Translator: dapotaturs
Release Date: 09/04/2023
Not only Guo Dun, but also Jiang Wentao, Pei Jin'an, and Wang Ting who were nervously watching by the side of the track were all taken aback at this moment. What were the performance goals that Su Bai had set for Zhang Ziyi and Qiu Wen again?
It seemed to be 46.15 and 46.25 seconds?
So, they both exceeded their goals by a large margin?!
It wasn't just Zhang Ziyi and Qiu Wen.
In the recent race, the third to cross the finish line was not Guo Dun or Lin Chuan, but Li Junhao, whose performance and condition had been consistently poor this season. Li Junhao's time was now displayed on the electronic timer panel—46.33 seconds. This wasn't just his best performance this season; it was a significant improvement over his personal best.
Seeing Li Junhao's time, Wang Ting even excitedly clenched his fist and exclaimed, "Nice!"
Li Junhao had been a highly promising athlete since his time in the youth division, and Wang Ting had high hopes for him. However, over the past year, Li Junhao's performance had been disappointing, leaving Wang Ting uncertain about how to address the situation. Wang Ting had always thought that Li Junhao's performance suffered due to a mental state issue. He had tried to talk him through it, but Li Junhao's performance only worsened over time. This had been a significant concern for Wang Ting, and he worried that the athlete he had nurtured for so many years might be on the brink of decline.
However, unexpectedly, Su Bai's approach seemed to completely awaken these 400-meter athletes?
On the training field, the electronic timer had displayed the results of all eight athletes:
1st place, Zhang Ziyi: 45.96 seconds;
2nd place, Qiu Wen: 46.16 seconds;
3rd place, Li Junhao: 46.33 seconds;
4th place, Guo Dun: 46.39 seconds;
5th place, Lin Chuan: 46.45 seconds
6th place, Zhang Chang: 46.51 seconds;7th place, Zhou Xu: 46.72 seconds.
Out of the seven athletes, only the last two, Zhang Chang and Zhou Xu, had not yet met Su Bai's initial training goal. However, in the recent race, Zhou Xu had an obvious false start. His reaction to the gun had been delayed, resulting in a reaction time of 0.359 seconds, which significantly impacted his subsequent performance and overall performance.
Aside from Zhou Xu, another athlete who fell short of the standard was Zhang Chang, but his time of 46.51 seconds was already very close to success. After seeing his time, Zhang Chang felt both joy and regret. He regretted not performing even better in the recent test.
Among the seven athletes, apart from Qiu Wen and Li Junhao, the remaining athletes had not achieved their personal best times. Yet, the feeling of "once you start, you can run in this state" still pumped up every athlete.
In this state of mind, they even felt like running another lap immediately to verify whether this sensation was an illusion.
"Coach Su... were these results within your expectations?" Jiang Wentao looked at the display and still found it somewhat surreal.
These times wouldn't be considered good on the international stage or even in the Asian context, but domestically, they were enough to be surprising. When compared to the 400-meter event results from several athletics grand prix and the final Asian Games selection races this year, even Zhou Xu, who had a clear mistake today, with his time of 46.72 seconds, would have secured a top-three finish in any of those races.
In a mere 20 days, Su Bai had indeed delivered on his promise, significantly improving the athletes' performance.
Su Bai nodded, not saying much. He walked directly to the athletes' side and announced the test results: "Today's test has met the basic goals. Zhang Chang, Zhou Xu, take a 15-minute break and retest. There are still 5 days of training left. Qiu Wen will continue with the original training plan. Adjustments to details will be communicated later. Zhang Ziyi, Guo Dun, Lin Chuan, and Li Junhao are officially selected for the 4x400-meter relay team. Zhang Chang and Zhou Xu are substitutes. There will be separate relay strengthening training courses in the next 5 days, and Zhang Chang and Zhou Xu will participate as reserve candidates."
As announced earlier, the first four athletes, apart from Qiu Wen, would directly form the 4x400-meter relay team for the Asian Games. The order Su Bai provided also indicated that Li Junhao would take on the critical fourth leg of the relay—a highly significant role within the team.
After hearing Su Bai's announcement, Li Junhao's expression remained unchanged, but his hands clenched into fists.
Others might not have noticed why his performance had fluctuated so dramatically, but he had a vague understanding. If he were still responsible for the second or third leg of the relay, as in the past, he might not have felt such great pressure.
However... the fourth leg.
Su Bai had entrusted him with the anchor leg of the 4x400-meter relay without reservation?
Li Junhao gritted his teeth and surreptitiously glanced at Su Bai, unexpectedly making eye contact with him.
"What's the matter? Afraid of taking the fourth leg? Unable to shoulder the responsibility?" Su Bai casually glanced at Li Junhao, his tone calm.
...
"Damn it!"
"Who the hell wouldn't dare?!" Li Junhao glared at Su Bai, finding this annoying pretty boy coach truly irritating.
"Oh." Su Bai heard Li Junhao's response and a hint of a smile flashed in his eyes. He then smiled at Li Junhao, saying, "Well, in the upcoming 400-meter relay training, you'll have to work hard. After all, the last leg of the 400 meters is crucial. Whether you can overcome a disadvantage or maintain an advantage depends on your performance."
"Yeah, Ah Hao, how well our 400-meter relay ends up will really depend on you!" Zhang Ziyi smiled and patted his younger brother's shoulder.
When he saw Li Junhao's results just now, Zhang Ziyi had been pleasantly surprised. He knew how much effort their coach, Wang Ting, had put into helping Li Junhao. Seeing Li Junhao make a comeback and significantly improve his personal best filled him with relief.
Lin Chuan, Guo Dun, Zhou Xu, and Zhang Chang each came over and patted Li Junhao's shoulder, offering their encouragement. Even Qiu Wen ran up to him, giving him an encouraging pat on the back just like everyone else, then looking at him with a pair of eyes full of trust, expressing his belief that Li Junhao could definitely shoulder the responsibility of leading the team to a good performance.
Though he had previously thought that Su Bai was an annoying pretty boy coach, Li Junhao suddenly found himself at a loss for words. His usual cocky demeanor, along with the criticisms he had intended to make, were all silenced by the trust and encouragement of his teammates. He opened his mouth several times but couldn't find the words to say. In the end, he discreetly glanced at Su Bai and could only inwardly complain about this coach. Not only was he a pretty boy, but he was also a cunning one!
But then again...
This pretty boy coach seemed to have some real skill.
Li Junhao recalled the personal best he had just set, and his emotions fluctuated. Over the past year, he had lost hope for his performance. He had even thought that not being burdened by the expectations of others might allow him to perform better. But today, he shattered his own hypothesis. It was a pleasant surprise, a complete accident.
He understood that without the stimulation from the practice race and without Su Bai tearing down his defenses so straightforwardly and even touching upon his deepest emotions, he wouldn't have been so angry, to the point of being irritated, and wouldn't have channeled this irritated defiance into his training.
However, at this moment, Li Junhao still lacked confidence in himself. He had run a time of 46.33 seconds today in the test race, but what about later?
Could he achieve this time on the official race track?
In the relay race... could he really withstand the gaze of everyone, carry the hopes of the entire team, and charge toward the finish line with those hopes?
Amidst the well-wishes of everyone, Li Junhao maintained a composed expression and didn't dare answer this question in his heart.
Who the hell could have foreseen this?
Everyone thought he had turned arrogant, but in the end, he realized he was just a coward.
While Li Junhao's thoughts were racing, Zhang Ziyi suddenly asked Su Bai a question.
"Coach... I want to ask, do you think I still have a chance to break my personal best?"
Zhang Ziyi had harbored this question for a while.
As the top male athlete in the domestic 400-meter event, Zhang Ziyi naturally pursued better results. However, in the context of the domestic 400-meter level and environment, this pursuit had gradually become a luxury.
After achieving his personal best of 45.57 seconds, he had been unable to replicate that success. Even running below 46 seconds wasn't something he could frequently achieve. Much of his performance depended on his condition during the races; luck was a significant factor.
For example, in the 2017 season, his luck was good, and he managed to run under 46 seconds due to his explosive condition. That year's result became his season's best. However, in the current season, his condition wasn't great, and he hadn't been able to break the 46-second barrier until today, which marked the first time he had broken that threshold this season.
Despite carrying the moniker of top male athlete in the 400 meters domestically, Zhang Ziyi deeply understood the gap between domestic and international levels in this event. This had led to some despondency and imbalance in his mentality.
It was only today, when Zhang Ziyi genuinely felt that Su Bai had managed to bring about a qualitative leap in the performance of the entire team within 20 days, that he decided to ask this question to Su Bai, hoping to receive a response that would motivate him to continue striving or perhaps even despair.
After Zhang Ziyi asked this question, the athletes present fell silent for a moment. Even Jiang Wentao, Pei Jin'an, and Wang Ting, who had been talking on the side, stopped their conversation.
Having displayed his capabilities over the past twenty days or so, Su Bai had won them over. They were curious to hear his assessment of Zhang Ziyi's potential.
With all eyes filled with a mix of anticipation and unease, everyone turned their gaze to Su Bai.
Facing these expectant looks, Su Bai also looked at Zhang Ziyi seriously and said, "Why not?"
With just these five words, a hint of surprise appeared on Zhang Ziyi's face.
Su Bai smiled and then looked at all the athletes with a serious expression. "Since Ziyi has this question, let me tell everyone here very seriously. Based on my personal experience and judgment, whether it's you, Zhang Ziyi, or Zhou Xu, Zhang Chang, every one of you has talent in the 400 meters that is on par with most athletes from Asian countries."
"Therefore, my plans for your performances won't be limited to a time of 46.50 seconds."
"In the current season, up until now, there have been nine Japanese athletes who have run under 46 seconds. However, in domestic official races, that number is still at zero."
When Su Bai uttered this sentence, the expressions of all the athletes, including Zhang Ziyi, briefly turned unnatural.
Su Bai paid no attention to their embarrassment and spoke straightforwardly, "Based on everyone's current performances, I think I will continue to be the coach for the national 400-meter team. I'm setting a goal here—I hope that in the outdoor season next year, there will be at least 5 male athletes in the domestic 400 meters who can break the 46-second barrier."
This goal surprised everyone present, including Jiang Wentao and others.
If during the recent test race Su Bai's target was 46.50 seconds, a time that nearly half of the athletes present had already achieved, the sub-46-second realm was a territory only entered by Zhang Ziyi and Guo Dun. Guo Dun had achieved it merely twice up until now.
Before everyone could recover from the shock of Su Bai's goal, he turned his attention to Zhang Ziyi.
"As long as you're willing to strive, believe me, your performance won't end here." Pausing for a moment, Su Bai suddenly looked at all the athletes present, "In my assessment, at least 3 of you have the potential to break the current national record of 45.25 seconds."
"Don't underestimate yourselves. Your talents are by no means inferior to those Japanese athletes who have broken the 46-second barrier in their respective seasons."
...
...
It's unclear if Su Bai's words after the test race had an impact, but during the subsequent retests that same day, including Zhou Xu and Zhang Chang, all the athletes managed to break the team's test goal set 20 days ago.
Looking back to 20 days ago, they would have never believed they could achieve this so effortlessly.
In response to Su Bai's training goal for the next year, the athletes who had initially found it hard to believe had quietly started to anticipate their training and performance in the upcoming year after reviewing their test results.
"At least 5 people breaking the 46-second barrier..."
"Then among those 5 people, will I be one of them?"
This thought surfaced in every individual's mind.
After leaving the training ground and returning to the office, Pei Jin'an and Jiang Wentao, who had been excited all along, couldn't help but speak up.
"Coach Su..."
Both Pei Jin'an and Jiang Wentao started to speak at the same time, but then they exchanged smiles and Pei Jin'an spoke first.
"Coach Su, what you said on the training ground just now, is it true?"
Su Bai blinked and asked, "Which part are you referring to?"
"It's about the expectation of having at least 5 athletes breaking the 46-second barrier next year..."
Su Bai furrowed his brow, "It's not true."
"Ah..."
Pei Jin'an, Jiang Wentao, and even Wang Ting's expressions turned disappointed upon hearing this.
Seeing their disappointed faces, Su Bai immediately realized that they had misunderstood something, so he smiled and said, "Actually, it's not 5 people, but 7."
?
?!
Su Bai's sudden change in tone widened the eyes of the three remaining individuals.
"Coach Su, are you suggesting... that there's a high likelihood that everyone will break the 46-second barrier next year?"
Su Bai nodded, "Yes, concerning the abilities, characteristics, and potential of these few athletes, I've made a rough judgment. Although not every one of them might be able to run under 45.50 seconds, breaking the 46-second barrier should be achievable for all of them."
"The reason I didn't say that outright just now was to maintain a competitive mindset among them, to avoid breeding complacency due to the idea that 'everyone has potential and a chance'."
Upon hearing Su Bai's explanation, the group including Pei Jin'an breathed a sigh of relief. They were also now looking forward to the prospects of the next year as painted by Su Bai.
Jiang Wentao, however, felt a surge of joy before thinking about the upcoming Asian Games.
"In today's test race, Zhang Ziyi and Qiu Wen, one ran 45.96 seconds and the other 46.16 seconds. According to what you said, Coach Su, their current performances should be stable in this range. Doesn't that mean these two athletes have a good chance of making it to the finals of the Asian Games?!"
Based on the standards from past Asian Games' 400-meter semifinals, athletes had to run within 46.20 seconds to reach the finals. In Zhang Ziyi's case, this was an achievement he hadn't always been able to accomplish.
And now... Among the participants in the men's 400 meters for this event, both Zhang Ziyi and Qiu Wen were holding performances that already fit this standard!
As long as they could maintain this state...
Thinking this through, Jiang Wentao's heart surged with excitement.
The goal initially set by the Chinese Athletics Association for the Jakarta Asian Games was to have all sent athletes reach the top eight in their respective events.
For some events, this goal wasn't a problem, but for track and field, there were quite a few challenges. The 400 meters, for example, had athletes competing, but the Chinese Athletics Association had already communicated to the national sports administration about the potential problems this event could create.
Who could have predicted that, in just a short while, the situation would suddenly become promising again?
As for Jiang Wentao's question, Su Bai nodded, "If we consider the standards used in previous years' finals for a moment, Zhang Ziyi and Qiu Wen both have a chance. However, because we now have two athletes with the potential to compete in the finals, the standards for this year's finals might be adjusted upward from previous years."
Jiang Wentao calmed down upon hearing Su Bai's analysis. It was true, in the past, Zhang Ziyi might not have made it to the finals, and the standard for qualifying for the finals was around 46.20 seconds. But now, two athletes had already met this standard. It was possible that this year's standard would be raised because of their presence.
Upon realizing this, Jiang Wentao felt a mix of nervousness and anticipation. At least this time, they had Zhang Ziyi and Qiu Wen, two athletes with potential, on their side, right?
On that day, a few of them gathered in Su Bai's office to discuss the upcoming tasks he might face and other matters. On the training ground for the 400m project, the atmosphere among the athletes was more intense than ever.
During his training, Zhang Ziyi couldn't help but think about their new head coach for the national 400m project, Su Bai.
From what seemed like a normal state of tranquility to Su Bai shattering that calmness like lightning, ripping away the hidden evasions and weaknesses from everyone's hearts. Then, using his own future as a gamble, he gained a slight trust from everyone and guided them through a series of training instructions. Finally, today marked a phase of victory for both Su Bai and all of them.
After understanding all of this, Zhang Ziyi couldn't help but admire in his heart. Their coach might be young, but he was certainly not to be underestimated.
At the same time, after seeing off people like Jiang Wentao, Su Bai finally breathed a sigh of relief. In these twenty days, due to the high number of athletes to pay attention to in the 400m project and the importance it held for his coaching career, most of his time had been focused here. Until today, he could finally let out a bit of breath.
After looking at the time, Su Bai thought for a moment, then stood up and left the office, heading towards the 110m hurdles training area.
During this time, he had very little time and energy to spare for monitoring Cui Luoheng. Fortunately, he had set up a dynamic analysis of his physical state. This analysis included an early warning system that could set alert values for various attributes of the bound athletes. Once an athlete's attribute data reached the alert range, an alarm would be triggered.
With the help of real-time data from dynamic analysis, training records sent by the assistant coach of the hurdles team, and occasional visits to observe Cui Luoheng's training progress, he had managed to pull through this training period.
When Su Bai arrived at the 110m hurdles training area, athletes like Lu Mengfan, Zhao Yankai, and Cui Luoheng were each engaged in their own training sessions. Although Zhao Yankai hadn't secured a spot in the 110m hurdles for the upcoming Asian Games, he was still a prominent figure in the domestic 110m hurdles scene. So, when the training list was announced, he was included by head coach Lu Shengbin.
Unfortunately, Zhao Yankai's performance during this training period wasn't satisfactory. Perhaps the impact Cui Luoheng had made on him in two consecutive matches was too great. This had left Zhao Yankai struggling to adjust his mindset, and his performance in training had been quite lackluster.
The hurdles team's head coach, Lu Shengbin, wasn't very pleased with Zhao Yankai's performance during this time. He had a rough idea of the root cause but hadn't been able to effectively help Zhao Yankai transition his mindset. Lu Shengbin's attention was more focused on Lu Mengfan's training, so he didn't have a better solution for this issue.
From Lu Shengbin's perspective, Cui Luoheng had been relatively quiet in training as well, but his silence was different from Zhao Yankai's.
Zhao Yankai's gloominess affected his overall training status.
Cui Luoheng's silence seemed to stem from some dissatisfaction, which he channeled into intense training.
In comparison, while Cui Luoheng was silent, his training performance remained consistently good. In several internal tests, Cui Luoheng's results had left Lu Shengbin quite satisfied.
Lu Shengbin couldn't help but marvel at the fact that even though Su Bai had limited time to focus on the 110m hurdles, the training program he designed for Cui Luoheng was still proceeding according to his initial expectations. It was truly remarkable.
"Hey, Coach Su!"
Lu Shengbin was closely observing the athletes as they trained on the 110m hurdles track, and he quickly spotted Su Bai, who rarely appeared during training hours.
"Coach Lu, I appreciate your help during this time," Su Bai nodded towards Lu Shengbin.
"Haha, where's the trouble? These are things I should be doing anyway. It's you, Coach Su, who has to juggle between two events. That's the real challenge."
After a brief exchange about Cui Luoheng's training progress, Su Bai separated from Lu Shengbin and walked to the side of the indoor track, where he observed Cui Luoheng's training.
At that moment, Cui Luoheng was engaged in strength training for his waist, abdomen, and hip joints. This was part of Su Bai's customized training plan for him during this training period, aimed at maintaining and strengthening his overall physical condition beyond just focusing his attention. The main goal was to stabilize Cui Luoheng's current physical state, allowing his overall qualities to stay activated, and ideally, even improve.
Su Bai's demand from Cui Luoheng was to apply his focus training to every aspect that required focused attention, including during training.
Thus, Cui Luoheng hadn't noticed Su Bai's arrival until he completed a set of exercises and stepped away from the equipment. He then realized that Su Bai had been watching him for a while.
Seeing Su Bai, who seldom appeared during training hours, Cui Luoheng inexplicably felt somewhat aggrieved. He pursed his lips, refrained from speaking, and simply walked over to Su Bai, staring at him without blinking. His cold and distant expression still seemed to say, "Don't approach strangers." However, this made Su Bai feel a little guilty for a moment, as if he were looking at a big dog accusing its owner of abandonment.
*Cough, cough.*
Su Bai withdrew the image of dog ears he had imagined on top of Cui Luoheng's head and patted Cui Luoheng's shoulder, encouraging him, "You're doing well in training. You've worked hard during this period."
Of course, this hard work included managing Cui Luoheng's daily diet. Cui Luoheng's heightened sense of taste was something he refused to talk about, and Su Bai couldn't explain it for him either. After all, the catering for the track and field national team was overseen by Jin Manjiang, the head chef, and it was in buffet form. In terms of overall taste and dining freedom, it was already far better than what the provincial team offered. Even if the food didn't suit his taste, privately others might consider Cui Luoheng a bit finicky.
In order to maintain enough training energy, Cui Luoheng had to eat enough food even if it didn't suit his taste. During this time, the hurdles team had always found Cui Luoheng hard to approach due to his silence. Apart from the habits he had developed over the years, the issue of food played a significant role.
As Su Bai thought about this, he patted Cui Luoheng's shoulder to comfort him. Meanwhile, Cui Luoheng was preoccupied with other thoughts that had been on his mind during this period.
In the national team, due to the heavy training load, everyone's schedule was demanding. Compared to his time in the provincial team, Cui Luoheng found himself with more solitude. Sometimes, after training or finishing a late-night meal and returning to his dormitory, he would spend some time lost in thought.
As an athlete who had been involved in training since childhood, Cui Luoheng, like most athletes, found it hard to develop interests beyond training. Coupled with his silent and reserved nature, which stemmed from years of enduring the challenges of his sensitive taste, he appeared even more introverted and reserved.
Usually, after training, he spent his time much like this—sitting alone, lost in thought, or reading sports news and following domestic and international events.
However, recently, someone he often thought about during these moments of contemplation had surprisingly become Su Bai.
Initially, he had noticed Su Bai due to his cooking skills. The food he had received from Su Bai had finally given him a sense of pure tranquility and happiness, something he hadn't felt in years.
Later on, Su Bai had also noticed his sensitive taste and had even prepared separate meals for him in the cafeteria. All of this had created a positive impression of Su Bai in his mind.
However, what he truly couldn't forget was the incident when he had pushed himself too hard in training due to poor form and an imbalanced mindset, which had eventually led to an injury.
During that time, when he was at his lowest point, Qiu Wen and Wang Shen had visited him. They not only brought food that Su Bai had prepared himself but also conveyed a message from Su Bai.
He distinctly remembered Su Bai's words about believing in his talent and not leaving himself with irreparable regrets due to impatience.
It was Su Bai's words that had calmed his spirit. With Su Bai's guidance after that incident, he had climbed out of the abyss and reached the peak he was at now.
He wanted to follow behind Su Bai, moving forward together, seeing Su Bai as an angel, guiding him to reach even more dazzling heights.
However...
"Qiu Wen is right. There are too many people vying for Su Bai's favor. If I don't compete for his attention, he won't notice me at all."
"But... how do I compete for his attention?"
"Should I be shameless and act spoiled like Qiu Wen?"
Thinking about this, Cui Luoheng couldn't help but furrow his brows, feeling that he would have a hard time being as shameless as Qiu Wen.
Seeing Cui Luoheng's expressions slightly changing, Su Bai found it amusing and asked, "Aluo, what are you thinking?"
Cui Luoheng pursed his lips, feeling both unwilling and unsure about trying to be shameless. So, he shook his head with a somewhat disheartened tone, "It's nothing."
Cui Luoheng, with a slightly disheartened demeanor, appeared somewhat like a big dog in Su Bai's eyes... In his childhood memories, before Su Bai's parents passed away, their family had once kept a German Shepherd that was about the same height as him. The blackback Shepherd was usually a very serious and solemn dog, but it often looked at his parents with its dark eyes, begging for food. His parents, feeling pity, would give it its favorite food, eventually handing it over to his mouth.
Unfortunately, after his parents' unexpected passing, he was sent to an orphanage due to a lack of caretakers. At that time, he was too young to bring their family dog to the orphanage. As a result, he had no idea how their dog was doing.
Hence, unbeknownst to Su Bai, large breeds or dog-like creatures and personalities had become his hidden soft spot. People like the husky-like Qiu Wen and the current Cui Luoheng were part of that.
Cough.
Su Bai erased the mental image of large ears on Cui Luoheng's head and reminded him to have a late-night snack at the cafeteria. Then, he shifted his focus back to the training points he needed to communicate to Cui Luoheng.
Not far away, Lu Shengbin watched Su Bai attentively guiding Cui Luoheng and then turned to his assistant coach, saying, "Hey, I think Coach Su seems like a nice person. Look at how dedicated and sincere he is in guiding Cui Luoheng. He doesn't seem like the type to bring American athletes over to beat our own team members, right?"
The assistant coach next to Lu Shengbin nodded in agreement, feeling somewhat rueful.
Su Bai's previous strict actions had already earned him a formidable reputation within the national track and field team. He had even taken on the role of head coach for the national 400m project, directly challenging the athletes, which was a rarity among the coaches in the national team.
However, when he saw Su Bai guiding Cui Luoheng, he couldn't recognize that same demeanor.
To be honest, Lu Shengbin had worried that Su Bai might bring in two American 110m hurdles athletes for practice, similar to what he had done before. This could potentially have affected athletes like Zhao Yankai, who frequently competed abroad. However, Cui Luoheng was truly the one who could be devastated by such a situation.
While Lu Shengbin was lost in thought, Su Bai had already finished discussing the training content with Cui Luoheng. He then walked over to Lu Shengbin's side, intending to discuss some matters related to the upcoming Asian Games.
With a pat on his head, Lu Shengbin cleared his mind of random thoughts, and the two of them began discussing matters related to the upcoming events.
The 25-day training period before the Asian Games flew by in an instant. Before they knew it, it was time for the national track and field team to set off for the Asian Games in Jakarta.
For the athletes in the men's 400m event, this training period had been quite fruitful. In the last five days of training, compared to the preceding 20 days, the team conducted daily trial races. This allowed the athletes to see their tangible and stable test results.
After the adjustments made in the previous 20 days of training, they had indeed achieved the individual standards set by Su Bai for the individual events. However, during relay training, they didn't notice the subtle errors while conducting baton exchanges in isolated practices. But when they performed full-length relay training, the differences in their speeds compared to before led to minor misjudgments in predicting the start time and timing of baton exchanges.
The adjustment of these errors was not as smooth as they had hoped, causing their performance to hover between 3 minutes 6 seconds and 3 minutes 8 seconds. Only when the baton exchanges went smoothly were they able to achieve the target range of under 3 minutes 5 seconds that Su Bai had initially set.
Nevertheless, this level of improvement was enough to make them excited.
Because, on the occasions when the baton exchanges went well and successful, they broke through the 3 minutes 4 seconds barrier, coming incredibly close to the national record of 3 minutes 3.66 seconds set a decade ago!
This indicated that if they could perform at their best, they had a high chance of competing for medals in the 4x400m relay event, or even breaking the previous national record!
Thinking about this potential achievement, all members of the relay team were filled with excitement. Even Li Junhao, who felt the pressure as he anchored the final leg, became more focused during the training.
On August 19th, it was the day when the national track and field team collectively departed for Jakarta, where the Asian Games were being held.
At the airport in City B, athletes wearing national team uniforms gathered together. Numerous sports media personnel were also present at the airport, hoping to conduct interviews with the national team before their departure.
The main individuals being interviewed were the head coaches of each group, such as Pei Jin'an, Lu Shengbin, and others. Some journalists managed to catch athletes for random interviews.
Originally, Su Bai didn't expect anyone to interview him. However, perhaps due to his young age and the fact that he was dressed like the athletes, a journalist happened to spot him.
"Hello, would you mind giving us an interview?" A journalist with a sports channel badge extended a microphone toward Su Bai.
Looking at the microphone that was already near him, Su Bai thought for a moment and then nodded.
"You seem quite young. I don't think I've seen you before. Is this your first time being selected for the national team? Which event are you in?"
"Yes, I'm in sprinting... and hurdles."
...
...
?!
The journalist's face suddenly registered surprise. "You're a multi-event athlete? A sprinter and a hurdler combined? Wait a minute, if there's such an athlete, there should have been news reports about it..."
Su Bai remained silent for a few seconds, then took out his coach badge from his sports uniform. "I'm the coach for the sprinting and hurdles group."
...
...
...
The journalist stared silently at the coach badge in Su Bai's hand, then looked up at the face that appeared much younger than the other athletes.
Such a young coach?
An assistant coach, perhaps?
Wait...
Sprinter and hurdler?!
Suddenly, the journalist remembered a crucial figure. "You're Su Bai?!"
Su Bai blinked. He hadn't realized that he had become this well-known. He nodded in confirmation.
The journalist from the sports channel immediately glanced around, spotting the camera crew behind him, already with cameras rolling. The journalist breathed a sigh of relief — wow, this was incredible. He was probably the first to interview Coach Su Bai, right?
This was the person who had become incredibly popular among track and field enthusiasts lately. His series of actions involving bringing American athletes over had spread widely among the track and field community. And that Weibo post he had shared, in the eyes of many track and field enthusiasts, was a direct challenge.
To think that he would meet Coach Su Bai in person and discover that he seemed very approachable and not at all like the domineering figure he was made out to be!
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------