Translator: dapotaturs
Release Date: 09/04/2023
"Good job, young man! Well done!"
In the audience stands, Hu Shaowen waved his fist and laughed heartily, showing his satisfaction with Qiu Wen's performance.
Of course, as a newcomer in the 400-meter event, gaining qualification for the Asian Games within just 4 months of transitioning to this event, who could be dissatisfied with Qiu Wen's performance?
On the side, Su Bai had actually stood up when the race reached its final 100-meter segment. Like everyone else, he watched with a slightly nervous heart as the final contest unfolded between Qiu Wen and Zhang Ziyi.
"Ah, it's a pity. If Qiu Wen's final sprint could have been a bit faster, he might have been able to surpass Zhang Ziyi today and take home the championship!" Hu Shaowen exclaimed.
Upon hearing this, Su Bai shook his head. "Zhang Ziyi's condition today is quite good. From overall cornering techniques, transitioning from the bend to the straight, pacing throughout the race, and controlling his energy, he's much more experienced than Qiu Wen. For Qiu Wen to win against him, there's still a little way to go."
Seeing Su Bai explaining so seriously, Hu Shaowen was about to retort that he was just joking, but he then picked up on a key point in Su Bai's words. "A little way?"
Su Bai turned to glance at Hu Shaowen and then looked at Qiu Wen on the track, who still seemed a bit dissatisfied. He nodded. "Yes, a little way."
Qiu Wen's natural talent in the 400-meter event exceeded that of most individuals. As he further enhanced his grasp of pacing and energy control, combined with adjustments in technical details and familiarity with the competitive aspect of the 400-meter race, Qiu Wen's potential for growth was significant. Catching up to the current Zhang Ziyi wouldn't be too difficult.
After hearing Su Bai's precise response, excitement filled Hu Shaowen's expression even more.
On the race track, Qiu Wen had closed the gap with Zhang Ziyi to about a body's length as they crossed the finish line. However, he ultimately couldn't overtake Zhang Ziyi and had to settle for second place.
As he crossed the line, a frustrated expression appeared on Qiu Wen's face. After gradually coming to a stop, he stood in place, hanging his head like a slightly dejected giant dog.
Not far ahead of him, Zhang Ziyi displayed a mixture of exhaustion from drained energy and a hint of relief on his face. He looked back and saw Qiu Wen in this slightly downcast state, making him feel both amused and exasperated.
"Qiu Wen."
Zhang Ziyi patted Qiu Wen's shoulder and chuckled. "What's wrong? Unhappy because you didn't beat me?"
Qiu Wen looked up at Zhang Ziyi with a hint of frustration still lingering, though his sense of propriety told him to be polite. However, with the sense of disappointment still hanging around, he also knew that being polite wouldn't serve any purpose. So, he continued to keep his head down. "Well, kind of..."
Seeing Qiu Wen's honest response, Zhang Ziyi couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, how long have you been training for the 400 meters? You've almost flattened me to the point where there's no escape. Are you complaining that you haven't completely crushed this old wave onto the beach?"
Qiu Wen had actually felt a bit embarrassed just now when he spoke. Therefore, he turned his gaze away and scratched his head.
"Uh, not really..."
"Not really what?"
Just as Qiu Wen finished speaking, Guo Dun had broken through the finish line in third place. After slowing down a few steps, he arrived alongside Qiu Wen and Zhang Ziyi. He overheard Qiu Wen's "not really" and decided to join the lively conversation.
In today's competition, it can be said that every athlete gave their all. The often-seen coasting behavior that was common in domestic races was completely absent.
Having completed the entire race, Guo Dun, despite feeling tired at the moment, also felt a sense of gratification. Although he only managed to secure the third place after putting in his best effort, the feeling of resurgence in his competitive state was much better than the past flat performances.
Zhang Wei and Hu Li, in today's competition, secured the fourth and sixth places respectively. Lin Chuan from the Z Province Sports Team performed exceptionally well today. With a strong finish in the second half of the race, he surpassed Hu Li and secured the fifth place.
Overall, today's 400-meter race was much more exciting and thrilling compared to previous domestic races.
In the commentary live broadcast of the sports channel, Shao Minyi and Li Sen shared the same sentiment.
"Today's men's 400-meter event is a rare high-level, highly competitive, and highly entertaining race in China in recent years!" Shao Minyi sincerely praised, "From the start of the race, each athlete has showcased their best form, battling it out from the gunshot and the start."
"Especially in the final 200-meter stretch, the overtaking and chasing between Qiu Wen and Zhang Ziyi made people unable to help but hold their breath!"
"No doubt!" Li Sen's words carried an excited tone. He himself had a preference for the 400-meter event in athletics. Today's live coverage of the race allowed him to witness the hope of progress in China's 400-meter event.
"The athletes' performances and efforts today were outstanding. Qiu Wen, as a newcomer to the 400-meter event, came very close to defeating the domestic 400-meter champion, Zhang Ziyi. The sprint duel in the last 100 meters between the two was truly heart-pounding!"
"However, right after the race ended, Qiu Wen seemed a bit dissatisfied with his ranking!" Li Sen recalled the moment he saw Qiu Wen's demeanor on the live broadcast and couldn't help but chuckle.
In the live chat room, when Li Sen said this, there was a string of friendly "hahaha" comments. For athletics enthusiasts, today's competition was undoubtedly a satisfying and invigorating experience, a long-awaited source of excitement.
In the S Province Sports Team's room, several track and field coaches were gathered, watching the live broadcast together. They had also noticed Qiu Wen's downcast look. Several coaches couldn't help but laugh.
"This brat, he's too prideful!"
Among the coaches present, there was an elderly man with graying hair, who appeared to be over seventy years old. He was wearing sportswear just like the rest. Seeing Qiu Wen's frustrated expression after crossing the finish line, he immediately raised his eyebrows and twirled his mustache. He was likely to give Qiu Wen a stern talking-to whenever he encountered him.
Seated on the left, He Yishen heard this and offered a soothing suggestion, "Oh well, Qiu Lao, why get worked up? Qiu Wen has a strong drive and is aiming for better results, isn't he?"
"Besides, just look at the race we just witnessed. The distance between Qiu Wen and Zhang Ziyi in the final sprint was only a bit more than a body length. If that final stretch was fifty meters longer, it could have gone either way."
This elderly man with graying hair was actually Qiu Wen's grandfather, Qiu Jinxing. He had retired from the S Province Athletics Team and was invited by He Yishen to come back to the team and watch his own grandson's performance.
Seeing his grandson's excellent performance in the race, Qiu Jinxing was naturally delighted. However, he was indeed a bit concerned that Qiu Wen's mindset might be getting a bit inflated due to his recent impressive results. This wouldn't be beneficial for his future athletic career.
Zhao Heping, standing nearby, noticed Qiu Jinxing's thoughts. He smiled and reassured, "Rest assured, Qiu Lao, Qiu Wen listens to his coach's words attentively now. He's always been diligent in his training. Now that he has secured a spot in Jakarta, when he joins the national team's training, he'll still be under the guidance of his current coach, Xiao Bai. He'll be watched over, so there won't be any issues."
Upon hearing Zhao Heping's words, Qiu Jinxing nodded. "When we used to talk on the phone, he often mentioned that kid named Xiao Bai. I didn't expect that he has become Qiu Wen's coach now and has led him to achieve such results. I'll have to personally thank this Coach Xiao Bai one day."
In the small meeting room, the coaches were in good spirits due to the outstanding results achieved by the S Province Athletics Team in the 400-meter event. Soon, the live broadcast screen transmitted the commentator's voice—announcing the athletes' results!
"The results of the Men's 400-meter Final at the National Athletics Championship and Asian Games Qualification Trial:
First place, Zhang Ziyi (B City Athletics Team) with a time of 46.16 seconds (wind speed +0.6m/s), season's best;
Second place, Qiu Wen (S Province Athletics Team) with a time of 46.29 seconds (wind speed +0.6m/s), personal best;
Third place, Guo Dun (B City Athletics Team) with a time of 46.68 seconds;
Fourth place, Zhang Wei, 47.21 seconds... Lin Chuan of Z Province, 47.26 seconds; Hu Li of S Province, 47.39 seconds..."
As the athletes' results were announced, the venue once again erupted in a wave of cheering. In today's competition, the top three finishers—Zhang Ziyi, Qiu Wen, and Guo Dun—achieved their season's best performances. Qiu Wen once again set a new personal best. Most of the other athletes also ran personal good times and showed good form.
Just as the commentators had mentioned earlier, today's competition was a peak moment in China's 400-meter event.
Whether at the venue or on the internet, track and field enthusiasts celebrated the competition and the athletes' performances with absolute excitement. Even the staff members of the S Province Athletics Team in the audience stands were no different.
Hu Shaowen wore a constant smile on his face, but Su Bai, after seeing everyone's excitement, furrowed his brows slightly and didn't say much.
The excitement of the audience continued into the next set of races. Perhaps it was due to G Province's geographical advantages that made it suitable for athletics events, or maybe it was because this selection trial was genuinely the highest-level event in China so far this year, making the competition among athletes quite fierce.
In any case, in the upcoming 800-meter, 1500-meter, and other different events, the athletes performed well, and the audience in the venue was generous with their applause and cheers to support them.
However, compared to the cheers that erupted after the finalists of the men's 110-meter hurdles were introduced, these cheers seemed insignificant.
At 10:53 AM, the men's 110-meter hurdles race was about to begin. The athletes from the 110-meter hurdles final group were stepping onto the track. With their appearances, the cheers from the audience reached its peak decibel level.
Among these cheers, a significant number of voices could be heard shouting, "Cui Luoheng, go for it!"
In the previous day's competition, Cui Luoheng's outstanding performance in the 110-meter hurdles preliminaries had left a deep impression on all track and field enthusiasts. This was especially true because Cui Luoheng had made remarkable progress. After his performance in the first group of the preliminaries, he was taken away for doping testing by WADA staff due to his astonishing results. This legendary event further deepened the audience's impression of Cui Luoheng.
Now, if you mentioned "Cui Luoheng" to the audience, most track and field enthusiasts could quickly recognize the name and would excitedly ask, "Are you talking about the 110-meter hurdles athlete who improved his personal best by almost 1 second, and was taken for doping testing because of his outstanding performance?"
In the live chat room of the sports channel, due to Cui Luoheng's appearance, a lot of comments began to flood the screen.
[ Yoooo! Is little Cui about to race?! Come on, Cui, improve by another second today! ]
[ Huh? Brother in front, what are you thinking? Improve by another second, 12.57 seconds? Are you trying to break the 110-meter hurdles world record?]
[Hahaha, my bad, my bad. Go, Cui, go, improve by another 0.1 second!]
[I'm a bit nervous. Didn't Cui Luoheng have average performances in the earlier part of this season? He exploded yesterday, but will he fall back today?]
[He shouldn't, right? Isn't it said that his improvement is because of training with Coach Su Bai, which helped him overcome some issues with his competitive state? Since the problems are resolved, he shouldn't regress easily this time, right?]
On the live chat screen, discussions about Cui Luoheng were rampant. The two commentators in the live room were naturally speculating about Cui Luoheng's condition and performance.
"In today's men's 110-meter hurdles final, the athlete from the S Province Athletics Team, Cui Luoheng, undoubtedly is the one capturing the audience's attention the most," Shao Minyi introduced with a smile, summarizing Cui Luoheng's performance and achievements from the previous day's race. He continued, "Today's final is Cui Luoheng's second race after his personal form has fully recovered. I believe the audience is looking forward to this."
"Indeed," Li Sen nodded along, "Not only the audience, but Minyi and I are also very curious and excited about Cui Luoheng's performance. We'll see if Cui Luoheng can maintain his excellent state from yesterday and fully demonstrate his strength in the final."
"Without further ado, the race is about to start. Let's watch and wait!"
In the audience stands and on the track, the atmosphere between the two was mutually influencing.
On the track, Cui Luoheng couldn't possibly be placed in the ninth lane again. As the athlete with the highest cumulative score from the preliminaries, he was placed in the fifth lane. To his left, in the fourth lane, was Zhao Yankai, who had been left far behind by him in the previous day's race.
At this moment, Zhao Yankai on the fourth lane was tense, diligently adjusting his competitive state.
For Zhao Yankai, who had been heavily suppressed by Cui Luoheng in the second place during the previous day's preliminaries, and whose rhythm had even slightly faltered during the hurdle process, he consistently believed that the previous day's competition was not a representation of his true abilities.
"Everything was because of an accident!"
"He didn't anticipate the sudden appearance of Cui Luoheng, which caused him to underestimate the competition. This led to him not arranging his rhythm well."
Throughout the day, whether it was Zhao Yankai or his coach and team leader, they were all comforting him like this, urging him to adjust his mindset so that he could face Cui Luoheng in the final with all his might the next day.
"Your personal best is 13.53 seconds, and Cui Luoheng's best is only 13.57 seconds. In reality, his ability isn't superior to yours. Moreover, this is just a recent achievement for him. The reason he ran 13.57 seconds yesterday was mainly because he had been out of competitions for nearly a year. The results from the earlier part of this season were not that good for him. He had been holding himself back for so long, and finally, he overcame his issues and wanted to prove himself in front of everyone."
These were the analyses Cui Luoheng's coach had shared with Zhao Yankai regarding Cui Luoheng's situation, "But this approach is foolish. His coach, Su Bai, is still too young and inexperienced. Regardless, he should have controlled his athlete, saving his best form for the final. For yesterday's preliminaries, ensuring he qualified was sufficient."
"But the Cui Luoheng from yesterday was clearly in an extraordinary state and gave his all."
"There's a saying: 'A strong initial impulse is followed by weakening and exhaustion'. Bursting with energy during the preliminaries and raising his personal best by nearly a second in time, what about today's final? Did he disregard his state for the second day?"
"The best form should have been reserved for the final."
"Encountering his explosive state yesterday was indeed unexpected. However, this kind of surprise won't be consistent. Be prepared today, perform well. You came prepared, he used up the momentum he had been accumulating for over a year the previous day. It's a trade-off; the overall situation is in your favor today."
Zhao Yankai agreed with his coach's reasoning as well. Typically, during preliminaries, athletes wouldn't exert their full effort. Experienced athletes in preliminaries only need to maintain a certain speed to secure their spot in the finals. Better performances should indeed be reserved for the finals.
Based on these analyses, Zhao Yankai similarly believed that Cui Luoheng's performance in yesterday's preliminaries was due to his lack of mature competitive experience.
Just...
Thinking all this, Zhao Yankai still felt a sense of crisis in his heart. After all, in the 110-meter hurdles event, if they wanted to secure a spot in the Asian Games, they had to aim for first place!
Because above them, there was someone who was certain to secure a spot for Jakarta—Lu Mengfan.
Before the starting line, Zhao Yankai placed his hands on his waist, tilted his head back to take a deep breath, and adjusted his state. Regardless of anything else, he didn't want to be overshadowed by someone like Cui Luoheng, who wasn't even 20 years old!
He, Zhao Yankai, had been striving in the 110-meter hurdles for so many years, not to serve as a stepping stone for others!
At the same time, Cui Luoheng was also holding his breath, focusing his attention. He wasn't thinking about much else; his only thought was: "Only by winning the 110-meter hurdles championship can I secure a spot in the Jakarta Asian Games and join the national team training with Su Bai."
Although he couldn't be as straightforward as Qiu Wen in telling Su Bai "Don't abandon me," there was indeed a trace of uneasiness in his heart. He didn't want to leave Su Bai, whether it was because of his coaching guidance or the delicious food that Su Bai would secretly cheat him with in the cafeteria.
He knew that with Su Bai's coaching ability, based on what Su Bai had accomplished with Qiu Wen in the 400-meter event, once Su Bai joined the national team, it would be difficult for him to return to the S Province Athletics Team.
He wanted to keep up with Su Bai's pace, to continue training alongside him. In that case, he absolutely couldn't lose today's race!
Cui Luoheng's gaze was sharp as he stared at the track ahead and the familiar row of ten hurdles. He made a slight adjustment to his breathing, allowing his focus to completely saturate the track—listening to his own breathing, his heartbeat, the fiery will to fight within him, and the desire for victory.
He had to win!
He would win!
On the track, from the second lane to the ninth lane, the athletes were all preparing themselves. For most of the 110-meter hurdles athletes in this competition, they understood that today's 110-meter hurdles final was a battle between Zhao Yankai and Cui Luoheng.
They were both vying for the first place and the sole 110-meter hurdles spot in the Jakarta Asian Games. The remaining competitors were vying for at most the third place.
The athletes positioned on either side of Zhao Yankai and Cui Luoheng were well aware that on the fourth and fifth lanes, both Zhao Yankai and Cui Luoheng exuded a formidable aura. It appeared as if they were engaged in a life-and-death struggle on this track—this metaphor might be somewhat exaggerated, but those surrounding them sensed a slightly intimidating aura emanating from these two.
In the audience stands, Zhao Yankai's coach and the team leader of their provincial team were also closely watching the situation on the track. The large screen at the venue was projecting the images of the athletes on the track.
The team leader, upon seeing the tension between Zhao Yankai and Cui Luoheng on the screen, furrowed his brows, "Lao Lin, that Cui Luoheng... His state today seems quite good too, unlike he's any less energetic than yesterday."
Zhao Yankai's coach, Lin Ruzhi, also wore an unpleasant expression. After some thought, he said in a low voice, "Maybe it's just that he appears more imposing, but we can't be sure about his actual state."
"Well..." The team leader hesitated, "What if Cui Luoheng indeed has an exceptional state today and runs a time under 13.60 seconds?"
Upon hearing this, Lin Ruzhi sighed and closed his eyes, "If he truly manages that, then we shouldn't be worried about Yankai anymore."
The team leader hesitated upon hearing this, "...What do you mean?"
Lin Ruzhi closed his eyes and said, "What I mean is, if Cui Luoheng, after overcoming his significant flaws, can continuously run times under 13.60 seconds, then the person who needs to worry about his own position won't be Yankai; it will be Lu Mengfan."
Hearing Lin Ruzhi's words, the team leader fell silent, turning his gaze toward the track. He hoped that everything would go as they had speculated yesterday.
Amidst everyone's nervous and concerned gazes, the athletes on the starting line finally finished their preparations. The voice of the unfeeling and cold-toned starter echoed through the venue once more.
"On your marks."
The athletes placed their hands on the ground, crouching onto their starting blocks, raising their hips, assuming their starting stances, and focusing their attention. They awaited the next command from the starter.
"Get set."
With this command, the athletes fixated their eyes on a small section of the track in front of them. Then, "Bang!"
The crisp report of the starting gun signaled the release of their explosive strength. With their feet propelling against their starting blocks, they exerted their maximum force, gaining the strongest initial acceleration to drive their start.
With a forceful explosion from his right foot, Cui Luoheng's body even tilted slightly due to the burst of power. However, before this tilt could affect him, his left leg quickly followed, then his right foot touched the ground again, and another burst of strength followed!
These initial steps released the explosive power of his legs while quickly propelling him forward. His body swiftly rose during the acceleration phase, shifting his center of gravity upward. With the explosive initial speed he had gained from the start, he swung his arms, stabilized his torso, moved his hips to drive his lower limbs to step and push off!
This series of actions had already become second nature after countless repetitions of training. His attention was entirely focused, his eyes locked on what lay ahead. He minimized the scope of his hypersensitive sense of rhythm to the smallest possible range, applying it only to himself.Su Bai had said—this is your advantage, not a disadvantage. By narrowing your focus, your sensitivity to rhythm will bring you unexpected surprises in controlling your pace on the track.
And this surprise, Cui Luoheng had already experienced it during his previous training.
He could keenly sense his entire body's state. He was in control of his speed, his physical condition, and every inch of his strength. Thus, he could control himself better, moving in a better rhythm and pace.
He could run better—better than his performance in the preliminary heats yesterday!
Beside Cui Luoheng, Zhao Yankai's state during the initial phase was equally impressive!
Zhao Yankai deserved to be the second-best in the domestic 110-meter hurdles event. When facing formidable opponents and challenges, when ignited by strong competitive desire not to fall behind, he burst forth with a level of performance that had been dormant for a long time!
In the just-commenced starting phase, his reaction time to the gun was on par with Cui Luoheng's. His reaction time was only 0.125 seconds, just slightly behind Cui Luoheng's 0.122 seconds.
This exceptional reaction speed to the gun immediately indicated their excellent condition on the track!
In the audience stands, spectators could observe that just in the starting phase, a gunpowder-like atmosphere of tension already existed between Cui Luoheng and Zhao Yankai. Both athletes fiercely matched each other's advances from the start, with no one showing signs of lagging behind.
Besides Cui Luoheng and Zhao Yankai, the other eight athletes also had good speed, but compared to the two of them, they were already showing signs of falling behind right from the start.
This final was undoubtedly a showdown between Zhao Yankai and Cui Luoheng!
Who would emerge victorious?
Judging from the initial pace of the race, for a moment, no one could provide the correct answer!
In the broadcast studio of the sports channel, Shao Minyi and Li Sen managed to utter the words "The race has begun," but then they were both captivated by the intense starting phase between Cui Luoheng and Zhao Yankai. At this stage, any commentary seemed feeble; they focused entirely on the contest unfolding between the two.
In the live chat on the screen, there was a rare moment of clean visuals—fans of track and field barely had time to send barrage comments. They, too, anxiously watched the athletes battling on the screen, particularly Cui Luoheng and Zhao Yankai in the starting phase. They wished the chat screen would be devoid of any distractions, allowing them to focus intently on the competition.
On the field, Zhao Yankai controlled his breathing rhythm, quickly transitioning into the hurdle attacking phase. His hurdle technique was decent, but his rhythm between hurdles was even better. Especially in the first five hurdles, he gradually reached a peak in split pace.
He knew that in a competition like today's, he had no room for distractions. He had to focus on attacking the hurdles and accelerating with the best state. His plan was to build a significant lead over Cui Luoheng in the first five hurdles, capitalizing on his advantage in the first half. Even if his split pace declined later on, he would strive to stabilize his speed, maintaining the lead into the final stages.
That's what Zhao Yankai thought, and that's exactly what he did. His speed in the first five hurdles was indeed something he could be proud of. In particular, during the third and fourth hurdle segments, his split times were consistently around 1.02 seconds (±0.011). In terms of split times for the third and fourth hurdles, he wasn't far behind the current national leader, Lu Mengfan. One could even say his average split pace during this stage was slightly better than Lu Mengfan's.
On the track at this moment, the leading group consisting of Zhao Yankai and Cui Luoheng had already approached the third hurdle. Up to this point, Zhao Yankai had indeed opened up a lead of about half a body length over Cui Luoheng. Especially at the fourth hurdle, the gap between them had widened to nearly a full body length!
In the spectator stands, observers were both pleased and anxious at the sight on the field. They could discern that Zhao Yankai was in extraordinary form today. Some of Zhao Yankai's long-time fans cheered loudly and passionately for him, while others saw Cui Luoheng trailing behind by almost a body length and shouted support, hoping he could catch up and regain the momentum from yesterday's race.
In the seating areas for the teams of Zhao Yankai and Cui Luoheng, the atmosphere was equally intense. Zhao Yankai's team leader saw Zhao Yankai temporarily leading and cheered loudly, urging him to maintain his position.
Hu Shaowen from the S Province Athletics Team was also straining his voice, shouting loudly to cheer for Cui Luoheng!
On the field, the intense atmosphere of the race ignited flames in every athlete. Everyone was giving their all, attacking hurdles, transitioning with three steps between hurdles, and attacking hurdles again!
Although Cui Luoheng had truly focused all his attention on himself, the track was next to him. Naturally, he could still perceive Zhao Yankai's current lead.
But he continued to control his breathing, following Su Bai's advice to keep his focus undisturbed by any external factors!
He could feel the boiling and burning fighting spirit in his heart. He converted this fighting spirit into the will to fight and tremendous self-control. With unprecedented self-discipline, he stabilized his mind, pushing forward based on the rhythm he could sense.
With each stride, his right foot pushed off the ground in front of the hurdle, smoothly and swiftly driven by the powerful ankle strength and explosive force.
During each hurdle attack, his left leg cleared the hurdle with minimal amplitude, then he propelled his body and lead leg in a rapid tail swing over the hurdle!
Lead leg, hurdle attack, leap, downward thrust, hurdle clearance... and then the stable and swift three-step rhythm between hurdles. By maintaining an increasingly consistent pace, he drove his body through another cycle of hurdle attacks!
If Zhao Yankai's advantage was in the first five hurdles, Cui Luoheng's advantage lay in the stable speed increase and accelerated hurdle rhythm throughout his overall hurdling process.
After breaking through the fifth hurdle, Zhao Yankai's fastest split pace had passed, while Cui Luoheng was gradually reaching his peak split pace!
"Oh no..."
In the spectator stands, Lin Ruzhi keenly noticed the change in speed between Zhao Yankai and Cui Luoheng. With his exclamation, everyone could see that on the track, the lead Zhao Yankai had built over Cui Luoheng was being steadily diminished!
"Go for it!!! Yankai, go for it!!!"
"Xiao Cui, push harder!! Overtake him, damn it!!!"
Cheers, shouts, and whistles resounded one after another. The audience members couldn't remain seated any longer. They stood in their spots, eyes fixed on the track, clenching their fists tightly to cheer for the athletes.
And it wasn't just the live audience.
The intensity of this 110-meter hurdles race was such that even viewers watching the live stream online found themselves holding their breath, staring unblinkingly at the screen, not wanting to miss a single moment.
As Zhao Yankai and Cui Luoheng approached the seventh hurdle, the lead Zhao Yankai had built in the early stages was almost completely erased by Cui Luoheng. Zhao Yankai also noticed this change, his spirit tensed again. His mind seemed divided into two parts—one urging him to increase his pace, the other warning him that accelerating could potentially lead to a breakdown in his rhythm.
He hesitated for a moment, but on the track, the 110-meter race left no room for contemplation. It was an ever-changing sprint, and there was no time for second-guessing.
Seeing that Cui Luoheng had finally broken the balance after the eighth hurdle and overtaken him, Zhao Yankai gritted his teeth, forcing himself to increase his pace and catch up to Cui Luoheng, who had already passed him.
Cui Luoheng diligently controlled his breathing, even though he had overtaken Zhao Yankai. He couldn't afford to be complacent or let his rhythm waver for a moment.
Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale...
He focused his attention entirely on the hurdles in front of him, enduring the exhaustion that had already surged within his body. The stimulus from this fatigue allowed him to contract his muscles even further, channeling his strength through his body and rhythm!
Faster...
He could go faster!
In the audience stands, those who were keenly sensitive to speed noticed that after passing the eighth hurdle, Cui Luoheng's initial speed had slightly declined. However, as he approached the tenth hurdle, there was a slight reversal in his speed!
In today's race, Zhao Yankai had already controlled his pace well. He successfully increased his speed without letting his rhythm falter. However, while he managed to recover some of his disadvantage while attacking the ninth hurdle, he watched Cui Luoheng break through the tenth hurdle at a faster pace.
No... this couldn't be!
Why was there still such speed at this stage?!
Unwilling to accept it, Zhao Yankai forcefully controlled his breathing and rhythm, also quickly clearing the tenth hurdle. Then, in the final sprint segment, he chased after Cui Luoheng, who had already overtaken him.
In the last ten meters or so of the sprint segment, it was the final showdown between Cui Luoheng and Zhao Yankai. The voices of the spectators in the stands had already grown hoarse in this brief span of over ten seconds, but they were still shouting at the top of their lungs to cheer for the two athletes on the track.
In the broadcast studio, Shao Minyi and Li Sen were also intently focused—
"Sprint! Who will be the ultimate winner?!"
Cui Luoheng had completely let go of his rhythm control at this point. He swung his arms wider, sprinting towards the finish line at the fastest speed possible!
Zhao Yankai was chasing behind him, but due to his forced speed increase in the final hurdle attack phase, while he hadn't experienced a breakdown in rhythm, the physical exertion was greater than he had anticipated.
The lack of energy directly affected the final sprint phase—he didn't have the strength to overtake Cui Luoheng ahead of him anymore...
No, why was it like this?!
Watching from behind, Zhao Yankai saw Cui Luoheng pull ahead by a body length and cross the finish line first. Even though he was only trailing Cui Luoheng by one body length, that gap seemed eternally fixed.
Finally...
He could only break the finish line in second place, and after a brief deceleration, he knelt on the track in frustration.
"We won!!!"
In the spectator stands, Hu Shaowen jumped up in excitement, his palms sweaty after these short ten-odd seconds. Compared to the earlier 400-meter race, this 110-meter hurdles race, with its shorter distance and more intense competition between the two athletes, felt even more thrilling and spectacular.
When Cui Luoheng and Zhao Yankai both crossed the finish line, the entire audience erupted in cheers and shouts.
"Xiao Cui!! Well done!!!"
"Old Zhao, don't be sad. We'll compete again next time!! You did great today too!!"
Various shouts echoed throughout the stadium. In Zhao Yankai's team seating area, their team leader let out a heavy sigh, and Zhao Yankai's coach, Lin Ruzhi, shook his head in helplessness.
"I underestimated this Cui Luoheng... and his coach, Su Bai."
In the online live stream chat, Shao Minyi and Li Sen also let out a long sigh, laughing as they said that today's final had been an exciting and intense competition. After the previous 400-meter sprint, this 110-meter hurdles race was equally intense and thrilling, feeling more like an international event than a domestic competition.
In the midst of their conversation, Li Sen grinned and said, "Minyi, have you noticed that today, the two most exciting races so far are both related to the S Province Athletics Team and that coach Su Bai?"
Upon hearing his longtime partner's words, Shao Minyi also smiled and responded, "Yes, Coach Su is truly the driving force behind these two races. I can't wait to meet him and see what kind of person he is. He's managed to bring such transformative changes to the S Province Athletics Team's 400-meter event and Cui Luoheng..."
While the two were chatting, the final results were being announced on the scene.
Shao Minyi looked at the monitor screen displaying the athletes' results and once again exclaimed with admiration, "The final rankings of the National Athletics Grand Championship and Asian Games Qualifying Trials 110-meter hurdles event are as follows:
First place, Cui Luoheng (S Province Athletics Team), 13.47 seconds (wind speed +1.0m/s), personal best;
Second place, Zhao Yankai (F Province Athletics Team), 13.56 seconds (wind speed +1m/s), season's best..."
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