Translator: dapotaturs
Release Date: 10/02/2023
Chapter 191: Li Junhao's Inner Monologue & Pre-match
The Netherlands, currently on daylight saving time, has a 6-hour time difference with China.
When Li Junhao and his national team teammates arrived in Hengelo, it was around 6:00 PM local time on the 7th. They had a little over a day left before the competition on the 9th, which was relatively ample time.
Joining Li Junhao in Hengelo were Ye Wenhao, the senior sister in the women's hammer throw event, as well as several athletes in the men's long jump, pole vault, and other events.
Accompanying them were national team translators and team officials. Among the group, the most well-known were Li Junhao and Liu Jiaonan.
Before this trip, Li Junhao was actually quite nervous.
Although he had gained confidence in the men's 4x400m relay event due to his rebellious spirit and the various stimuli from Su Bai, he was still a bit anxious about his performance in the individual 400m race.
Since entering the national team last year, Li Junhao had only competed in the men's 400m individual event during the Asian Six Nations Athletics Challenge, which took place during winter training. While his performance had improved, it was still far from ideal.
He knew the reasons for his less-than-ideal performance. In the 4x400m relay, he dared to fight for every inch, not wanting to let down his teammates' efforts, and he refused to lose to other teams.
However, when it came to his own individual race, he couldn't help but recall his past experiences. Although he tried his best to control his thoughts, they still affected his actual performance.
He had indeed overcome some of the shadows of his past fragility to some extent. However, he also knew that he had not completely overcome them.
Regarding his terrible mindset back then, Li Junhao naturally knew it was not right. However, psychological issues are the kind of things that the person affected cannot completely control just by knowing they have a problem.
Li Junhao understood that his condition was actually not bad; he was just feeling a bit nervous and anxious.
As a result, on the evening before departure, he couldn't resist going for a night run once again. Somehow, he ended up running to the coach's dormitory building, where he saw Su Bai sitting under a streetlamp, reading a book with a smiling expression, and successfully received a dose of sarcasm from Su Bai's smile.
...
Although others said it was a form of coaching care from Su Bai, Li Junhao just couldn't help but think that Su Bai was too cunning, with so many tricks up his sleeve.
At that moment, Su Bai looked at him with a smile and asked, "Nervous? Afraid?"
Li Junhao's expression immediately changed, and he replied, "Who the hell is nervous! Who the hell is afraid?"
Su Bai's expression remained gentle, and he said, "Alright, you're not nervous, and you're not afraid either."
......
............
..................
Li Junhao: What should I do if it feels even more mocking now?
Anyway, that night, Li Junhao, who was indeed somewhat nervous, was so irritated by his conversation with Su Bai that he didn't even go for his night run. He turned around and rushed back to his athlete dormitory. His roommate, Guo Dun, couldn't help but tease him.
"Hey, Ah Hao, I just saw you coming back from the direction of the coach's dormitory in the corridor. Did you go to Su Coach for comfort because you're leaving for Hengelo tomorrow and feeling nervous?"
"Come to think of it, Cui Luoheng used to do this often too. Every time he said he was nervous, he ended up performing well in the competitions. With Su Coach's reassurance, your condition will surely be good too!"
Li Junhao: ... =__=+! Who went to seek comfort from that fox-like, master of manipulation, Su Bai?!
Li Junhao was very unhappy. He pursed his lips and said, "I didn't specifically go to find Su Bai. I was just going for a night run, and I happened to run into him! Who knew that guy would be sitting under the coach's dormitory building so late at night? I didn't go to his dorm to find him!"
Guo Dun glanced at the red-faced Li Junhao and chuckled, "Alright, alright, you didn't specifically go find Coach Su. You just didn't want to run in the direction of the field for your night jog, and you didn't want to circle around the athlete dormitory. You just happened to run in the direction of the coach's dormitory... I don't know why Coach Su, for some reason, on a hot night, not afraid of mosquitoes, chooses to sit under the coach's dormitory building on a bench instead of staying in an air-conditioned room?"
Li Junhao couldn't quite express his feelings in words. He was just really mad. In any case, Su Bai was a cunning guy who must have calculated that he was feeling nervous, so he sat there waiting for him to fall into his trap!
How could there be such a cunning person?
He even fooled everyone into thinking he was an innocent and pure little white rabbit!
Clearly, he was a big-tailed fox spirit!
So what if he was feeling a little nervous?
This big-tailed fox spirit was trying to manipulate him! And he even mocked him!
Damn, he couldn't let this big-tailed fox spirit look down on him. Just wait! It was just a leg of the World Athletics Challenge, right? What's there to be nervous about? He had stood up to those opponents in the Asian Games, Asian Championships, and World Athletics Relays. He didn't believe that a single leg of the World Athletics Challenge would make him freeze up!
In any case, due to the night run the night before departure, Li Junhao had accumulated a lot of frustration. He felt that Su Bai was not a good person and had fooled everyone into thinking he was the best.
With such thoughts in mind, Li Junhao's heart was filled with all kinds of angry and embarrassed emotions. He was determined not to get too nervous and perform poorly in the competition, fearing that Su Bai would look down on him.
Back at the National Athletics Team in China:
After Li Junhao and the others had departed, Coach Wang Ting seemed a bit preoccupied all day. After all, Li Junhao was a disciple he had personally nurtured, and he understood the problems with Li Junhao's performance and mentality in the past. Just like many athletics fans, Wang Ting was also worried—was Li Junhao really completely problem-free in the 400m individual event now?
Looking back at their usual training, Li Junhao didn't have many problems in the 400m individual event, but Wang Ting could also sense that his performance in individual training was slightly worse than in the 4x400m relay training. While his strength training and other aspects were generally fine, Li Junhao seemed to lack the explosiveness needed in his individual runs, making him different from his relay performance.
As the coach in charge of the men's 400m event, Wang Ting had observed Li Junhao's problem during individual training, but he hesitated when it came to handling such subtle psychological issues. He remembered that he had failed to control Li Junhao's state back then, and his disciple's mentality had almost completely collapsed.
Later, Su Bai noticed his nervousness during training and had comforted him, promising to help solve the problem. However, Wang Ting couldn't recall Su Bai having a one-on-one meeting with Li Junhao, so he was still somewhat anxious.
It wasn't until after a day of training when Guo Dun told him about what had happened the previous night that Wang Ting finally learned that Su Bai had indeed met with Li Junhao privately.
"That guy Ah Hao kept telling me that Coach Su is cunning beyond belief," Guo Dun chuckled and shook his head. "He seems really angry about it, but he grits his teeth and says he absolutely won't let Coach Su look down on him."
Hearing Guo Dun's words, Wang Ting finally breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Su Bai had successfully transformed Li Junhao's excessive nervousness about the competition into anger and determination. As long as Li Junhao needed to regain his composure from Su Bai, he would fight hard during the competition and forget his original nervousness.
"This silly kid..." Wang Ting couldn't help but chuckle. "He looks quite smart most of the time, but Su Bai used a simple trick to switch him from the 4x400m relay mindset to the 400m individual mindset... After the race, he's probably going to be jumping in anger again."
Hearing this, Guo Dun chuckled, "I think Ah Hao really likes Coach Su. Su Bai dug such a shallow pit, but Ah Hao couldn't wait to jump right in. After jumping, he'll even sprinkle some dirt on himself, burying himself deep, and then mutter about who on earth dug such a deep pit to bury him..."
Guo Dun's metaphor left Wang Ting in a mix of laughter and exasperation. Before he could say anything else, they turned around to find Cui Luoheng watching them with extreme vigilance, as if they were discussing something terrifying.
?
Wang Ting was puzzled, not knowing what Cui Luoheng had overheard that had put such a wary expression on his face.
As they walked to the edge of the training ground under the watchful eyes of Wang Ting and Guo Dun, Cui Luoheng's mind was still echoing with Guo Dun's words: "I think Ah Hao really likes Coach Su... Ah Hao really likes Coach Su... Ah Hao likes Coach Su..."
...
Li Junhao likes Xiao Bai?! And it was because of Xiao Bai that he gained confidence to perform well in the competition?!
Thinking about these things, Cui Luoheng furrowed his brows and was about to look in Su Bai's direction. However, he saw Wang Shen, Qiu Wen, and even Zhang Ziyi all gathered around Su Bai, chatting together.
Cui Luoheng recalled some novels he had occasionally read online during his spare time recently, and he deeply felt like he was just a passerby in a novel where Su Bai was the protagonist and heartthrob...
So, how can a passerby become the beloved of the heartthrob protagonist?
The answer was clear: Work harder!
In the Diamond League this time, he had only run 13.23 seconds, losing completely to the other two athletes. If he couldn't become stronger, if he couldn't become better, how could he expect Su Bai to like him?
With these thoughts in mind, Cui Luoheng took a deep breath, and his anticipation and ambition for the upcoming World Athletics Challenge in Finland grew even stronger.
Of course, Su Bai had no idea what Cui Luoheng was thinking at this moment. He was originally discussing training and competition matters with Wang Shen, Qiu Wen, and Zhang Ziyi. Suddenly, he heard the system's notification sound in his mind – the one that indicated a significant data fluctuation.
After quickly accessing the data panel in response to the emergency notification, Su Bai realized that the athlete with significant mental fluctuations on the panel was Cui Luoheng. What was more intriguing was that after this mental fluctuation, Cui Luoheng's competitive state rating had improved by a few points.
This sudden change in mindset had occurred without any warning signs, leaving Su Bai quite puzzled for a moment. After taking a second look at Cui Luoheng's state, Su Bai withdrew his curiosity, still carrying a sense of doubt.
Two days later, in Hengelo, Netherlands, at 4 o'clock in the afternoon.
After more than a day of rest and adjustment, the Netherlands station of the World Athletics Challenge officially commenced at 4:00 PM local time on June 9th.
As is customary, there were several pre-event matches involving Dutch youth athletes before the main event. The participating athletes in the main event had already completed their warm-up preparations at the practice field behind the competition venue.
Li Junhao's personality wasn't exactly endearing, and he didn't bother to engage in conversations during warm-up. Moreover, being from the national team's 400-meter event, other athletes couldn't help but see him as a bit of a "gossip central" figure.
During casual chats, these athletes would often remark, "Su Bai, Coach Su, is really amazing. He single-handedly elevated the entire 400-meter event."
Li Junhao couldn't exactly tell these people that Su Bai was a sly fox with a big tail, so he simply remained silent.
Although he didn't speak, Li Junhao certainly hadn't come unprepared or uninformed about this competition. Before his departure, Su Bai had already sent him a complete set of information about the participating athletes, including their names, performances, and technical analyses, enabling him to know his competitors.
Upon receiving this comprehensive data from Su Bai, Li Junhao couldn't help but recall that Su Bai was likely to have an extensive database of 400-meter athlete performance data stored in his mind, including his own past performance data, including those races where he ran in the 48-second range. Su Bai probably knew those details inside and out.
Just the thought of all this made Li Junhao furrow his brows tightly, reminding himself internally that there could be no room for error in this competition. Otherwise, Su Bai would likely have that embarrassing data of his etched into his memory forever.
In this edition of the challenge, there were a total of 8 participants in the men's 400 meters event. Apart from Li Junhao, there were two athletes from the United States, two from the Netherlands, one from Botswana, one from Italy, and one from Spain.
The overall level of these athletes in the 400-meter event was significantly higher than that of domestic Chinese athletes. Among these athletes, even the one with the worst personal best had a time of 45.88 seconds. In terms of individual performances, Li Junhao's personal best was at the bottom of the list.
Among these athletes, the best performer was the athlete from Botswana. He had broken the 44-second barrier with a personal best of 43.98 seconds, which was a full two seconds faster than Li Junhao's 45.98 seconds. However, this athlete had only achieved the sub-44-second mark once, and that was three years ago. In the past two years, his form had not been great, and he had rarely run below 45 seconds in competitions.
Apart from Botswana's Wolcott, there was another athlete, whom Su Bai had warned him to stay composed about after sharing the participant list – Anderson from the United States.
This Anderson was one of the American athletes who had participated in the "friendly practice match" with the national team when Su Bai had just taken over. Previously, in the indoor circuit event in Torun, Poland, Zhang Ziyi had outperformed Anderson. This time, it was Li Junhao who was facing this American athlete, who had once dominated them.
Now, on the warm-up field, after completing his warm-up, Anderson noticed a seemingly hostile gaze. When he turned to see Li Junhao, he realized that he was facing another athlete from China, and this one looked somewhat familiar.
Anderson couldn't forget the memory of being surpassed by Zhang Ziyi in the indoor circuit event in Torun, Poland. Although it was just an indoor event, Anderson still felt a lack of face.
After that indoor circuit event, Anderson paid extra attention to news about the men's 400 meters sprint in China. He found out that the Chinese men's 400 meters national record had progressed from 45.25 seconds to 45.24 seconds and then to 44.96 seconds. The athlete responsible for this remarkable improvement was the same Chinese runner who had defeated him in the indoor championships.
Knowing this, Anderson's mood improved. When someone teased him for losing to a Chinese 400-meter runner, he could proudly state that it was the record holder for both indoor and outdoor 400 meters in China!
Losing to the number one 400-meter runner in China, while still not ideal, was something Anderson could accept. After all, this athlete was capable of running below the 45-second mark, and Zhang Ziyi's time of 44.96 seconds would place him in the top 50 worldwide for the 400 meters event. However, Anderson didn't believe that just any Chinese athlete could defeat him.
As Li Junhao observed Anderson, the American athlete responded with a smirk, a provocative smile that further fueled Li Junhao's determination.
Back in China, at 11 PM, in the sports channel's broadcast studio, after summarizing the previous men's 200 meters race, hosts Shao Minyi and Li Sen began introducing the upcoming men's 400 meters race. Being well-prepared for the event, they certainly didn't forget to mention Anderson, the former American team athlete.
As they introduced Anderson, viewers online who remembered him erupted with excitement. They realized that today's race was indeed a showdown between a Chinese athlete and Anderson in the 400 meters outdoor event!
With this revelation, viewers quickly reached out to friends and family, spreading the news.
【Quick!! Open the sports channel! Li Junhao is about to compete, not only in his first 400 meters individual race of the year but also against the American guy, Anderson, who came to challenge our national team!】
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Chapter 192: World Athletics Challenge Netherlands - Li Junhao
【??】
【Who is Anderson?】
【Was the national team once defeated by Americans?】
【Oh, can Li Junhao win this time? But aren't American athletes considered world-class? Li Junhao won't continue to be defeated, right?】
【...The United States has world-class athletes, but not every American athlete is considered world-class!】
On the internet, as Shao Minyi and Li Sen introduced Anderson from the American team, fans who already knew him, newcomers who were unfamiliar, and viewers summoned by friends from various places all gathered together.
Some wanted to discuss with everyone, and they flooded the comments section of the sports channel's live stream. Others were waiting in front of their TV, holding their phones, chatting with friends.
In the national team, Wang Ting, Zheng Xingguo, and Pei Jin'an found Su Bai and gathered in Su Bai's dormitory. They turned on the TV, waiting for the upcoming race.
Listening to Shao Minyi's introduction on the TV broadcast, Wang Ting laughed, "Speaking of which, the term 'revenge match' was used when Zi Yi met this Anderson in Torun, Poland. Now it's being used again for this so-called revenge."
In the sports world, the term "revenge match" was quite popular, as it could indeed stir up the audience's desire for revenge and boost the athletes' competitive spirit. However, it was rare for someone to take it to the extent of what the Japanese team did earlier.
This time, Li Junhao unexpectedly encountered Anderson, but as long as Chinese athletes in the 400m event wanted to participate in world-class competitions, meeting Anderson was only a matter of time.
"I hope Ah Hao, this kid, can keep his mentality in check," Wang Ting nervously watched Li Junhao on the TV screen. Although his condition looked good on TV at the moment, it was crucial not to lose his nerve during the competition.
"After the 2018 outdoor season National Grand Prix, Li Junhao returns to the men's 400m single event exactly one year later."
On TV, Shao Minyi introduced, "As we all know, Li Junhao had a period of low performance before the Asian Games. Although he is now the mainstay of the national team's men's 4x400m relay team, he has not yet been able to prove his strength in the 400m single event."
"Today's race will also be an opportunity for us to witness Li Junhao's strength in the 400m single event. We don't know what kind of performance he can deliver on this world-class stage, with strong competitors."
While Shao Minyi and Li Sen were speaking, they introduced all eight athletes on the field.
In the arena in Hengelo, Li Junhao was placed in lane 9. In lane 8, to his left rear, was the Italian athlete Niccolò. Anderson from the United States was in lane 6, with Botswana's athlete Wolcott in lane 6 next to him, and Spain's athlete Gasol in lane 7.
There were a total of eight athletes on the track, and Li Junhao was the only athlete of Asian descent among them. Except for Anderson, some of the other athletes noticed Li Junhao's presence to varying degrees.
However, while they noticed Li Junhao, Li Junhao did not pay attention to them.
From the moment he stepped onto the track, Li Junhao's full attention was on the track in front of him and his starting blocks. He adjusted the starting blocks according to his habit, then circled around to the back of the blocks, wearing a serious expression, waiting for the upcoming race.
At the Hengelo Stadium, there were local Dutch commentators who, upon seeing Li Junhao's performance, smiled and commented, "It seems that this athlete from faraway China is feeling very nervous about the race. You can tell from his serious expression that he's under a lot of pressure for this competition."
Back in China, athletics enthusiasts were also feeling a bit anxious. Li Junhao did indeed appear very serious, and they hoped that his nervousness wouldn't affect his performance.
At the venue, facing the imminent race, Li Junhao didn't anticipate that his serious demeanor would lead to so much speculation about his state of mind from others. Even if he had known, he wouldn't have had any interest in deliberately relaxing his posture.
At this moment, he was reviewing the information that Su Bai had provided about the remaining seven athletes, and he was mentally comparing it with Su Bai's analysis for him.
Among the remaining seven athletes on the track, there were only two white athletes, while the other five were black athletes. All of these athletes excelled in the explosive phase of the start and the acceleration on the curve.
【If you can't maintain your best condition during the explosive phase of the start, you might end up in the last place,】 he remembered Su Bai saying.
Back then, Su Bai certainly didn't know he would be assigned to lane 9.
Once Li Junhao thought about being in lane 9, facing the attacks from these athletes, getting gradually overtaken step by step... that frustrating feeling surged in his heart and brow.
The last place?
Li Junhao furrowed his brow, looking at the track in front of him, listening to the excited cheers of the spectators in the stadium. Under his breath, he muttered, "Then let's give it a try...!"
On the race track, after all the athletes were ready, the cold voice of the starter came over the broadcast, "On your marks, get set..."
"Bang!"
From the crouched starting positions of the athletes on their blocks, to the athletes assuming their ready positions upon command, and finally to the crisp sound of the gun firing—this 400-meter final of the Dutch leg of the World Athletics Challenge was officially underway!
At the moment the starting gun rang out, the excitement of the spectators in the stadium grew even more intense. The lively atmosphere, restless emotions, and fervent cheers all came together and converged above the competition venue, engulfing everyone in an exuberant mood.
At that very moment when the starting gun went off, Li Junhao's emotions soared to their peak!
All those words Su Bai had once said to him—about how it didn't matter how well he performed, and how he didn't need a significant improvement in his results for this race, it was just for him to adapt...
And the concerns Su Bai had expressed about the possibility of him falling to last place after the explosive start...
All of these thoughts converged in his mind, and with the sound of the starting gun, it was as if a volcano had erupted in his head.
Screw the results!
Screw the idea of just adapting!
Li Junhao didn't come all the way to the Netherlands to run and finish last—he wanted to win!
Even though he knew how absurd this desire was, Li Junhao's longing for victory at this moment was exceptionally clear in his heart.
He wanted to win. He wanted to perform at his best in this race. He didn't want to revert to the state he was in before, where he hesitated during the competition, felt unable to perform well, and believed he couldn't achieve good results. He didn't want to lose like that again.
He wanted to win! He despised the face of Anderson, the disdain he had shown during their competition in the national team, that arrogant attitude, which made him feel like he was looking at his own past, the time when he had fallen and given up.
He. Wanted. To. Win.
"The race has begun...! Li Junhao's start...is excellent!" exclaimed Shao Minyi as she watched Li Junhao on the track, from his reaction to the starting gun, to his subsequent acceleration and explosion. Everything appeared to be perfect!
On the track, the Italian athlete Niccolò in Lane 8 also had a good start, thinking that after the start, he could quickly catch up with the Chinese athlete in Lane 9. However, reality didn't match his expectations.
The distance between him and the Chinese athlete in Lane 9 didn't seem to shrink as much as he had anticipated. Moreover, after the first turn, the gap between them didn't decrease as he expected.
No, he was in Lane 8, the Chinese athlete was in Lane 9, and the lengths of their curved paths weren't the same. If after the first turn, the distance between him and the Chinese athlete didn't decrease but instead increased...
It meant that the Chinese athlete was pulling away from him in reality?!
Niccolò's mind immediately pondered this question, and he was surprised—this couldn't be possible!
However, he didn't have more time to think about all this. In Lane 7, the Spanish athlete Gasol was also in excellent form in this race. With the advantage of an inner lane and the highest speed as they entered the straight section, Gasol was gradually closing in on Niccolo!
Li Junhao was unaware of the situation behind him, but he knew he couldn't afford to relax on this track. Any relaxation could have a fatal impact on his speed and performance.
He was definitely not the strongest on this track, and he might even be the weakest. He had no room for any slack. He had to grit his teeth and push forward!
In Lane 6, Anderson from the United States initially didn't pay much attention to Li Junhao in Lane 9. In his view, the Chinese athlete in Lane 9, although his performance was decent, wouldn't be his opponent.
Anderson was more concerned about the athlete in Lane 5, Wolcott from Botswana. This guy had incredible speed during the initial acceleration phase, and if he wasn't careful, Wolcott, if in top form today, could easily surpass him on the track.
As a matter of fact, just as Anderson expected, Wolcott, who had been struggling with form recently, was in exceptional condition on this particular day. Even in the second straight section, Anderson could feel Wolcott closing in from behind. By the time they entered the second curved section, Wolcott, with the advantage of the inner lane, quickly caught up to him and then overtook him.
Anderson was taken completely by surprise. He had decent form himself, but compared to Wolcott, he couldn't keep up with the guy in front of him.
Damn it!
Anderson discarded all unnecessary thoughts from his mind and began to sprint at full speed on the track. By the time they entered the final 100-meter stretch, Anderson was no longer thinking about anything else. He was focused on adjusting his breathing and sprinting posture to give himself the best chance on the track.
It was during this phase that he heard the audience in the stands gasping.
What was there to gasp about?
Wolcott was still in front of him, not yet at the finish line...
However, at this moment, the corner of Anderson's eye and his athlete's sensitivity told him that there seemed to be another figure on the outermost lane, also sprinting and chasing!
?!
The outermost lane?!
The Chinese athlete?!!!
Quick, he needed to go faster!
On the track, all Li Junhao could think about was speed. From the moment the race began, he had already forgotten all the nervousness and anxiety that might have been in his mind. From the moment the starting gun went off, the thought of winning and controlling his body's condition replaced everything else in his mind!
【If you don't have an advantage in absolute speed, then take rhythm and control to the extreme.】
These words from Su Bai echoed in Li Junhao's mind.
Take rhythm and control... to the extreme!
The athletes in the eighth and seventh lanes behind him initially thought they could easily overtake the Chinese athlete in the second curve of the race. However, in reality, even though Li Junhao was on the outermost lane, he didn't fall behind at all in the second curve.
This athlete from China, while not the fastest on the straight, had impeccable control over his body and an absolute mastery of the rhythm of his speed on the track.
China... when did they have athletes with this style?
With each step on the curve, his stride was long, causing his pace and rhythm to appear different from the other athletes around him. Even from the stands, one could clearly see the difference in his pacing compared to the others.
His body seemed to be equipped with springs, giving each step a distinct bounce. Despite the tense competition, he made it look incredibly effortless on the track?!
Back at the National Team Training Base coach's dormitory in China, Zheng Xingguo was surprised when he saw Li Junhao's running style. He exclaimed, "This feeling?! How did he train for this? Why didn't we see him using this running style during relay races?"
Wang Ting also had a bewildered expression. He was familiar with Li Junhao's previous racing style, but the Li Junhao on the track right now left him in awe.
Suddenly, Wang Ting remembered that Su Bai had indeed put Li Junhao through several training sessions with a consistent stride length and pace. He had even asked Su Bai if the adjustment in stride length was a bit too significant.
What did Su Bai say back then?
"Ah Hao has a taller stature compared to other 400m athletes. His previous stride length was somewhat conservative. Perhaps this stride length suits him better."
At that time, Wang Ting had his doubts because Li Junhao didn't adapt well to the adjusted stride length initially. In fact, during the previous 4x400m relay races, Li Junhao hadn't showcased this stride and rhythm but had stuck to his original pacing and stride. This made Wang Ting forget that Su Bai had conducted training sessions for Li Junhao focused on stride and rhythm adjustments.
Su Bai watched Li Junhao on the track, a faint smile in his eyes. "Ah Hao is in great form today. He's grasped this rhythm."
"Before the World Athletics Relay Championships, I was conducting rhythm adjustment training for him. However, due to the relay event, the intensity of this training was not high. After the relay, he increased the intensity of his rhythm training, but in reality, he still hadn't found the perfect feel for his rhythm."
Wang Ting, who was responsible for monitoring the athletes' training, instantly recalled Li Junhao's training content and results. However, he couldn't have predicted that the rhythm training would ultimately produce such impressive results.
"Li Junhao! Li Junhao's performance today is exceptional! In the final sprint stage, he has completely distanced himself from athletes like Niccolo and Gasol..."
In the sports channel's live chatroom, Shao Minyi was excitedly describing Li Junhao's performance on the track.
"Today, Li Junhao has shown a completely different rhythm style on the track, which is not only pleasing to the eye but also not inferior in speed to any of the other athletes on the field!"
On the track, Li Junhao was unaware that his abrupt change in running style had already amazed athletics enthusiasts in his home country. In fact, during the initial stages of the race, his only thought was to give it his all and run faster.
But as he began to increase his speed on the curves, under the concentrated focus, the rhythm and pace that Su Bai had been instilling and narrating to him all along, the stride that he had once found awkward, were being applied naturally.
Although it wasn't apparent in the overall stride rhythm, he was undoubtedly running with all his might. It was just that this running sensation felt significantly different from before.
It was precisely this difference that allowed him to steadily progress step by step on the track, gradually pulling away from the competitors he had never been able to surpass in the past.
On the final 100 meters of the sprint track, Li Junhao could feel the fatigue in his body, but he still gritted his teeth and looked ahead. He didn't let this bodily fatigue disrupt his rhythm. He maintained a stable rhythm and speed, moving forward... and forward!
Li Junhao took each step towards the direction of the finish line, and in the corner of his eye, he saw the American athlete, Anderson.
In an instant, the entire atmosphere at the Hengelo competition venue seemed to revert to the days of the national team's training camp during last year's Asian Games. The surrounding spectators transformed into those young athletes from the sports school in City B.
That time, desperately running towards the finish line, yet still unable to catch up with the American athlete ahead, made Li Junhao's eyes momentarily blaze with determination.
He was already running fast enough, but... he wanted an even faster pace! He needed to reach the maximum speed within the rhythm he controlled!
Ignoring the accumulating fatigue in his body, he used this discomfort to stimulate his nerves and pushed himself forward with all his might.
Anderson hadn't expected that this Chinese athlete could run almost neck and neck with him. They were now in the final 50 meters of the sprint!
There was no time for Anderson to think about anything else concerning the Chinese athlete. All he could do was sprint!
The last 30 meters... 20 meters...!
In China, in the sports channel's live chatroom, while many fans had indeed seen today's race as a "revenge match," most of them still hoped that Li Junhao could perform well and maintain a good state in this race.
After all, until now, even Zhang Shuai had a personal best of 44.90 seconds, which was still behind the performance of the athletes on the field.
However, as the race progressed, everyone realized that Li Junhao... he seemed to have a chance to overtake?!
When they reached the last 10 meters, on the track, Li Junhao was almost neck and neck with Anderson. In the live chatroom, all the viewers were so nervous that they didn't even have time to send messages. Everyone was anxiously watching the live broadcast, focusing on Anderson and Li Junhao as they approached the finish line step by step.
And then... they crossed the finish line almost simultaneously!
They crossed the line!
Li Junhao crossed the line at the same time as Anderson!
All the track and field enthusiasts were excited. Before Anderson and Li Junhao, only the athlete from Botswana, Wolcott, had crossed the line. In other words, in his debut appearance at the World Athletics Challenge, Li Junhao had secured at least third place in this race!
This thought excited all the viewers in China. After the excitement, everyone returned their attention to the live broadcast on the track.
At the finish line, after Anderson and Li Junhao crossed the line simultaneously, both of them glanced at each other.
In the final sprint just now, Iverson and Li Junhao had seen the distance between them. They crossed the finish line almost at the same time. But who was the winner of this race?
After exchanging glances, both of them immediately turned their gaze to the large screens on both sides of the venue. The referee team, after all the athletes had crossed the finish line, quickly retrieved the video footage taken above the finish line and isolated the moment when Anderson and Li Junhao crossed the line, displaying it on the big screen.
In the slow-motion footage on the big screen, everyone could see that Li Junhao's torso had crossed the finish line slightly ahead of Anderson's.
In the arena, there was a collective gasp of astonishment.
The second-place finisher in the men's 400 meters final at the World Athletics Challenge had completely exceeded everyone's expectations—this second-place finisher was from China.
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