Translator: dapotaturs
Release Date: 09/04/2023
On the internet, after the conclusion of the National Athletics Championship, whether it's athletics enthusiasts in the realm of track and field, sports influencers on Weibo, or various sports media outlets, they all have presented various summaries of this year's track and field events.
There are posts that break down various events, comparing this year's results to the previous year's. Some focus solely on specific athletes, creating graphs that depict their performance and competitive status throughout the year, discussing how their form has been, what factors are at play, and whether there's potential for improvement in the future.
Among all these analysis and summary posts, the most prominent subjects of discussion this year are the 400-meter sprint and the 110-meter hurdles. What's even more noteworthy is the emergence of a new category in this year's summaries – "Coaches' Summaries". More accurately, it's the "Summary of Su Bai's Coaching Achievements".
This new category has captured the attention of many track and field enthusiasts. Su Bai, who was relatively unknown at the beginning of the year, has now become a hot topic in the world of track and field.
《Su Bai's Rise: Starting from Changes in the S Province Track and Field Team》
《The Dominator of the 400-Meter Outdoor Season in 18: Su Bai》
《Review of the National Athletics Championship: Su Bai's Legion Dominates the 400-Meter Project?》
《The Unignorable Hero of the 110-Meter Hurdles: Su Bai》
《The Chef Standing at the Top of the Domestic 400-Meter Short Sprint Project》
One by one, every single thing Su Bai has done in the past six months has been scrutinized and reviewed by track and field enthusiasts. After going through all of this once again, many people are astonished by Su Bai's accomplishments.
Not only among track and field enthusiasts, but even the National Athletics Administration has also already sent out awards for Su Bai's Asian Games training and coaching achievements. While Su Bai's qualifications are currently limited, he has been re-evaluated and designated as a senior coach. This title has surpassed the arduous journey of other coaches by over a decade.
Sprint Group Head Coach's Office
When Pei Jin'an handed over the certificate corresponding to this title to Su Bai, he also inquired about Su Bai's plans for the upcoming winter training period.
Although it's only September 26th, with another half month to go before the official winter training assembly, preparations must be made in advance. If the plans are still undecided at this point, there might not be enough time for preparation during the winter training period.
Of course, Su Bai was well-prepared for this. When he met with Pei Jin'an, he had already brought along his comprehensive plan. He discussed the training schedule for the winter training period with Pei Jin'an, handing over the written plan and providing a brief overview.
"Combined training for the men's and women's teams?" Pei Jin'an skimmed through the document, raising an eyebrow. "Aren't the training needs for strength, endurance, and such different between the men's and women's teams? Won't combined training lead to confusion?"
"No, it won't."
Su Bai had only just answered with two words when he was about to explain the reasoning behind the combined training of the men's and women's teams. However, Pei Jin'an had already nodded and continued reading.
Su Bai paused, then smiled slightly, refraining from interrupting Pei Jin'an's review with further explanation.
It was only when Pei Jin'an reached the end of the document that he nodded and said, "Alright, I understand the plan for combined training of the men's and women's teams. Other aspects of the plan will be coordinated by the staff here. If anything is lacking, let the team know. Although next year is a big year for track and field competitions, with the Asian Championships and the World Championships, the team is also aware of the progress of the 400-meter project. Your main focus next year will still be the Asian Championships, so don't put too much pressure on yourself."
After a pause, Pei Jin'an continued, "However, from my personal perspective, if possible, I hope to see a breakthrough in obtaining a spot for the World Championships from our team."
Pei Jin'an's words were very cautious. He seemed hesitant to burden Su Bai too much. Thus, he had carefully chosen his words before speaking.
Su Bai didn't decline; instead, he nodded earnestly. "I understand. Once the qualifying standards for the World Championships are announced, I will use those as targets for planning."
Pei Jin'an glanced at Su Bai, his eyes filled with contentment. Although Su Bai had only said that he would plan based on those standards, Pei Jin'an was already quite satisfied. This essentially meant that Su Bai was confident about this matter.
Thinking about this, Pei Jin'an couldn't help but want to praise Su Bai a bit more.
However, before Pei Jin'an could utter his praise, Su Bai's next words caused Pei Jin'an's brow to furrow.
"Coach Pei, in addition to the regular training for the 400-meter project, Coach Lu has also communicated with me. Besides Cui Luoheng, I will also oversee the training plans for Lu Mengfan and Zhao Yankai."
In truth, Pei Jin'an had already anticipated this outcome. After all, during the Asian Games, Cui Luoheng's performance was evident. If Su Bai could nurture a talent like Cui Luoheng, how could Lu Shengbin possibly overlook Su Bai, who was right there beside him?
Although Pei Jin'an was somewhat concerned that Su Bai's divided attention might affect his coaching of the 400-meter project, he still nodded. "Alright, but Xiao Bai, you have to remember that your focus should still be on the 400-meter project. The 400-meter project is your foundation."
Pei Jin'an's words were delivered with sincerity, and they were genuinely for Su Bai's benefit.
Currently, research and coaching of the 400-meter sprint project in the country hadn't made significant progress yet. Su Bai was the only coach in the country who had achieved remarkable results in the 400-meter project. In other words, unless unforeseen circumstances arose, as long as Su Bai could guide the 400-meter project to the pinnacle step by step, he would undoubtedly become the authority in the domestic 400-meter project.
If Su Bai got distracted by other projects, it would indeed be a case of gaining little but losing much.
After hearing Pei Jin'an's words, Su Bai's intention to continue speaking suddenly halted.
"What's wrong?" Pei Jin'an noticed that Su Bai's words had abruptly stopped.
After thinking for a moment, Su Bai handed another document to Pei Jin'an—this was a training plan specifically for Fang Yu.
When Pei Jin'an saw Fang Yu's name and glanced at the document's title, his brows furrowed, and he looked at Su Bai. "Are you kidding?"
After this reprimand, Pei Jin'an seemed to realize that his tone had been overly severe. He took a deep breath, tapped his index finger on the table, as if trying to suppress the anger that had momentarily flared up.
"Xiao Bai," after tapping the table for over ten seconds, Pei Jin'an finally sighed and said to Su Bai, "I won't dwell on the matter of the 110-meter hurdles. You single-handedly brought Cui Luoheng up in the S Province Track and Field Team. We've all seen your coaching results for the 110-meter hurdles. If you want to continue coaching Cui Luoheng, I won't say a word. Old Lu values your coaching ability for the 110-meter hurdles; he wants you to guide Lu Mengfan and Zhao Yankai as well. This might distract you a bit, but you do have the capability, and you already have the foundation, so that's not an issue."
"But what's the meaning behind this plan of yours?"
After seeing that the document was a training plan for Fang Yu, Pei Jin'an didn't continue to read it and instead closed the document.
Pei Jin'an earnestly said to Su Bai, "Xiao Bai, I understand your coaching abilities for the 400 meters and the 110-meter hurdles. However, even though the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 400 meters are all sprint events, their training focuses are completely different, and I believe you're aware of this."
"Moreover, even if we don't talk about that, you should understand what level of athlete Fang Yu is within our country. His training plan needs to be repeatedly verified by the entire expert group, not just me."
"You used to train in the 100 meters, and you should know, or rather, you must know, what significance Fang Yu holds for us as the only domestic sprinter who has broken the 10-second barrier in the 100 meters."
"As someone who has never been involved in 100-meter training, you should also be aware that even if you provide a plan, it's not directly applicable to Fang Yu's training. The plan you provided is a comprehensive winter training plan. Do you really need to spend your time and energy on making this plan? Can't you prepare for something else?"
At this point, Pei Jin'an rubbed his forehead in a somewhat helpless manner and looked at Su Bai as if he were looking at a junior who didn't quite understand things. He sighed and continued, "Even putting aside all these points, Xiao Bai, I might be your superior, but I'm also Fang Yu's head coach. If an ordinary person sees you handing over Fang Yu's training plan to me, what would they think? Are you disrespecting me? Or trying to overstep your authority?"
Listening to Pei Jin'an's admonishment, Su Bai had anticipated most of it, so he didn't interject with explanations. He planned to speak once Pei Jin'an's temper had calmed down. However, when Pei Jin'an reached the final part of his speech, Su Bai realized that his current action of presenting the document to Pei Jin'an wasn't appropriate.
Su Bai opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but he indeed lacked the persuasiveness at the moment. Moreover, Fang Yu's current situation wasn't like that of Qiu Wen or Cui Luoheng back then, where he could achieve immediate improvements through last-minute explanations.
Just as Pei Jin'an had said, Su Bai couldn't directly and convincingly prove that Fang Yu could use this training plan without any negative consequences. He also couldn't demonstrate that the performance improvements brought about by his training plan would be more suitable for Fang Yu than the plan formulated by the coaching team.
Pei Jin'an looked at him, sighed, and shook his head. "Alright, I know you didn't mean it that way, but Xiao Bai, you should also understand how inappropriate your actions were."
Su Bai furrowed his brow, remaining silent. Over the past half-year, whether as a chef or as a coach, everything had progressed smoothly for him. This had caused him to overlook many considerations when submitting this plan.
But now, there was no room left for such considerations.
Su Bai closed his eyes briefly and then opened them, fixing a determined gaze on Pei Jin'an. "Coach Pei, even though that's the case, Fang Yu is about to turn 28. His current condition is extremely precarious."
"In the preliminary rounds of the recent National Championship, you should have already seen it, Coach Pei. After his peak performance, Fang Yu's overall condition has deteriorated significantly. Moreover, he's under immense pressure. His performance in the finals relied solely on self-adjustment, but this type of adjustment consumes his own resources."
"These are all signs that he's on the verge of a dangerous state!"
Pei Jin'an paused for a moment upon hearing this and then looked at Su Bai. "Indeed, Fang Yu is about to turn 28, and we're well aware of his current condition. However, this also means he doesn't have much room left for trial and error."
"Xiao Bai, can you guarantee that your plan will definitely work?"
"Can you ensure that your training plan can improve Fang Yu's current situation and enable a breakthrough in his performance?"
Su Bai clenched his fist. "I can."
Pei Jin'an shook his head and sighed. "Xiao Bai, you still haven't understood what I mean. You say you can, but what can you use to ensure your plan's success?"
With these words, they had reached an impasse. Su Bai tightened his fist and wanted to say more, but he was truly powerless to guarantee anything.
Just as Pei Jin'an had said, what could he use to prove himself?
"Alright, Xiao Bai, the team will fully support your 400-meter training plan. As for the 110-meter hurdles, you can also make your preparations, but remember, don't get too distracted and impact the training plan for the 400 meters."
Pei Jin'an looked at Su Bai earnestly. "You're still young, Xiao Bai. Just focus on what's within your scope of responsibility."
After a brief hesitation, Su Bai nodded, bid farewell to Pei Jin'an, and then turned to leave Pei Jin'an's office.
As he was about to exit the office door, Su Bai turned back and looked at Pei Jin'an with the same seriousness. "Coach Pei, if possible, I hope you can take a closer look at the training plan I submitted for Fang Yu."
With that, Su Bai left Pei Jin'an's office.
On his way back to his own office, Su Bai shook his head with a bitter smile. Submitting Fang Yu's plan today had been the most powerless he had felt in the past half-year. Especially after seeing Fang Yu's actual condition and his desolate figure in the preliminary rounds of the National Championship, he couldn't just stand by, even if it was considered overstepping or inflating his own worth. He couldn't let this hero who had once created miracles for all of Asia tragically fall from grace.
But...
He knew he had the ability to do it. He had even created a simulated athlete for Fang Yu within the training space of the system. The simulated athlete's adaptation to the plan had undergone numerous adjustments.
However, he couldn't verbalize all of this, nor could he use it as his own evidence.
...
Wait!
Does he really have no way to prove it?
Su Bai remembered the simulated athlete in his mind and suddenly realized that he wasn't completely powerless to provide evidence for the effectiveness of his training plan.
With the image flashing in his mind, Su Bai gritted his teeth, turned around, and headed back to Pei Jin'an's office.
"Coach Pei!"
Standing outside the door, Su Bai knocked on it and, amid Pei Jin'an's slightly surprised gaze, returned to his desk.
"Coach Pei, I can prove it!"
Pei Jin'an looked somewhat taken aback. "Prove what? That your training plan is effective?"
Su Bai nodded earnestly. "Yes, I can."
Seeing Su Bai's serious and entirely confident expression, Pei Jin'an was even more astonished. He furrowed his brows and looked at Su Bai. "How can you prove it?"
"I need Fang Yu's training plan for the next half month. Two days from now, I'll begin providing a series of test data and predicted training outcomes for Fang Yu after using this training plan."
"I guarantee that the predicted data and Fang Yu's actual training data will not deviate by more than ten percent."
!!!
Su Bai's words left Pei Jin'an thoroughly shocked. "What did you just say?!"
Su Bai repeated his earlier statement once more. "I guarantee that the final data prediction for Fang Yu's use of this current training plan, along with his actual training outcomes, will not deviate by more than ten percent. This includes the range in which his 100-meter sprint time will fluctuate during training tests after implementing this plan."
"At the same time, I'll also provide the designated data for Fang Yu's actual training outcomes after executing this training plan. If the data deviation exceeds ten percent, I'm willing to bear all consequences."
Su Bai's words left Pei Jin'an so astonished that he stood up abruptly. He glanced at Su Bai's resolute expression and then picked up the training plan that he had set aside earlier. This time, he meticulously reviewed the training plan in front of Su Bai.
Pei Jin'an's expression kept changing as he pondered whether Su Bai's plan could truly be effective and whether his predictions were accurate.
It should be noted that the coaching team always had an existing estimate of an athlete's training outcomes, including the national team's data group, which included researchers who had developed athlete data models. These models served as the basis for predicting an athlete's training effects and performance.
However, even with this in mind, they wouldn't dare to assert like Su Bai did that they could guarantee the training outcomes with such certainty.
During training, coaches needed to monitor an athlete's daily data changes in real-time. If the actual training effects deviated from the previous estimates, they had to determine whether the issue lay with the athlete or the training plan, and then make timely adjustments to the training regimen.
In other words, coaches were absolutely incapable of predicting an athlete's exact performance in real-time. They couldn't even achieve an accuracy within a 10% margin, let alone 20% or 30% deviation.
Pei Jin'an rubbed his temples while looking at the plan in his hands. This time, he didn't reject Su Bai's proposal as before. Instead, he looked at him again for confirmation. "Are you sure you can do this?"
Su Bai once again looked at Pei Jin'an with certainty. "Yes, I can!"
This time, Pei Jin'an didn't refuse Su Bai's request. He closed his eyes and pondered for a while, then picked up the landline phone in his office and directly informed his assistant coach. He instructed the assistant to provide Su Bai with all of Fang Yu's information, including his training plan for the next half month, the data model established for Fang Yu by the data team, and the predictive waveform chart.
"Su Bai, I'll trust you this time regarding Fang Yu. Just remember, Fang Yu's situation is not to be taken lightly. If you fail this time, there won't be another chance."
Su Bai also looked at Pei Jin'an seriously. After a moment, he nodded. "Rest assured, Coach Pei. I understand."
After Su Bai left Pei Jin'an's office, he felt a slight sense of relief. Even though he had set an agreement that seemed difficult to achieve in the eyes of everyone, and he had essentially staked Pei Jin'an's trust in him on this, he felt it was worth it.
Not long after Su Bai left, Wu Shengping arrived at Pei Jin'an's office to discuss training matters. In the course of their conversation, Wu Shengping casually asked, "Xiao Lin said you had him compile a complete set of Fang Yu's data for Su Bai. What's that for?"
Hearing Pei Jin'an's words, Wu Shengping realized that Pei Jin'an was also considering the agreement and promise he had made with Su Bai earlier. Pei Jin'an sighed and explained the agreement he had with Su Bai and the promise he had given.
"Ah, now that I think about it, I acted a bit recklessly just now. How could I agree so readily to that young lad's proposal?" Pei Jin'an shook his head. "He's so young and daring to make such a wager. Why did I agree to him just like that? If he can't fulfill it, being so young, I'm worried it might shatter his confidence..."
After listening to Pei Jin'an's words, Wu Shengping chuckled. "Oh, come on, Old Pei. Honestly, if anyone else brought up this matter to you, I would definitely think they were just talking nonsense. But Su Bai..."
Pei Jin'an looked at Wu Shengping with a hint of confusion. "What about Su Bai?"
Wu Shengping smiled and said, "Remember when I visited the S Province Athletics Team for exchange and guidance? At that time, Su Bai had just spotted the potential in Qiu Wen and was arranging for Qiu Wen to switch to the 400-meter sprint. The S Province Athletics Team was conducting potential tests for Qiu Wen in the 400 meters, and their coaches invited me as well."
Pei Jin'an nodded, recalling that Wu Shengping had mentioned this incident before.
Wu Shengping continued with a smile, "I didn't explain in detail at the time, but Su Bai made incredibly accurate predictions about Qiu Wen's test results. I remember it very clearly. He accurately predicted one of Qiu Wen's test results to be 47.60 seconds, saying that Qiu Wen's test result would fall within that range."
"47.60 seconds?" Pei Jin'an furrowed his brow. "What was Qiu Wen's final test result then?"
"47.58 seconds."
Upon hearing this data, Pei Jin'an took in a slight breath.
Wu Shengping chuckled and said, "At that time, Xiao Bai was just a cook for the S provincial track and field team, at most a retired athlete from the 100-meter sprint event. I believe his knowledge about athlete training then mostly came from his university studies."
With a hint of hesitation in his gaze, Pei Jin'an remarked, "So, does that mean we can expect Xiao Bai's predictions to be accurate?"
Wu Shengping naturally nodded and smiled, "Of course, I'm looking forward to it too."
Pei Jin'an glanced at the training proposal submitted by Su Bai on the side, shook his head, and sighed with a smile. "Alright then, let's wait together and see whether our Coach Su Bai can achieve his precise predictions."
He chuckled and turned to Wu Shengping. "What do you think? If this kid really succeeds, won't he become a little genius?"
Wu Shengping burst into laughter at this remark. "Well, Old Pei, this young fellow is already a genius. If he can truly do it, Chinese athletics might take a big leap forward!"
Hearing this, a hint of anticipation appeared in Pei Jin'an's eyes. "Let's hope so!"
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------