Translator: dapotaturs
Release Date: 09/04/2023
In today's several events, the performance of the national athletics team has completely exceeded people's expectations. From 100 meters to 400 meters, every athlete, such as Fang Yu, Chen Yadan, and Zhang Ziyi, has delivered performances that are enough to thrill athletics enthusiasts.
However, when Zhang Ziyi crossed the finish line, the competition at the venue was not over yet.
After overtaking Zhang Ziyi during the second bend-to-straight stretch, McNair, who had originally stopped paying attention to the opponents behind him, was now fully focused on trying to catch up with Laccasa in front.
He originally thought that this race would ultimately be a showdown between him and his teammate Laccasa. However, what he didn't expect was that in the final 50 meters, the Chinese athlete Zhang Ziyi would surge forward from behind, launching an incredible comeback, ultimately pushing him back.
What surprised him even more was that behind him, two other Chinese athletes were also sprinting forward, attempting to surpass his position.
"Behind McNair... it's Qiu Wen!"
In the final stages of the race, just as Shao Minyi in the commentary box had announced Zhang Ziyi's result, he caught a glimpse of Qiu Wen, who had steadily moved forward from behind, closing the gap on McNair.
The thought of astonishment flashed through his mind, but he was too late to announce it.
However, McNair had also noticed Qiu Wen's late charge. In the last ten meters or so, he put forth his maximum effort, and despite Qiu Wen's full-throttle sprint, he managed to maintain his lead over this short distance.
In the end, the result of the men's 400m event was: Laccasa first, Zhang Ziyi second, McNair third, Qiu Wen fourth, and Li Junhao sixth.
The audience who had been excitedly celebrating Zhang Ziyi's silver medal just before only a few witnessed the final fierce battle initiated by Qiu Wen in the last twenty meters.
It was a very brief but intense surge that stirred the emotions of many, and although the final outcome wasn't quite what was hoped for, Qiu Wen's performance was still highly commendable.
In the stands, Pei Jin'an had initially become excited due to Qiu Wen's last-minute sprint, but when he saw Qiu Wen's attempt to overtake fail at the last moment, he let out a small sigh.
"Oh my, little Qiu, what a pity...!"
Su Bai was also watching Qiu Wen at the end of the track. Qiu Wen had just crossed the finish line, and he was breathing heavily and scratching his head in frustration. But he didn't stay frustrated for long. When he turned around and saw Li Junhao, who had a serious expression and a hand on his hip, he put on a smile again.
In the race just now, Li Junhao had a good start and maintained a decent overall performance, but he struggled in the second half of the race due to the slippery track in the bend, which affected his overall performance. Despite his attempts to recover in the final stages, the competition was tough, and he ultimately finished in sixth place.
Li Junhao, in comparison, had achieved a respectable sixth place, but he couldn't forgive himself for the mistakes he made. He felt frustrated because today's rain had only affected him among all the competitors in the 400-meter event.
Thinking about this, Li Junhao became increasingly irritated.
Qiu Wen, on the other hand, was oblivious to Li Junhao's frustration. When he turned to see Li Junhao, he simply grinned widely and attempted to drag him over to congratulate Zhang Ziyi.
Su Bai, standing in the stands, observed Qiu Wen and Li Junhao's interactions and found them rather amusing. Qiu Wen's carefree personality was indeed a good mediator within the team. His presence lightened the atmosphere for many and made things easier.
Recalling Pei Jin'an's earlier comment about Qiu Wen being a pity, Su Bai didn't quite agree.
"Qiu Wen's performance today was good, and it's within his normal level of play. He switched to the 400-meter event a little over a year ago, around March last year. In less than a year, he has made impressive progress. Zhang Ziyi, as a seasoned athlete who has been training in the 400 meters for over a decade, is finding it increasingly challenging to keep up with Qiu Wen's pace."
"In today's race, the reason Qiu Wen couldn't overtake McNair in the end is that his performance hasn't quite reached that level yet. He didn't miss any opportunities, and I believe there's nothing to regret about this result."
Pei Jin'an didn't expect Su Bai to provide this perspective, but he also understood that Qiu Wen had performed well today. In reality, there was little to criticize. However, it was natural to feel a bit disappointed when Qiu Wen's last-minute sprint didn't allow him to surpass McNair.
Although it was good for a coach to maintain objectivity and rationality, Pei Jin'an turned to Su Bai with a smile. "Little Bai... your overly rational nature, ah, I wonder who can break into your heart in the future."
...
...
?
Su Bai was taken aback, not expecting Pei Jin'an to suddenly steer the conversation in this direction. He was about to say that he wasn't overly rational, but at that moment, one of the large screens in the venue lit up – the official results of the men's 400-meter final were being announced!
In the commentary box, Shao Minyi and Li Sen were also casually chatting with the viewers, discussing the series of surprises that the Chinese national athletics team had brought to the audience today.
"First, we had Fang Yu breaking the 10-second barrier once again with 9.96 seconds in the 100 meters, setting a new national record. In the 200 meters, Wu Yi also achieved a good result. And in the recently concluded women's 400 meters, Chen Yadan exceeded all our expectations, securing qualification for the Doha Athletics World Championships with a time of 51.61 seconds."
"Yes," Li Sen's voice was filled with joy. "Since the qualification criteria changed from the 'A' and 'B' standards to achieving the time standards, Chen Yadan has become the first female 400-meter sprinter in our country to qualify for the Athletics World Championships."
"In the just-concluded men's 400-meter sprint final, Zhang Ziyi's performance was also undeniably outstanding! Viewers familiar with Zhang Ziyi's style should have noticed that in today's race, he displayed a much more 'proactive' and 'limit-pushing' attitude throughout the entire race, which is a significant departure from his previous personal sprint style."
"That's right. Today's Zhang Ziyi has shown us a whole new side of himself, a warrior with a stronger pursuit of victory. I believe this kind of form will propel Zhang Ziyi to even better performances in future competitions... Ah, the results are out!"
"Let's take a look at the final results of the men's 400-meter sprint and see how the athletes performed."
In the sports channel's broadcast room, immediately after the race ended, viewers began flooding the screen with comments like 'World Championships Qualification!!!' and 'Breaking Records!!!' Perhaps due to the atmosphere created by the men's 100 meters and women's 400 meters events earlier, there were quite a few athletics enthusiasts who were concerned that excessive comments of this nature might negatively affect the morale and mood if the results were not as expected. So, they tried to counteract them with different comments, but the sheer number of people posting made it difficult for them to succeed.
Because of this situation, when Shao Minyi actually announced that the results were out, the sports enthusiasts in the live chat room began to feel somewhat anxious. What were the results? How good were they???
On-site, the athletes huddled in a corner of the field to escape the rain also realized that the results had been published. Qiu Wen was the first to notice. He had excellent eyesight. Upon learning that the results were out, he immediately turned to look at one of the large screens on the field. While everyone else was still turning their heads to watch the screen, he suddenly brightened up, howled, and, disregarding the slippery conditions, pounced on Zhang Ziyi.
"Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah!!!! Old Zhang!!! You're incredible!!!"
Qiu Wen lunged onto Zhang Ziyi, who was considerably taller. He momentarily blocked Zhang Ziyi's view. It wasn't until Zhang Ziyi peered through the gap between Qiu Wen's shoulders and saw the results displayed on the big screen in the distance that he, too, froze on the spot.
In the stands, Pei Jin'an's eyes were already red. Speaking of which, his eyes had reddened many times today, but he was so happy and delighted that he wished he could have a few more opportunities like this that could make his eyes well up with emotion!
"This result... this result..." Pei Jin'an took a deep breath. He wanted to say more, but in moments like these, excitement often leaves one's mind blank, and he wasn't sure what more to say.
In the commentary booth, Shao Minyi's voice once again filled with excitement. He thought that, having been a commentator in the athletics world for so many years, he should have become accustomed to calmly announcing athletes' results. However, lately, he found himself getting more and more excited during race commentary.
He looked at the results displayed on the screen and tried to keep his composure. "In the men's 400 meters final of the Asian Six Nations Athletics Challenge:
First place: Laccasa (Bahrain) 44.89 seconds...
Second place: Zhang Ziyi (China) 45.24 seconds... New personal best, new... national record!...
Third place: McNair (Bahrain) 45.36 seconds...
Fourth place: Qiu Wen (China) 45.40 seconds... Sixth place: Li Junhao (China) 45.98 seconds..."
The announcement of results continued, but after Shao Minyi mentioned Zhang Ziyi's result, the rest of the results seemed to lose their significance...
New personal best, new national record!
After Shao Minyi said these words, the other results no longer seemed to matter... New personal best, new national record!
This was the phrase that Chinese athletics enthusiasts had been waiting for for so many years.
If, in 2015, Fang Yu breaking the 10-second barrier in the 100 meters marked a qualitative breakthrough in China's sprinting ability, then the seemingly insurmountable 45.25 seconds in the men's 400 meters had left countless Chinese athletics enthusiasts feeling powerless and uncertain.
Is 45.25 seconds fast?
No, not considering the world record, it had a staggering gap of 1.32 seconds from the Asian record of 43.93 seconds. When compared to Japan, another Asian country, their national record in the 400 meters was 44.78 seconds, not only Japan's national record but also the best time run by an Asian athlete in the 400 meters to date.
When Japan, another Asian nation, can have times under 45 seconds, China's men's 400-meter event had been stuck at 45.25 seconds for a full 15 years. The frustration and difficulty endured in this time were not something that could be easily excused with the phrase "China lacks technical reserves in the 400 meters."
Countless efforts were made by Chinese athletics enthusiasts to break this national record and advance further in the 400 meters. However, this struggle had repeatedly hit a brick wall over the past decade and a half.
Finally, that day had come.
Finally, it had come!
After 15 long years, China finally had another athlete in the men's 400 meters who ran a time surpassing that of their predecessor from 15 years ago. The time span of 15 years had finally been erased in this moment.
Fifteen years of anticipation, for an advancement of 0.01 seconds.
Pei Jin'an, watching from a distance at the big screen displaying Zhang Ziyi's name in second place, followed by the numbers 45.24 seconds, couldn't hold back his tears any longer. His eyes, which had already turned red, were finally streaming with tears.
"Fifteen years... a full fifteen years!" Pei Jin'an kept muttering this sentence. Other than that, he didn't know what else he could say.
Suddenly, his phone in his pocket rang. He took out the phone and saw that it was Wang Ting calling. Both Wang Ting and Zheng Xingguo had not accompanied the team for this competition; they were watching the event together from the national team's coach dormitory.
Seeing Wang Ting's name on the caller ID, Pei Jin'an quickly answered the call.
"Hello... Lao Wang..."
Pei Jin'an's voice contained a hint of choking. His gaze remained fixed on the big screen displaying the athletes' results in front of him, as if afraid that if he blinked, the 45.24-second result might no longer be valid.
On the other end of the phone, it was clearly Wang Ting who had made the call, but after the call was answered, Wang Ting remained silent for a long time.
In this phone call connecting the national team and the venue of the Six Nations Athletics Challenge, there was nothing but the cheers and commotion of the lucky spectators at the venue, along with the silent breathing of Pei Jin'an and Wang Ting.
After a long time, Pei Jin'an finally heard a few words from the other end of the phone: "...Lao Pei, it's been 15 years!"
Hearing these simple words, Pei Jin'an's eyes welled up with tears again. He smiled through his tears. "Yes, it's been 15 years!"
Fifteen years ago, both Pei Jin'an and Wang Ting had witnessed the birth of the national record in the men's 400 meters at the National Games. At that time, they felt that China's sprinting results were gradually improving, and even the technically challenging 400-meter event could be conquered.
At that time, they believed that the breaking of the national record in the 400 meters was just the beginning. They thought that soon there would be new records set in the 400-meter event in China. They believed that with dedication and research, China's 400 meters would soon catch up to the top level in Asia. Perhaps someday, Chinese athletes would replace the Japanese team and take the Asian record in the 400-meter sprint.
Their dreams were so vivid back then, but reality turned out to be much more challenging.
Who could have imagined that after that record-breaking event, they would have to wait for a long and grueling 15 years?
In the Athletics Management Center in City B, officials like Wang Zhengsheng and Jiang Wentao, who were also watching the live broadcast of the competition, were deeply moved.
Fifteen years of waiting...
As officials in the athletics system, they were all former athletes themselves, so they understood the untold bitterness behind these 15 years.
Wang Zhengsheng wanted to speak several times but ended up saying nothing. He just looked at the screen of the live broadcast and sighed repeatedly, "Good."
In the sports channel's live studio, the die-hard athletics fans who were initially worried about what would happen if Zhang Ziyi's result wasn't good, the sports fans who had been chatting and speculating in the comments, and even the casual onlookers who had some knowledge about the 400 meters, were all stunned when they heard Shao Minyi announce the final result.
For a moment, the entire live studio was filled with people who seemed to be lost in thought.
Even those casual viewers who had been drawn in by the news of Fang Yu breaking the 100-meter record and the recent promotional hype were left wondering:
【Wow, did this race break the national record too?】
【Our national athletics team is quite strong, huh? I watched the women's 400 meters earlier and this men's 400 meters now, and it seems like those athletes from other countries can't beat our athletes!】
【At first, they broke the national record in the 100 meters, and now they've broken it in the 400 meters. In the previous women's 400 meters, although they didn't break the national record, they secured a spot in the World Championships. Is our national athletics team really this strong?】
Because athletics enthusiasts and those who understand the situation were momentarily stunned by Zhang Ziyi's performance, the live chat was filled with praise and confusion from ordinary viewers. After these athletics enthusiasts regained their composure and provided explanations, the chat was filled with a mixture of emotions.
【Never mind, let's shout: Zhang is amazing!!!! I'll give you a monkey emoji!!!!】
【? To the person who asked, whether it's a guy or a girl, can you really give birth to a monkey?】
【Friends, don't think breaking records is so easy! Our man YU broke the 100m record, and he also set the previous record. That was back in 2015, and now it's already 2019! As for Zhang's 400m national record just now... The last 400m national record in our country was set at the 2003 National Athletics Championships, which means it's been a whopping 15 years!】
【??? OMG, 15 years?!】
After the athletics enthusiasts provided explanations, the ordinary viewers who initially thought that breaking records in today's competition was easy were completely shocked.
Does this mean that the performance they just witnessed from Zhang Ziyi was the culmination of 15 years of anticipation by athletics enthusiasts?
At this point, it wasn't just the sports channel's live chat; even on the internet, the official Weibo accounts of the national team and the Athletics Management Center, which had recently posted about Fang Yu breaking the 10-second barrier in the 100m, once again made simultaneous announcements.
Athletics Management Center Official Weibo: 【#Zhang Ziyi Breaks the Dust-Covered 15-Year 400m National Record# In the recently concluded Asia Six-Nation Athletics Joint Challenge, Chinese men's 400m star @Zhang Ziyi achieved a time of 45.24 seconds, breaking the 15-year-old national record in the 400m run. The previous record holder for this event was Chen Wei, the men's 400m champion of the 2003 National Athletics Championships.】
National Team Athletics Official Weibo: 【15 years of struggle, 15 years of exploration! As the most technically complex event in the sprinting category, the 400m run, China's athletics had been lacking in this event. However, Chinese athletes have never given up, always persevering! From 2003 to 2019, spanning 15 years, we have finally achieved a 0.01-second improvement! But we believe that today, @Zhang Ziyi's 0.01-second improvement is just the beginning. We will steadily progress step by step to achieve even better results!】
Not only did the official authoritative Weibo accounts of athletics, including the Athletics Management Center, sports channels, and others that had recently shared Fang Yu's achievement of breaking the 10-second barrier in the 100m, but they also took turns to express their thoughts on the men's 400m event that broke the national record.
On the Weibo trending list, the topic of the Asia Six-Nation Athletics Joint Challenge, which had already been at the top, gained even more attention due to the content of 'breaking the national record after 15 years.'
At the venue, the rain, which had suddenly intensified during the 400m race, had subsided once again. It seemed as if a crack had opened in the previously overcast sky, allowing a ray of sunshine to shine through.
Next to the field, where the athletes were taking shelter from the rain, Qiu Wen had been cheering loudly for Zhang Ziyi, calling him amazing and handsome.
After seeing Zhang Ziyi's performance, even Li Junhao, who had been feeling frustrated earlier, set aside his concerns and sincerely congratulated Zhang Ziyi.
Surprisingly, it was Zhang Ziyi himself who seemed lost in thought for a long time after seeing the time of 45.24 seconds. It was as if he couldn't believe that this achievement belonged to him.
For a long time, Zhang Ziyi had carried the label of being a leading figure in the sport, much like Fang Yu, Wu Yi, and Lu Mengfan, who had led their respective events. However, compared to Fang Yu, who broke the 10-second barrier in the 100m, Wu Yi, who brought the 200m sprint to an elite level in Asia, and Lu Mengfan, who consistently maintained an elite level in the 110m hurdles, Zhang Ziyi had always felt that his reputation in the 400m event was somewhat overrated.
In a moment of reminiscence, he remembered a discussion he had with Wang Ting and Guo Dun about Coach Su Bai last year due to Qiu Wen's outstanding performance and the fact that the S Province Athletics Team swept the top three places in a national athletics event.
At that time, they had only speculated that if they could communicate and learn from Su Bai, it might lead to significant breakthroughs in their 400m performance.
As Zhang Ziyi gazed at the time of 45.24 seconds, he felt a mixture of excitement and a desire to cry, but strangely, he couldn't shed tears now.
A thought suddenly occurred to him.
In the future, in the 400m event, there might be even younger talents like Qiu Wen and Li Junhao shining brightly and competing for victory. However, at this moment, he could say with confidence that he had accomplished it. He had shouldered the responsibility of being the leader in the 400m event!
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