasn't until he turned to look at Su Bai, who remained calm and composed, that he felt his tense heart finally settle down. Suddenly, nothing seemed impossible anymore.
"Oh, I'm telling you, Su Bai is amazing! You can always trust him!" That sentence from Qiu Wen, a fanatical admirer of Su Bai, echoed in Cui Luoheng's mind. At this moment, he deeply felt that Su Bai was indeed amazing, and listening to him was truly the right choice.
After everyone regained their senses, the testing continued twice more. The audience of athletes watching grew larger with each subsequent test. Zhou Wen didn't chase away the onlookers; instead, he let them witness Cui Luoheng's tests together.
Initially, everyone thought that Cui Luoheng's first time of 13.91 seconds was already impressive enough. However, during the next two tests, he managed to achieve a time of 13.87 seconds once, which intensified the cheers from the onlookers.
In the end, Cui Luoheng's three test times were 13.91 seconds, 13.87 seconds, and 13.97 seconds, respectively. Even in his worst test, he managed to consistently stay below 14 seconds. After witnessing Cui Luoheng's performance, those present, especially those who knew the details, looked at Su Bai with eyes as if they were gazing at a deity.
After the testing concluded, Zhou Wen had the assistant coaches take the remaining athletes away for training, leaving the four of them—Zhou Wen, Cui Luoheng, Su Bai, and He Yishen—to meet in a small conference room at the provincial team for a private discussion.
As the four of them sat down, Zhou Wen patted Cui Luoheng's shoulder, his expression filled with contentment yet tinged with complexity. After all, Cui Luoheng was a highly valued member of his team, someone he had nurtured from the very beginning. However, the plans and training he had carefully prepared for his disciple had, in reality, limited his achievements and growth.
In this moment, Zhou Wen finally understood Zhao Heping's feelings from earlier. He felt the mix of contentment upon seeing a disciple's achievements and the complexity of realizing he might have hindered the disciple's progress.
After the four of them were seated, Zhou Wen spoke first. He looked at Su Bai with utmost sincerity and said, "Su Bai, thank you. If it weren't for you identifying the issues with A'heng, his future in sports might have been much more challenging."
Zhou Wen was telling the truth. Although he had also deduced that Cui Luoheng's fluctuating outdoor results were influenced by other athletes, it often implied that the athlete's attention on the field was scattered and his determination wavering.
The assessment of an athlete requires attention to both physical and mental aspects.
Moreover, the 110-meter hurdles race was inherently susceptible to being affected by other competitors due to its technical rhythm.
If Cui Luoheng had ultimately been labeled as having poor mental resilience, any subsequent defeats on the field would only lead to disappointment from the coaching team. The coaching team would not realize that Cui Luoheng's inconsistency wasn't due to a lack of determination but rather because of his heightened sensitivity to rhythm. Thus, he was more affected by his environment and fellow competitors.
After all, except for Su Bai, it was difficult for them to imagine that the very talents and strengths in Cui Luoheng were the reasons behind his inconsistent performances and troubles.
Once a negative impression takes root, it becomes challenging to reverse.
Moreover, Zhou Wen could imagine that if he had discovered the situation where Cui Luoheng was being influenced by others on the field and his rhythm was unstable, he would likely have devised training programs to reinforce that rhythm, repeatedly training Cui Luoheng to ensure he wouldn't be influenced by others on the field and could complete the race according to the original rhythm strategy.
Just thinking about this made Zhou Wen shudder. If not for today's test, he would have almost stifled a true prodigious talent in the 110-meter hurdles event in its infancy.
Upon hearing Zhou Wen's words, Su Bai clearly understood the implications.
As He Yishen looked at Zhou Wen's relieved expression, he also felt a sense of relief within himself. If it wasn't for Su Bai privately discussing the possible issues with Cui Luoheng, who knows what the situation would be like right now?
Su Bai shook his head at Zhou Wen. "Coach Zhou, I'm also a member of the S Province Athletics Team. This is something I should have done."
Su Bai's response expressed his understanding of the situation and his willingness to contribute to the team.
Su Bai's words were spoken with great sincerity. This was how he approached things, and this was how he felt.
As someone who had lost his parents at a young age and had grown up under his master Zhao Heping at the S Province Athletics Team, he truly considered the team as his family.
Looking at Su Bai's earnest expression, He Yishen's smile was also filled with contentment.
People involved in sports rarely harbored complicated motives. Even though times had changed, most individuals in the world of sports still had a simple and genuine heart.
Clearly, Su Bai was also one of these straightforward and genuine sports enthusiasts.
On the side, Zhou Wen had a smile on his face. He spoke solemnly, "Xiaobai, I'd like to ask for your favor. Could you guide Aheng a bit before the selection trials on July 16th?"
Although Cui Luoheng had faced setbacks in the past two competitions, his time of 14.53 seconds was still ranked 15th among all competitors in the four major competitions. The Championship and Asian Games Qualification Trials on July 16th required the top 16 athletes in the overall ranking of the four competitions in the current year. Cui Luoheng's time placed him within this range.
"Currently, there aren't many athletes in China who can run the 110-meter hurdles under 14 seconds. Since Aheng's performance today could consistently stay under 14 seconds, he's qualified to compete for a spot in the Jakarta Asian Games," Zhou Wen said firmly. "Lao He mentioned to me, and I also understand that your original intention was for me to continue coaching Aheng after today's testing."
"From a sense of responsibility, it's true that I should be responsible for Aheng and continue to guide him. However, the situation is special now." Zhou Wen paused for a moment before continuing, "I've mostly grasped Aheng's issues, but I don't have full confidence in getting him in the best condition before July 16th. And if it's due to my failure to prepare him well for the competition, causing him to miss the qualification for the Jakarta Asian Games... I don't want to leave him with that kind of regret."
Zhou Wen's request surprised Su Bai. After all, for coaches, the achievements of the athletes they coached in major competitions were directly tied to their own treatment, promotion, and status.
Zhou Wen had indeed played a significant role in Cui Luoheng's development in this event. However, if Su Bai guided Cui Luoheng for the next half a month and Cui Luoheng achieved great results, it would become difficult to determine to whom the credit should be attributed. This was why some coaches managed their athletes strictly and even treated them as their property.
Seeing Su Bai's surprise, Zhou Wen understood what he was thinking. He chuckled and said, "Don't worry about those superficial matters. What's really important is that athletes perform well. Plus, if you coach Aheng for half a month, do you really think this cheeky fellow would disown me as his coach? Just wait for me to give him a good beating when that time comes. Anyway, Xiaobai, whether you agree or not is up to you!"
Beside them, Cui Luoheng, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke, "... Coach, I won't disown you."
...
...
???
Hearing this, He Yishen burst into laughter. He looked at Zhou Wen and shook his head, saying with a smile, "Oh, Lao Zhou, based on what your disciple just said, he seems quite eager to join Xiaobai, huh?"
Upon hearing Cui Luoheng's words, Zhou Wen was both amused and exasperated. If he hadn't known Cui Luoheng's temperament, he might have misinterpreted him.
Cui Luoheng, upon observing the interactions between He Yishen and Zhou Wen, suddenly realized that his previous words seemed to have a different meaning. He pursed his lips and chose not to speak further.
However, Cui Luoheng's statement lightened the atmosphere in the meeting room.
Zhou Wen smiled as he looked at Su Bai. "So, Xiaobai? Aheng, this ungrateful guy of mine, seems really eager to jump ship to your side for training."
By now, Su Bai had also relaxed. He pondered for a moment and finally nodded. "Alright, for the next period of time, I'll be responsible for devising and adjusting Cui Luoheng's training plan. However, his main training should still take place with the hurdles group. Therefore, Coach Zhou, I'll need your help with recording various training data and follow-ups during practice. Additionally, for certain crucial training sessions, we'll need video recordings. I'll review and analyze these training sessions each night to promptly adjust the training direction."
"Sure, no problem!"
Zhou Wen readily agreed to Su Bai's request. The discussion then moved on to a more detailed negotiation of training plans and content. Everyone's goal was the same – to help Cui Luoheng secure a spot in the Jakarta Asian Games.
He Yishen, as the head coach of the entire team, facilitated some of Su Bai and Zhou Wen's requirements. While listening to their conversation, he also looked at Su Bai with a sense of admiration.
Three months ago, how could he have ever anticipated that their S Province Athletics Team would produce two top-tier athletes capable of competing for Asian Games qualifications in the men's 400 meters and 110 meters hurdles events?
Later in the evening, during the late-night dining hours in the cafeteria:
After Cui Luoheng's 110-meter hurdles breakthrough news spread throughout the S Province Athletics Team following the afternoon testing and evening training, Qiu Wen and Wang Shen, who were part of the late-night trio, were among the first to hear this news. They also learned about Cui Luoheng's upcoming training with Su Bai.
Holding a bowl of beef noodle soup in his hands, Qiu Wen looked at Cui Luoheng in astonishment. "Huh? Are you going to train under Xiaobai too?" He continued with a suspicious expression, "Oh no, even your 110-meter hurdles group is trying to get favor from Xiaobai now. My days ahead will be even worse!"
...
???
Listening to Qiu Wen's self-talk, Wang Shen almost sprayed his soup. He looked at Qiu Wen with a mix of amusement and helplessness, shaking his head. "No, seriously, Qiu Wen, have you been watching some kind of palace intrigue TV drama lately? Seeking favor, really?"
Qiu Wen looked at Wang Shen, shook his head, and let out a deep sigh with a very somber expression. "Sigh, you wouldn't understand."
Seeing Qiu Wen's demeanor, Wang Shen didn't say much more. He thought, well, alright, he didn't understand.
On the other hand, Cui Luoheng, who was next to them, heard the phrase "competing for favor" from Qiu Wen. A momentary expression of deep contemplation flashed across his face.
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