Translator: dapotaturs
Release Date: 09/04/2023
In the just-concluded preliminaries of the 110-meter hurdles, both Cui Luoheng and Lu Mengfan won their heats without much pressure. Their respective times in the preliminaries were 13.56 seconds for Cui Luoheng and 13.68 seconds for Lu Mengfan.
【Damn, Cui Luoheng is really something. His preliminary time is 0.12 seconds faster than Lu Mengfan's?】
【Well, it's not a big deal. After all, it's just the preliminaries. Lu Mengfan's heat didn't have strong competitors. Even if he ran 13.68 seconds, the second-place runner in his heat finished in 13.89 seconds!】
【You're right. The schedule for the 110-meter hurdles is tight, with preliminaries in the morning and finals in the evening. To ensure their energy for the finals, athletes won't push too hard in the preliminaries. Just look at Lu Mengfan's final sprint. He clearly eased up in the last few meters...】
【But someone previously mentioned that Cui Luoheng's form wasn't stable. Now looking at his preliminary performance, he seemed quite relaxed, and his time was good... With that in mind, it seems like the finals tonight will be really exciting, don't you think?】
From the news release on the Sports Channel's Weibo page to the reports on the performance of Cui Luoheng and Lu Mengfan in the preliminaries, in just a short span of time, the comments section under the Sports Channel's Weibo post became a hub of discussion for numerous sports enthusiasts.
Some people were jokingly saying that this day would soon witness the birth of the prophet of predictions, Su Bai.
On the Athletics Kingdom forum, the page dedicated to the hurdles section was flooded with posts discussing the upcoming 110-meter hurdles finals.
【Can someone analyze this? Is Su Bai serious or strategically playing along?】
【Let's have a rational discussion. Is the 110-meter hurdles really making a comeback? Leaving aside Lu Mengfan's consistent performance, Cui Luoheng's results have surprised many since he joined Su Bai's coaching. This is his first time at the Asian Games. If he manages to secure a bronze, it might mark his ascent to the top!】
【Regardless of whether it's an ascent to the top or not, I just think this coach Su Bai is a bit magical, has no one noticed? Qiu Wen, Zhang Ziyi, Cui Luoheng, Zhang Wei, Hu Li... These five have all trained under Su Bai to some extent, and their abilities have all improved or broken through bottlenecks. Isn't that incredible?】
【It just occurred to me that Su Bai has coached more than just Cui Luoheng and Zhang Ziyi. Even the 4x400m relay team trained under him during the recent Asian Games training camp. Su Bai mentioned before departing that the 4x400m relay team's goal for this Asian Games is to compete for a medal...?!】
On the forum, posts related to Su Bai were everywhere, showing how he had repeatedly overturned the established guesses of track and field enthusiasts during this period. Many track and field fans found the seemingly impossible turning into the possible.
Accumulating up to this point, the discussions about Su Bai had reached a climax after the interview and the release of the preliminary results for Cui Luoheng and Lu Mengfan.
【Regardless of how, as long as Cui Luoheng and Lu Mengfan can really win medals as Su Bai predicted in tonight's 110-meter hurdles finals, Su Bai's title as the Athletics Master is set in stone!】
1: 【Agreed.】
5: 【No doubt, I agree. It all depends on tonight's 110-meter hurdles finals! Damn, I'm getting excited. It feels like witnessing a prophet's prediction. If it actually comes true tonight, Su Bai's title as a prophet won't be going anywhere!】
10: 【...I think Su Bai's predictions are a bit risky. After all, he's currently the head coach of a national team sub-project. He should be more cautious when speaking.】
13: 【? Reply to 10: There's no need to worry. Su Bai is young, and there's nothing wrong with him expressing his true thoughts. Besides, even if his predictions fail, his achievements won't be erased, right? I was curious and looked up Su Bai's age today. He's just about to turn 23 this year. A 23-year-old head coach of a national team sub-project who can develop talents like Cui Luoheng, he's already a legend. Even if he likes to talk big, I'd still consider him a legend!】
14: 【What the...! Wait, not even 23 years old?! I'm seeing this number for the first time, and it scared me. I knew Su Bai was young, but I didn't know he was this young! At this age, with this coaching level, becoming the head coach of a national team sub-project within half a year of retiring from being an athlete, he must be a fairy, right?】
20: 【No matter what, let's wait for a divine prediction tonight!】
...
...
On the internet, various groups, and the Athletics Kingdom forum, many sports enthusiasts, not just those dedicated to track and field, were discussing the athletics-related topics of this year's Asian Games.
At the Athletic Center, Director's Office
As the director of the Athletic Center, Wang Zhengsheng had many other tasks to handle in his daily routine and didn't travel with the team to Jakarta. However, he was closely following the developments in Jakarta.
So far in this Asian Games, the track and field team had met or exceeded the tasks assigned by the General Administration of Sports - any event they had participants in, they made it to the top eight. Among them, the results of the men's 400m run, under Su Bai's guidance, were particularly unexpected.
At this moment, his secretary brought him a report that also showed that the discussions about track and field events on the internet had increased by 300% compared to the previous edition of the Games, given the growing number of internet users. The highest discussion was centered around the 100m sprint, men's 400m, and the upcoming 110m hurdles event.
Even considering the increase in internet usage, the rise in discussion was remarkable. Another report showed that the most popular keywords related to the Jakarta Asian Games included three track and field keywords among the top ten, indicating that track and field, or more precisely, projects associated with Su Bai, had captured widespread attention during this cycle of the Asian Games.
"This Su Bai... is quite something!" Wang Zhengsheng looked at the data his secretary had prepared, unable to contain his admiration.
"Young, daring, independent, capable..." Looking at the network data in his hands and recalling Su Bai's coaching results, Wang Zhengsheng said seriously, "Keep a separate record of Su Bai's information and achievements for future reference."
His secretary immediately nodded in understanding. As Wang Zhengsheng's long-time secretary, he also understood that Wang Zhengsheng valued Su Bai's abilities and intended to elevate his coaching level as soon as Su Bai's performance met the criteria, using the "Coach Major Contributions" provision to promote him quickly.
Otherwise, when Su Bai, a head coach of a national team sub-project, attended various coaching exchange forums in the country and pulled out his coaching credentials, showing a Level 3 Coach certificate, it would certainly not look good.
Jakarta, Asian Games Village
Su Bai was unaware that Wang Zhengsheng was planning his future. At this moment, he had just finished preparing lunch for Lu Mengfan, Cui Luoheng, and even Qiu Wen, who had managed to join them for a meal. Seeing a slightly melancholic look in Cui Luoheng's eyes, he began analyzing the evening's race situation for him.
Because the 110-meter hurdles final was scheduled for the evening, when Cui Luoheng approached Su Bai looking somewhat anxious and said he was nervous, even though Su Bai hadn't noticed any signs of nervousness in Cui Luoheng, he still gave him a serious analysis.
"Your recent athletic condition has been pretty good. Over this period of training, both your strength and endurance have improved. The hamstring injury caused by overtraining and excessive fatigue has also recovered quite well during this time. Overall, your physical condition should be in good shape."
"Although this is your first time at the Asian Games, among the naturalized athletes, the 110-meter hurdles competitors might not be up to the Asian region's standards. We've analyzed this before. To be honest, the real threats to you would be Lu Mengfan, and the two competitors from Japan and Taipei..."
While Su Bai was analyzing for Cui Luoheng, Lu Mengfan was cheerfully having lunch nearby. It was the first time he managed to share a meal with Su Bai, and after witnessing Su Bai's cooking skills, Lu Mengfan gave his approval to the rumors circulating in the national team about "Chef Su Bai."
However, he didn't expect that while they were eating, Su Bai would analyze the race for Cui Luoheng right in front of him.
Lu Mengfan was somewhat bewildered. He wanted to say, "I'm here too. Tonight, Cui Luoheng and I are competitors in the finals. Isn't this analysis quite straightforward?"
Before Lu Mengfan could say much, Qiu Wen, who was sitting beside him, exclaimed, "QAQ Xiao Bai, why does Ah Heng get special pre-race coaching? What about me?"
?
Su Bai furrowed his brows and replied, "I've done pre-race analysis for all of you."
"But we only had it once, and Ah Heng has definitely heard your analysis more than once!"
Su Bai paused for a moment and said, "No matter how many times we do pre-race analysis, it's still just that – pre-race analysis. You need to understand the general situation and then adjust your state during the race. The number of pre-race analyses won't have a significant impact on your final performance."
Qiu Wen looked solemn. "I understand the logic, but why does Ah Heng get more than one analysis... QAQ"
This time, before Su Bai could respond, Cui Luoheng, who had been quietly listening to Su Bai's analysis, gave an answer that left everyone at a loss. "Because of me, I have poor psychological resilience."
...
???
Cui Luoheng's outdoor results from the first half of the season were well-known. Many had analyzed his condition back then, attributing his poor performance to weak psychological resilience.
Of course, as a former member of the cafeteria trio, Qiu Wen knew very well that Cui Luoheng's initial poor results weren't due to weak psychological resilience. However, after those few losses, Cui Luoheng genuinely believed that he had suffered injuries due to high psychological pressure.
This reason left Qiu Wen speechless.
Watching the scene unfold from the sidelines and also receiving an unexpected cue earlier, Lu Mengfan looked at the situation with a mix of surprise and confusion. He wasn't sure whether he should interject or not. Then, Wang Shen, who was sitting next to him, patted his shoulder with a smile and said, "Don't worry, just focus on eating."
Lu Mengfan glanced at Qiu Wen, who was seemingly defeated, busily eating, then turned to Wang Shen with a cautious expression, inquiring about the situation.
Wang Shen rubbed his chin and continued with a playful smile, "Oh well, just think of it as witnessing a real-life harem competition."
Upon hearing this response, Lu Mengfan's face turned blank, and a question mark seemed to float above his head.
...
The competition for favor drama between Cui Luoheng and Qiu Wen came to a temporary end. The group's lunch concluded, and they returned to their dorms to rest.
Su Bai didn't follow the others back to the dorm. During lunchtime, there was a small meeting for the coaching staff of the track and field team to discuss any potential points of attention for the evening's events.
The events scheduled for the evening included the men's high jump qualification, women's triple jump qualification, 110-meter hurdles finals, men's 200-meter semifinals, men's and women's 800-meter finals, and more. To be honest, at this stage, there were unlikely to be any last-minute issues that required coaches to intervene. However, it was always better to be cautious.
After various coaches had spoken, the coach for the high jump Group 2, Yue Bowen, analyzed the status of the high jump competitors Wang Shen and Ye Wen Hao. He indicated that there were no significant issues with these two athletes.
High jump was one of the team's strong events, especially with the addition of Ye Wen Hao and Wang Shen in recent years, and they had achieved several good results in domestic and international competitions.
Upon hearing Wang Shen's name, Su Bai specifically accessed Wang Shen's performance data for a quick look. He found that Wang Shen's athletic condition wasn't as optimistic as Yue Bowen had described. Wang Shen's condition wasn't bad, but he had strong self-regulation abilities as an athlete. Currently, his athletic condition was just average, indicating that there might be some underlying issues.
However, at this point, as a coach, it was challenging to make significant changes to an athlete's condition. Su Bai didn't bring up the issue; after all, he was primarily responsible for the men's 400 meters, so it wouldn't be suitable for him to intervene without clear reasons.
After a moment of hesitation, Su Bai still noted down Wang Shen's situation. He planned to learn more about Wang Shen's personal condition after the Asian Games. While he might not be able to directly influence Wang Shen's training plan for the high jump, as a friend, if Wang Shen's condition was indeed off, he hoped to offer at least some help.
When it was Su Bai's turn to speak, he briefly introduced the situations of both Cui Luoheng and Lu Mengfan. He mentioned that both were currently in stable states, with moderate nervousness. The remaining competitors' performances would depend on how these two perform during the official race in the evening.
After Su Bai's speech concluded, one of the coaches in the audience smiled and asked, "Coach Xiao Su, were you serious during the interview this morning?"
Although Su Bai, Jiang Wentao, and Pei Jin'an had already confirmed their predictions, many coaches were not present at the time. Many of them had curiosity sparking in their eyes, eager for some juicy gossip.
"Yes."
Su Bai didn't have much reason to be evasive about this question.
Seeing Su Bai once again respond so confidently, the surrounding coaches couldn't help but show expressions of envy.
To be honest, the judgment Su Bai had given was something that many coaches attempted to make about their athletes' performances. However, making accurate predictions was a matter of accuracy. In the live competition setting, with various factors at play, making an accurate prediction was usually achievable only when an athlete had an overwhelming advantage – and in such cases, making or not making the prediction didn't make a significant difference.
Some coaches might give their predictions when the gap between their athletes and other competitors wasn't large, and there were quite a few instances where referees who had given predictions to the media had low accuracy rates. This was also one of the reasons why some coaches were dubbed as blabbermouths.
The reason why Su Bai's prediction today garnered so much attention was due to the significant impression left by his goal prediction for the 400-meter event earlier. The coaches present were also eager to know if Su Bai's current prediction accuracy would remain as successful as before.
Amid everyone's anticipation, the time gradually approached the evening, and the evening events officially began.
The 110-meter hurdles final, an important event of the day, was scheduled to start at 9:30 in the evening. Before that, the men's high jump qualification, women's triple jump qualification, and the men's 200-meter semifinals smoothly took place.
In both qualifying events, the athletes from the national track and field team successfully entered the finals. In the men's 200-meter semifinals, the top 200-meter athlete in the national athletics team, Wu Yi, performed excellently, advancing to the finals as the top finisher in his semifinal group.
Seeing Wu Yi's result, Pei Jin'an wore a satisfied smile on his face.
Over the past couple of years, Wu Yi's performance had been steadily improving. His 200-meter performance was already considered top-notch within Asia, and he had accumulated valuable experience competing in the 200-meter event. He had traded victories and losses with the top Japanese athletes in the Asian region. In Pei Jin'an's expectations, Wu Yi was also one of the key athletes with hopes of winning a medal.
As the semifinals of the men's 200 meters concluded, the time for the 110-meter hurdles final drew near.
In the athletes' warm-up area, Cui Luoheng had been silently preparing for his race since arriving at the venue.
As a newly promoted athlete, Cui Luoheng was naturally lesser known compared to Lu Mengfan. Most of the other athletes at the scene might pay some attention to Lu Mengfan, but for Cui Luoheng, most people just glanced past him.
Of course, Cui Luoheng didn't care whether anyone was paying attention to him or not. He simply stood there calmly, observing his surroundings and quietly focusing on feeling the competitive atmosphere among the participants.
The race track, the audience, his opponents, and the roaring cheers – all of this was silent, yet all of it etched itself into Cui Luoheng's heart as he absorbed the ambiance.
If someone were to notice his eyes, they might realize that as his warm-up progressed, his gaze became increasingly focused and resolute.
Perhaps no one had ever asked, and even if someone did ask Cui Luoheng whether he loved the track and field where he had struggled and grown for nearly a decade, he might not have given a definitive answer.
However, over this nearly ten years, he was willing to endure food he found hard to stomach, to train day after day, and to put in his all on the field. He was willing to seek improvement with each inch of progress through training. All of this wasn't something an athlete devoid of emotion for their discipline could achieve.
Cui Luoheng enjoyed the feeling of sprinting on the track. He relished the sensation of clearing each hurdle, progressing from pursuing the thrill of speed to chasing victory, and ultimately the pursuit of swifter speeds. All of these emotions gradually accumulated into an attachment to this discipline.
In nearly ten years, although Cui Luoheng had never spoken it aloud, hurdling had become a part of his very being.
He wanted victory, he wanted to hurdle faster!
It was due to this nearly stubborn attachment beneath his calm exterior that he found it impossible to forgive himself after a series of outdoor failures. This drove him to demand more training, eventually leading to overexertion and injuries.
If he were to go back to that time, Cui Luoheng would never have believed that he would stand on the finals stage of the Asian Games a mere two to three months later.
Occasionally, he would recall the immense psychological pressure he felt during that period. At that time, the warmth that Su Bai's food brought him was his only solace. What he hadn't realized at the time was that it was Su Bai's assistance that helped him overcome that immense pressure and find his stride on the track again.
Perhaps it was also due to this that Su Bai had already occupied an important place in his heart. Just seeing Su Bai, hearing him arrange training plans, and feeling the calmness in Su Bai's voice was enough to settle his own nerves and gain stable confidence.
During lunch, when he told Qiu Wen that sentence, it wasn't a lie.
He appeared calm, cold, and fearless, but it was because he knew Su Bai was there. It was because he could stand quietly by Su Bai's side and listen to his pre-race analysis.
Everything Su Bai said gradually accumulated into his strength, starting from small increments.
And now, this strength was gradually burning within him, igniting his anticipation for the track, for all his competitors.
Feeling the power surging through his body, sensing his anticipation to confront these opponents, a thought flashed through Cui Luoheng's mind: Perhaps he drew confidence and strength from Su Bai, perhaps he hoped Su Bai could see a bit more of himself... were these the dependencies of an athlete on a trusted coach?
As a coach, the most desired outcome should indeed be for one's athletes to achieve outstanding results, right?
Cui Luoheng thought to himself, perhaps if he achieved an impressive result, Su Bai might pay even more attention to him?
In the spectator stands, Su Bai wasn't aware of Cui Luoheng's thoughts, but he did notice that Cui Luoheng's performance data had suddenly surged in the past few minutes.
?
What was going on?
Could it be that he was provoked by a rival during warm-up and his competitive spirit was ignited?
Su Bai wasn't entirely sure why Cui Luoheng's athletic state suddenly spiked again, but with the sudden eruption of cheers from the crowd, he also noticed that the 110-meter hurdles athletes had been guided onto the track.
"Ah, it's starting! It's starting!" Jiang Wentao couldn't help but clench his fist with nervousness as he saw the athletes take the field.
Jiang Wentao wasn't the only one who was anxious. On the internet, all the track and field enthusiasts, as well as those casually watching, were feeling a bit nervous too!
Inside the sports channel's live broadcast studio, commentators Shao Minyi and Li Sen were still providing commentary on the 110-meter hurdles event. As staff members of the sports channel, they were well aware of the trending news piece that had been released earlier in the day.
Shao Minyi mentioned this news with a smile as she saw the athletes stepping onto the field, "Many viewers are probably aware that Coach Su Bai's prediction for the men's 400 meters event caused quite a discussion. However, the outstanding performances of athletes Qiu Wen and Zhang Ziyi in the 400 meters event have already partially confirmed the accuracy of Coach Su Bai's prediction."
"So, can Coach Su Bai's prophecy come true again in today's 110 meters hurdles event?"
"Among today's finalists, the biggest threats to Lu Mengfan and Cui Luoheng are undoubtedly Japan's Takakazu Komatsu and Taipei's Sun Youchen. Both of these athletes have run under 13.50 seconds this season, with Komatsu's personal best being 13.37 seconds. They are the opponents that Lu Mengfan and Cui Luoheng should be particularly vigilant about."
...
As Shao Minyi and Li Sen continued their commentary, the athletes who had already taken the field were making their final adjustments to their state.
When he had just taken the field, Lu Mengfan had reminded Cui Luoheng not to be nervous. However, by now, he had no energy left to focus on Cui Luoheng's state. Those who had made it to the finals were undoubtedly the top athletes in the Asian 110-meter hurdles event. On this Asian Games stage, each one of them carried their mission and their nation's honor. These honors and responsibilities drove them to give their all on the track!
Lu Mengfan clearly knew what mission he carried. After taking a deep breath, he began to clear his mind and focus entirely on the track before him. He seized every second to elevate his state to the best possible level.
The commotion on the field also ignited Cui Luoheng's competitive spirit. He wanted victory, and he wanted it badly!
Similarly, standing on that starting line, who wouldn't desire victory?
The brief preparation time passed in the blink of an eye. When the referee's voice came through the broadcast, the athletes crouched on their starting blocks as the "on your marks" command was given – the 110 meters hurdles final was about to commence!
"Ah ah ah, it's starting! Go, Lu! Go, Cui!!!" The chat in the online live broadcast was filled with encouraging words for Lu Mengfan and Cui Luoheng. On-site, after the athletes were ready, the starting gun was fired once again.
"Set."
"Bang!"
With the sound of the starting gun, the previously subdued cheers from the audience erupted, and the lively and boiling sound engulfed the entire arena like a pot of boiling oil.
On the starting line, eight athletes propelled themselves forward from their starting blocks with a burst of energy, each one sprinting ahead like a released arrow.
Unlike the slightly slower response time of the athletes at the bend start, even a 0.01-second starting response time could significantly impact the final rankings on this short 110-meter track, especially in the straight-line start. No one wanted to lose at the starting point.
At the moment of the start, the average starting response time for this final was close to 0.141 seconds. Only one athlete had a mistake in their start response, leading to a reaction time of 0.263 seconds.
Perhaps influenced by the attention style he had adopted from Su Bai, Cui Luoheng's reaction time was a mere 0.119 seconds, ranking him first among the eight athletes!
Following closely was Taipei's Sun Youchen with a reaction time of 0.122 seconds, which was also impressively quick.
And not only Cui Luoheng and Sun Youchen, the subsequent competitors Takakazu Komatsu and Lu Mengfan also had reaction times of 0.124 seconds and 0.126 seconds.
It could be said that from the moment the race started, it was a fiercely contested competition where no one was willing to back down!
From the moment of the start, Cui Luoheng held his breath, concentrating his focus and minimizing the oversensitivity of his pace perception to the smallest possible range he could control.
And after reaching the pinnacle of focus, this perception of rhythm began to influence himself, allowing him to exert precise control over the contraction of his muscles, the angle of each step he took, and even the depth of control over each breath and heartbeat.
Perhaps it was an illusion, but Cui Luoheng felt that he could even sense the resistance of the wind tearing against him. The sounds of his opponents' footsteps and breaths were gradually losing their impact on him.
Even the chaotic sounds around him felt like they were separated by a deep barrier, as if they had already isolated him in a different world.
Step, step, step...
In Cui Luoheng's ears, he could only hear his own footsteps, and with each step on the track, he felt a gradual accumulation of power, a surging sensation!
On another track, Lu Mengfan was also sprinting with all his might!
Lu Mengfan was known for his advantage in the first half of the race. During the acceleration phase of the start, his explosiveness and technique quickly compensated for the minuscule disadvantage of his reaction time. By the time he reached the first hurdle, Lu Mengfan had temporarily taken the lead over the remaining three athletes in the first group.
Start, explode, eight steps to the hurdle!
Before the first hurdle, Lu Mengfan's footsteps hesitated slightly. His explosiveness from the starting leg, swift swinging of the legs for the hurdle, his body leaping over the hurdle, and then quickly following through with the next leg – all of these movements were seamless and well-practiced. His transitions from attacking the hurdles to the three-step intervals between them were smooth. Coupled with his strong initial burst of speed, these were the advantages he possessed on the 110-meter hurdles track!
On the track, the first group led by Lu Mengfan, Sun Youchen, Takakazu Komatsu, and Cui Luoheng began to surge ahead after they started attacking the hurdles. Cui Luoheng's rhythm was slightly out of sync with theirs, and he fell slightly behind.
The fastest hurdle times for Lu Mengfan, Sun Youchen, and Takakazu Komatsu were concentrated between the fifth and sixth hurdles. Their rhythm had a subtle synchronization, and under the influence of this mutual interaction, the three of them fought for the most advantageous position within the first group.
Behind the first group, athletes from different countries such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia were chasing. However, the rhythm created by the first group also affected these athletes who were not accustomed to such a rhythm.
The 110-meter hurdles is an event heavily reliant on technique and rhythm. Athletes can easily be thrown off their pace due to the influence of others' rhythms. For example, the Saudi Arabian athlete behind Lu Mengfan at this moment unconsciously accelerated his pace due to the rhythm of the first group. However, this lack of self-control in his acceleration caused his technique to become imbalanced. Soon, he hit two hurdles in a row, and as the hurdles swayed severely, the more he tried to regain control, the more distorted his movements became...!
With a hurdle falling, the Saudi Arabian athlete tumbled on the 110-meter hurdles track!
"Wow...!" In the spectator stands, the fall of this Saudi Arabian athlete prompted many viewers to exclaim in surprise. However, on the track, the athletes were still sprinting forward with all their might.
No one could afford to lose focus!
On this kind of stage, every millisecond of time and every bit of scattered attention could lead to failure!
In the first five hurdles section, Cui Luoheng gradually pulled away from the first group. He had created a gap of about half a hurdle between himself and the three athletes in the first group.
Behind him, others were sprinting relentlessly, trying to surpass his position.
However, this attempt to surpass him was in vain.
The athletes behind Cui Luoheng were astonished to find that the athlete who had gradually fallen behind in the first five hurdles wasn't actually lagging behind. With the first group of athletes reaching the fifth hurdle, the turning point where they reached their maximum hurdle speed, Cui Luoheng, who had been gradually accumulating speed on each hurdle, finally unleashed his burst of speed.
The athlete who had been closely tailing Cui Luoheng realized that his rhythm was also about to go out of control under Cui Luoheng's lead. In fear, he managed to regain control of his rhythm. Then, he watched as Cui Luoheng, who had been at a certain distance from the first group, gradually caught up!
The gap between Cui Luoheng and the first group began to visibly shrink at a rapid pace!
"This... This is...!"
In the sports channel's live broadcast studio, Shao Minyi noticed Cui Luoheng catching up with the frontrunners.
"Cui Luoheng is about to catch up with the first group!"
Before Shao Minyi could finish shouting this out, Cui Luoheng had already entered the first group under everyone's gaze, just as the athletes in the first group were attacking the ninth hurdle.
Simultaneously, Sun Youchen from Taipei could no longer maintain his speed. Despite his efforts to keep up his pace, he gradually dropped out of the competition within the first group.
By the time Lu Mengfan and Takakazu Komatsu passed the seventh hurdle, their speed had already begun to decline. Seizing the opportunity, Cui Luoheng managed to catch up with the first group.
In the audience stands, at the Chinese athletes' area, Jiang Wentao and others stood in position, waving their fists and cheering loudly for Cui Luoheng and Lu Mengfan.
As the race reached its final stages, the roaring cheers and excited emotions in the stadium grew even more intense!
"Go!! Go!!!"
In the commentary booth, Shao Minyi and Li Sen's voices gradually became more excited. They saw that Cui Luoheng not only caught up with the first group but was even...
Possibly surpassing the current first group!
Seeing this possibility, everyone's excitement grew stronger.
On the track, after clearing the ninth hurdle, Cui Luoheng had stealthily taken the lead within the first group. Yet, he hadn't paid any attention to this; his gaze remained fixed ahead.
The controlled sound of his breathing, the sensation of his skin brushing against the hurdle as he passed it, the strong rebound of his foot when it touched the ground, the continuous explosive power and stride, the soaring sensation as he leaped over the hurdle...
In the short 110-meter track, every inch of sensation was intensely concentrated and converged into a source of potent driving force within Cui Luoheng's body.
By the time he reached the tenth hurdle, the Japanese athlete Takakazu Komatsu on Cui Luoheng's left had already realized that this newcomer from China was surpassing him in hurdle speed...
No!
This couldn't be!
Takakazu Komatsu widened his eyes in disbelief. Even in his exhausted state, he forced himself to increase his speed once again. He attacked the tenth hurdle just a step ahead of Lu Mengfan!
"Cui Luoheng takes the lead!!!"
"Now, Cui Luoheng is in the lead!!!"
Shao Minyi shouted loudly in the live broadcast room, "Go!!! Charge!!!"
Not just Shao Minyi, every viewer watching the live broadcast was left dumbfounded, and then an overwhelming wave of excitement and enthusiasm surged within them. Charge! Cui Luoheng, keep going!!!
The enthusiasm of nearly every person reached its zenith. On the track, the three athletes from the first group had already cleared all the hurdles. Now, only the final sprint remained ahead of them!
Under their relentless sprint, as they reached this stage, the sense of exhaustion and fatigue in their muscles made their limbs feel heavy. However, not a single one of them was ready to give up at this stage.
The feeling of soreness and exhaustion led to greater energy expenditure for Cui Luoheng, but during this period of enhanced strength and endurance training, he could distinctly sense that he still had a bit of strength left!
Run with all your might!
Increase the swing of the arms, increase the stride... charge toward the finish line!!
Huff, puff...
No matter how intense the feeling of heaviness in his body was, Cui Luoheng didn't relax in the slightest. Be stronger, he could become even stronger!
He could run faster, on this track... and on every track in the future!
With this tenacious belief, amid the incredulous and mixed expressions of surprise from everyone watching, Cui Luoheng crossed the finish line of the 110-meter hurdles in first place!
Almost simultaneously, in the sports channel's live broadcast room, Shao Minyi excitedly exclaimed, "Champion!! Congratulations to Cui Luoheng for winning the gold in the men's 110-meter hurdles at this Asian Games!!!"
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