Translator: dapotaturs
Release Date: 10/16/2023
Chapter 267 Gossip & Crisis in the 400m Semifinals
【？？？】
【What's going on? This guy is the head coach of the national 400m sprint team?!】
【Wait, he looks too young, right? He's already the head coach?!】
Those passersby who hadn't paid attention to the athletics team's news before the Olympics were all confused. They had only clicked into the trending topics and lengthy posts from marketing accounts to casually look at the handsome chef. But now they were being told that this handsome guy wasn't their expected national team chef...
That would have been one thing.
But this guy who looked barely in his early twenties was actually the head coach of the national 400m sprint team?!
Seeing this response, and then going to the official website of the athletics team for a look around, the passersby were truly baffled - it wasn't fake, it was real!
Is it really that easy to become the head coach of the athletics team? This guy really looks like he's not even 25 yet!
The passersby originally thought that perhaps the coaching team of the national athletics team had undergone some kind of "youthification" process. However, aside from Su Bai, when they looked at the other coaches one by one, the youngest among them was 45 years old at the same level as him.
Even among the younger coaching team members of the national athletics team, none of them appeared as youthful as Su Bai if they were capable of taking charge on their own.
So, it wasn't that being a coach for the national athletics team was an easy job, but that this Coach Su Bai himself was so remarkable?!
While the passersby were curious, someone had already brought out the achievement post that the athletics fans had summarized for Su Bai when he obtained the national-level coaching title.
*Discovered Qiu Wen's talent in the 400m sprint, helped him transition to the 400m sprint and was responsible for his main training plan;
*Helped Cui Luoheng streamline his personal state, improved his 110m hurdles performance, and was responsible for his main training plan;
*Helped Fang Yu sort out his personal state, provided a training plan for his 100m sprint...
*Helped Zhang Ziyi...
*Helped Chen Yadan...
*Helped Li Junhao, Wang Shen, Lu Mengfan, and so on...
In that summary post, not only were the conclusions on which athletes Su Bai had helped included, but also various before-and-after performance comparisons of the athletes he had coached were all compiled into a clear and comprehensive table.
Moreover, the post had just been updated tonight, including Wang Shen's Olympic gold medal in men's high jump and Fang Yu's bronze medal and Asian record in the men's 100m sprint.
..................
............
......
The ordinary passersby were all dumbfounded after reading the post. Some of them gradually recalled that when the athletics idol training camp was popular, they had indeed heard about a very young coach in the national athletics team who was exceptionally good at cooking.
The passersby quickly went back to review the videos, and sure enough, it was Su Bai!
The various entertainment gossip marketing accounts had originally posted articles and were ready to search for the next hot topic. However, when they looked up, they saw that the hashtag #AthleticsTeamNoodleGuy had exploded.
?!
For a moment, even the gossip marketing accounts couldn't understand how this topic suddenly exploded. They opened the comments and saw - what? Their gossip subject wasn't the team's chef, but the national gold medal coach of the athletics team?!
Wow!
This guy's face was indeed so big and... handsome!
Cough, the entertainment gossip marketing accounts had always been shameless. What did it matter if they were proven wrong? As long as there was heat, there was KPI! Let's take this face-slapping more fiercely!
Moreover, this incident had twists and turns and was highly topical. Furthermore, this young and handsome guy was not a chef but a gold medal coach for the national team, and he had also brought out so many amazing athletes.
What did this represent?
This meant that this topic was about to explode!
Immediately, the entertainment gossip marketing accounts once again swarmed the scene, chasing the trend. In order to generate buzz, these marketing accounts were concocting all sorts of speculative events and combining them with their own conjectures.
——【Shocking! Ambiguous relationship between Qiu Wen and the head coach. It is rumored that the two were roommates for 10 years. Qiu Wen once openly confessed his love to Su Bai?! (Accompanied by a picture of Qiu Wen's Weibo post - "Wuwuwu, I really love what Xiao Bai made for supper, qaq!")】
——【Athletics team coach Su Bai's extraordinary looks, known as China's David Beckham! (Accompanied by a picture of Su Bai at the stands and a well-known suave footballer David Beckham from a foreign football giant.)】
——【Counting the legendary Chinese athletics coach Su Bai, who was once an ordinary 100-meter sprinter?】
——【Explosive revelation! Su Bai's university professor claims that during his college years, Su Bai showed extraordinary coaching talent beyond ordinary people. He once advised Su Bai to retire and switch to coaching. Looking at Su Bai's current achievements, he feels gratified.】
——【Shocking! The head coach of the athletics national team's 400-meter project was once a provincial team chef?!】
......
_(:3)∠)_
Even though it was late at night in China, the heat around Su Bai's matter didn't die down. Athletics enthusiasts, already excited about the men's high jump and 100 meters results, were kept awake by two consecutive gossip topics about Su Bai. After their excitement subsided, they couldn't help but burst into laughter.
This matter about Su Bai, no matter how many times it had been talked about in the athletics community because of his age and cooking skills, still remained highly entertaining.
Even the most stoic and straight-laced individuals couldn't help but find joy in these gossip stories, as they watched clueless bystanders experience the same confusion they had initially felt.
Oh well, such things were just delightful to witness!
In any case, the bewilderment of the passersby was indeed genuine. Amidst their bewilderment, there was a sense of pleasure akin to reading a story of a show-off in real life - a young man who had led a group of exceptional athletes, and then became the center of attention due to his looks and his noodle-making skills, initially mistaken by everyone as just an ordinary noodle chef.
The real-life version of the "Sweeping Monk" indeed!
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dapotaturs note:
The Sweeping Monk is a figure from Jin Yong's renowned martial arts epic (wuxia novel) "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils" (天龙八部). Initially a menial worker responsible for sweeping the floor in the tower where Shaolin Temple's Buddhist scriptures are kept, the Sweeping Monk remains unnoticed and of low status in society. However, it is revealed later that this seemingly ordinary individual is, in fact, a highly skilled martial arts expert. Thus, the term "sweeping monk" is used to describe individuals who may seem unremarkable or of modest status but are actually among the top experts or elites in their respective fields or industries.
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After Su Bai's looks and impressive resume had been glorified, the passersby were all dazzled by this character setup, and one by one, they began to express their admiration and exclaim about this divine young man!
Amidst the excitement over Su Bai, some people couldn't help but laugh heartily as they noticed the unfortunate situation of Qiu Wen being treated differently.
Qiu Wen could only eat a mini-bowl of noodles, not even one-third the size of what others were enjoying tonight. He had lost the motivation to boast about his food on Weibo.
But if he didn't post, someone else would!
Particularly, Wang Shen, aside from retweeting Pei Jin'an's Weibo, also took a picture of his own bowl of beef noodles. However, in his picture, he seemed to 'accidentally' capture Qiu Wen, who was pitifully holding that small bowl with a look of despair.
Wang Shen's Weibo post seemed downright amiable:【^^ Tonight's silver thread beef noodles, delicious~】
As one of the heroes of the night, the athletics enthusiasts, including the passersby, were all eager to give face to Wang Shen. They immediately began to like his post. Yet, while liking it, some people noticed Qiu Wen and the noticeably out-of-place mini-bowl in his hand.
【[Ha ha ha ha ha, what's the deal with that small bowl, Erha? Looks a bit too small, doesn't it?】
This comment on Wang Shen's Weibo reached the highest likes because Wang Shen replied to it.
Wang Shen's reply: 【^^ Ah, Qiu Wen has the 400-meter semifinals tomorrow, so we need to consider his pre-match condition in terms of diet and not let him eat too much.】
SPLASH.
Although Wang Shen's response seemed innocent, everyone felt like they could see an old fox smiling mischievously behind the words.
Thus, without Qiu Wen's knowledge, his mini-bowl story once again spread far and wide.
However, because of the mini-bowl incident, many passersby got to know in advance that Qiu Wen had the 400-meter semifinals the next day. The athletics enthusiasts also remembered this point at this moment.
In the schedule for tomorrow's athletics events, the Chinese team had some advantages, but with both the morning and evening sessions combined, out of the 11 events, the Chinese team only had a chance to compete for medals in one event, the women's discus throw.
Among the remaining events, only 3 involve athletes from the Chinese team. In other words, out of the total 11 events scheduled for August 2nd, the Chinese team has qualified for only 4 of them.
Upon seeing the schedule list, many track and field enthusiasts have repeatedly lamented that the road for Chinese athletics remains long and challenging.
Among these events, apart from the promising women's discus throw, the most anticipated event is naturally the men's 400-meter sprint semifinals.
At the previous world championships, Zhang Ziyi was in excellent form, securing a spot in the finals from the semifinals. So... what about this Olympics?
Is there a chance for Zhang Ziyi to secure a spot in the finals at the Olympics and make another historic breakthrough?
Not only Zhang Ziyi, but Qiu Wen's performance is also commendable!
Following Zhang Ziyi, Qiu Wen's current personal best is also at 44.90 seconds, which is quite impressive, right?
Once again, someone on the track and field forum started a thread discussing the hopes of Zhang Ziyi or Qiu Wen breaking through the semifinals and making it to the finals.
However, underneath this thread, everyone who spoke expressed relatively pessimistic views about whether both Zhang Ziyi and Qiu Wen could make it to the finals.
13: 【To be honest, it was somewhat of a miracle that Zhang made it to the finals last year. You should know that a time of 44.81 seconds doesn't usually make the cut for the finals in previous World Championships and Olympics.】
18: 【Although I don't want to admit it, the truth is that in the last Olympic 400-meter semifinals, for example, the slowest time for an athlete to make it to the finals was 44.49 seconds. What does this mean? This breaks the 44.50 mark, a time that is 0.26 seconds faster than Zhang's current PB!】
33: 【Although I like Zhang and Qiu, their PBs, one at 44.76 and the other at 44.90, especially Qiu, are nearly half a second slower than the qualifying athletes for the finals. In this situation, wanting to make it to the finals is really... a pipe dream.】
There are both sensible and irrational voices on the internet. After seeing this statement, some couldn't help but feel indignant.
42: 【I remember previously Su Bai didn't arrange for Zhang Ziyi and Qiu Wen to participate in the mixed 4x400m relay because they still had the men's 400m individual events, right? So, if Zhang Ziyi and Qiu Wen had no hope of making it to the 400m finals, why insist on having Zhang Jiale and Li Junhao take their place? Zhang Ziyi and Li Junhao have better records than Zhang Jiale and Li Junhao, right? If they had participated in the mixed 4x400m relay, maybe the relay could have won a medal at that time? Now, even the mixed 4x400m relay can't win a medal, and they also can't make it to the finals in individual events. I think this is a complete error in the scheduling!】
The argument of "you are useless if you can't win a medal or achieve a certain result" is enough to infuriate any normal-minded person.
Many immediately rolled up their sleeves and started to argue:
45: 【To the person at 42, if you don't need your brain, you can donate it to someone who does need it. Oh no, I don't think anyone would want to take it. Let's not talk about anything else. With the length of time you've been registered, you should be well aware of what the men's 400m sprint was like in previous years, shouldn't you? Rome wasn't built in a day. Zhang's ability to make it to the finals at the World Championships last year was definitely worth celebrating, but even if Zhang hadn't made it to the finals, the Chinese team's performance at the World Championships still achieved unprecedented records. Why do the performances of Zhang, Qiu, and Li Junhao mean nothing to you?
This time's Olympics, our athletes have never secured the 400-meter Olympic qualification in the past. Being able to enter the Olympic arena is an achievement in itself. Isn't it important to advance from the heats to the semifinals? Every step that Zhang and Qiu take now is creating a new history for our country's 400-meter sprinting project. How does it become a scheduling error in your eyes?
Moreover, do Zhang and Qiu only have the men's individual events to run? What about the men's 4x400m relay? We all know that the 400m women's team still has some weaknesses. If one of the two relay events needs to be prioritized, shouldn't the focus be on the men's 4x400m relay, where the current strength of all four team members has been proven?
To achieve good results in each event and to maximize the potential of each athlete, tell me, what's wrong with the current personnel arrangement in this schedule?】
50: 【Thumbs up to the brother at 45. Rome wasn't built in a day, and you can't rush success. I fully agree with this statement. As for the brother at 42, since you're so knowledgeable, I'd like to ask, how many seconds can you run in the 400m sprint at full speed? What kind of results can you achieve in consecutive days of competition?】
These forum users who rolled up their sleeves to argue silenced those who started the criticism. However, everyone knew that some unreasonable people were just like this, only able to see the results and performances they wanted to see, regardless of the pressure and difficulties behind the scenes, and regardless of whether achieving this goal was realistically possible.
Therefore, devoted 400m enthusiasts like Huang Yilun couldn't help but feel somewhat anxious. They were worried that most viewers who didn't understand sports competitions would compare the results of last year's World Championships with this year's Olympics.
These people probably wouldn't care about statements like "athletes' physical condition fluctuates," "athletes' competitive state needs adjustment," or "athletes' results fluctuating within a certain range is completely normal."
Just the thought of this made Huang Yilun and others begin to worry. With sports-related topics being popular during the Olympics, if some people deliberately denied the athletes' true performances to generate discussion, they might twist various aspects and claim that they don't believe in the 400m sprint athletes...
Just by imagining these scenarios, Huang Yilun and others' minds were buzzing continuously - Help, please don't let it be like this!
In the early morning of August 2nd, after waking up, Qiu Wen finally got to enjoy the breakfast specially prepared by Su Bai for him, Zhang Ziyi, Cui Luoheng, and a few others.
Drinking the fragrant rice porridge, Qiu Wen felt an inexhaustible vigor surging through his body.
"Ah! Xiaobai, I will definitely give it my all tonight!"
While drinking the porridge and eating Su Bai's special dishes, Qiu Wen raised his hand and made a vow.
Su Bai smiled at Qiu Wen, refraining from teasing him.
Beside Qiu Wen, Zhang Ziyi was also drinking his portion of porridge. One could tell from his demeanor that he was only maintaining a superficial calm. In his heart, undoubtedly, he was looking forward to the upcoming semifinals in the evening.
Regarding the 400-meter sprint semifinals to be held that night, Su Bai had already studied the performances of the various athletes during the previous rounds in these days. However, based on his calculations, the outlook was indeed not optimistic.
Zhang Ziyi and Qiu Wen, if we were to talk about their current individual strengths, they still surpassed their personal bests (pb). In other words, under full exertion, there was a great chance for them to surpass their personal bests.
But just like the analysis done by numerous netizens, the gap between Zhang Ziyi, Qiu Wen, and the peak performances of the top athletes under full exertion was still significant.
Last year, Zhang Ziyi's ability to reach the final of the World Championships with the eighth-place semifinal result was already a stroke of luck. Su Bai didn't believe that the same stroke of luck could happen for the second time in this year's Olympics.
"Xiaobai, are you worried about Zhang Ziyi and Qiu Wen's match tonight?"
In the restaurant at the moment, Zhang Ziyi and Qiu Wen had left after eating because they needed to do some extra preparations for the evening's match. Cui Luoheng, due to his own selfishness, lingered and finished his meal as the last person. After clearing his own plate, he walked over to Su Bai.
Because Su Bai was preoccupied with thoughts about the evening's match, he didn't notice that Cui Luoheng had finished eating. He was momentarily stunned, then looked up at Cui Luoheng.
At some point, Cui Luoheng's gaze shifted from evasive to direct, allowing him to see everything in the other person's eyes, including affection, anticipation, and the determination, persistence, and unwillingness to give up that came with it.
Su Bai shook his head to shake off these untimely thoughts, then candidly replied, "Yes, tonight's match won't be easy."
The final grouping for the semifinals had already been distributed to him. In the groups where Zhang Ziyi and Qiu Wen were placed, they each had some tough opponents, especially in the team where Zhang Ziyi was, which could almost be called a battle of 400-meter giants.
Su Bai could almost foresee that besides the top two in each group directly qualifying, all the other qualifiers would come from Zhang Ziyi's group.
In that group, Su Bai couldn't even be sure that Zhang Ziyi would achieve a top-five result.
Faced with this situation, even Su Bai could only sigh deeply in his heart.
Although Cui Luoheng knew what Su Bai was worried about, at this moment, standing by Su Bai's side, he had no power to help alleviate Su Bai's concerns and worries. He frowned, feeling frustrated with his own helplessness, so he could only silently accompany Su Bai.
When it seemed like Su Bai had finished contemplating, Cui Luoheng walked with him out of the restaurant. As Su Bai was about to return to his room, Cui Luoheng suddenly said from behind him, "I won't let you worry about tomorrow's match."
He paused for a moment and added, "Not just tomorrow, but also the semifinals and finals afterward, I won't let you worry."
Upon hearing Cui Luoheng's words, Su Bai, after a brief moment of surprise, smiled and then turned to look at Cui Luoheng for a long moment before responding, "Okay."
On the evening of August 2nd, at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo
As the sun set, the main athletics venue of this Tokyo Olympics gradually became filled with voices.
The evening session of the competition was about to begin, and the most gripping events for the Chinese audience were the women's discus throw final and the men's 400-meter sprint semifinals.
In the online live broadcast room of the sports channel, Shao Minyi and Li Sen were also discussing the evening's competition before the start of the matches.
Shao Minyi sighed and said, "Tonight's men's 400-meter sprint semifinals, from the situation of the grouping list, it's not very favorable for Zhang Ziyi and Qiu Wen."
Li Sen also nodded and said, "Yes, especially in the group where Zhang Ziyi is, the prospects for advancing... do seem a bit bleak."
In front of televisions and computers, many viewers had just tuned into the live broadcast, preparing to follow the competition, but they were startled by the opening remarks of Shao Minyi and Li Sen, which cast a shadow over the hearts of many who were watching the competition.
The competition had not even started, yet the hearts of many viewers were already clouded with a sense of foreboding.
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Chapter 268 400-Meter Semifinals Pre-Game & First Heat - Zhang Ziyi
The men's 400-meter sprint semifinals tonight would undoubtedly be a tense battle for everyone involved.
In the afternoon, Zhang Ziyi and Qiu Wen had already been called separately by Su Bai for individual conversations.
When Zhang Ziyi and Qiu Wen each approached Su Bai, the first thing Su Bai did was hand them the evening's grouping table and quietly wait for them to review their respective semifinal groupings.
In tonight's competition, Zhang Ziyi and Qiu Wen were in the first and third groups of the semifinals, respectively. Upon closer examination of the first group in which Zhang Ziyi was placed, it included strong competitors such as Morris from Grenada, Gardiner from the Bahamas, Fernandez from the United States, and Le Clos from South Africa.
If one were to describe the concept of the group, then including Zhang Ziyi, it comprised four of the top six finalists from last year's World Championships. Gardiner and Fernandez were even the gold and silver medalists in the 400 meters at the athletics world championships last year.
It was also in Su Bai's hands that Zhang Ziyi saw the grouping table for the first time. After looking at it, Zhang Ziyi took a slight breath but ultimately didn't say anything else, just telling Su Bai, "I understand."
After finishing the conversation with Su Bai, as he was leaving the meeting room, Zhang Ziyi smiled at Su Bai and said, "Coach, don't worry, I've got this."
On the other hand, after entering the meeting room alone and meeting with Su Bai, Qiu Wen furrowed his brow after looking at the grouping table in his hand.
"This group of Zhang's..."
Qiu Wen began to utter a half-sentence, but after glancing at Su Bai, he swallowed the second half of the sentence that he had originally intended to say, "If only I could switch groups with Zhang."
Even though Qiu Wen was typically not one to engage in thoughtful consideration, he was still well aware that such words would not only be disrespectful to Zhang Ziyi but also to himself.
Regardless of how good their camaraderie was off the field, on the track, they would both be fierce competitors striving for victory.
However, despite this awareness, whenever Qiu Wen remembered how Zhang Ziyi had sacrificed his professional longevity for the sake of the Olympics, firmly committed to completing Su Bai's training program, he still felt a dull ache in his heart.
Although Qiu Wen didn't vocalize his thoughts, Su Bai could tell from Qiu Wen's expression what was going through his mind.
"Qiu Wen, all you can do now, and what you should do, is to give your all on the track and achieve a good result." Pausing for a moment, Su Bai continued, "This is my intention, and it is undoubtedly what Ziyi also thinks."
After Su Bai had finished speaking with both Zhang Ziyi and Qiu Wen, Zhang Ziyi's spirit was even more elevated. Despite facing a group of opponents who could very well keep him out of the 400-meter final, the resolute determination in Zhang Ziyi's demeanor, which showed his willingness to go all out for glory, completely disguised the fact that the battle he was about to engage in might have little hope of victory.
Between Zhang Ziyi and Qiu Wen, it was actually Qiu Wen who initially appeared somewhat dejected. On the way to the Tokyo Olympic Stadium, the main venue for track and field events, Qiu Wen kept glancing cautiously in Zhang Ziyi's direction. After stealing a glance at "Old Zhang" and then shrinking back in his seat, he seemed somewhat absent-minded.
Wang Shen's Olympic competition tasks had all come to an end, and he was also sitting in the car at this moment, turning his head to look at the silly boy, Qiu Wen, beside him. After chuckling a couple of times, he simply raised his hand and playfully ruffled Qiu Wen's head, almost making the dejected Qiu Wen jump up from his seat.
"Ah ah ah ah, Old Wang, what are you doing! My head can be broken, and blood can flow, but my hairstyle mustn't be ruined, okay!" Qiu Wen exclaimed, then raised his hand to carefully adjust his hair when Wang Shen wasn't looking.
Wang Shen raised an eyebrow, glanced again at Qiu Wen's hair, and teased, "So that's why you gave yourself an 'iron bang'? Don't do it next time, the texture feels terrible."
"???" Qiu Wen looked at Wang Shen in confusion. "Nonsense! My head wasn't meant to be ruffled! Why do you care about the texture? Can't you just not ruffle it?"
"Oh, you're right, that sounds reasonable," Wang Shen replied with a smile.
Qiu Wen was about to nod in agreement when Wang Shen looked genuinely troubled and said, "^^But I really want to ruffle it, what should I do?"
Then, the recently crowned one of the top ten annual handsome faces by internet users, Wang Shen, looked at the simple-minded Qiu Wen with a sincere gaze and said, "^^As good friends, shouldn't we help each other, for example..."
Qiu "Silly" Erha was just left looking bewildered as Wang Shen led him astray. "Like ruffling my hair?"
Wang Shen smiled in satisfaction, nodding, "^^Ah, is that so? Thank you so much!"
Qiu Wen: "??????"
That's not what he meant...
Wait...
If that wasn't what he meant, then what did he mean?
Initially, while Qiu Wen was still mulling over Zhang Ziyi's situation in the semi-finals all the way, Wang Shen had just steered him off track like this.
As Qiu Wen wore a perplexed expression, Wang Shen glanced at the message Su Bai had sent on his phone.
Su Bai: 【Thank you, you've worked hard.】
Wang Shen: 【^^Ah, it's nothing. Teasing the husky is still quite fun.】
Moreover, this husky was indeed his good friend, and he didn't want to see Qiu Wen unable to perform well on the field due to his mental state.
It wasn't until both Zhang Ziyi and Qiu Wen had arrived at the backstage athlete dressing room, changed into their uniforms, and were preparing for warm-ups and preparations that Qiu Wen finally reacted. Wang Shen's antics in the car had helped him break free from his initial nervous state.
As the two changed into their competition gear and spiked shoes, the television in the lounge was broadcasting the women's discus throw final. The Chinese female athlete had performed admirably, securing a silver medal although she didn't clinch the gold, which uplifted the spirits of many Chinese viewers.
After the conclusion of the women's discus throw event, it was time for the warm-up and preparation for the men's 400 meters.
Just before heading to the warm-up area, Zhang Ziyi suddenly stopped in his tracks and softly said, "Qiu Wen, remember, we pursue higher, faster, and stronger. Tonight's race allows me to compete with the world's top athletes on the Olympic stage. Regardless of the outcome, I am very happy."
Pausing for a moment, Zhang Ziyi continued, "On the track, we are opponents, cheering each other on."
Upon hearing Zhang Ziyi's words, Qiu Wen was momentarily stunned, then suddenly responded seriously, "Alright!"
Zhang Ziyi's semi-final group was the first group. As he finished his warm-up and was about to step onto the track, not far away, Qiu Wen caught sight of his figure. He shouted to him, "Lao Zhang!! Go for it!!!"
Zhang Ziyi paused slightly, not turning back, but just smiling and raising his right hand, waving towards the direction of the voice behind him.
In the sports channel studio, Shao Minyi and Li Sen had been discussing the men's 400 meters semi-final since the pre-game, but now, as the race was about to begin, both of them still seemed full of nervous energy.
On the Athletics Kingdom forum, in the discussion thread from the previous day, many were already worried about whether Zhang Ziyi and Qiu Wen could make it through today's men's 400 meters semifinals.
By the early evening when the track and field national team officially announced the grouping of Zhang Ziyi and Qiu Wen, the mood among these track and field enthusiasts grew even more somber.
——【Unbelievable, how can Zhang Shuai's group be so tough?】 ——【7 opponents, 3 with personal bests under 44 seconds, and another 3 within 44.50 seconds...】 ——【I'm not sure I can watch the live broadcast. Can someone please report Zhang Shuai's results on the forum after watching?】 ——【Zhang Shuai's group is truly a group of death. It's a pity. But it seems like Er Ha's group is relatively okay. If Er Ha and Zhang Shuai had switched groups, Zhang Shuai might have had a chance to advance.】 ——【Hey, buddy, while we lament, let's not drag Er Ha into this. It would have been good if Zhang Shuai was in Er Ha's group, but saying Er Ha should take Zhang Shuai's place, is that fair?】——【...No, that's not what I meant. I just think Er Ha is still young, and it's a shame for Zhang Shuai to be in this situation...】
In the forum, aside from being pure track and field fans, many also had their biases towards specific athletes. With the current concerns about the grouping situation in the 400 meters semifinals and worries about Zhang Ziyi and Qiu Wen's performances, some track and field enthusiasts started arguing, intensifying the anxiety and pressure brought about by the impending race.
In the end, what made the arguing crowd stop was a simple statement: 【Stop arguing, Zhang Shuai's group is on the track.】
Tokyo, Olympic Stadium
At this moment, Zhang Ziyi had already arrived on the track with his opponents. His lane was the eighth, not the golden lane, but certainly not the worst one either.
On the track, the athletes in the 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th lanes were the strongest four competitors. Among them, in the fourth and sixth lanes were Gardiner from the Bahamas and Fernandez from the United States, who won the men's 400 meters gold and silver medals at the World Championships last year. On the 5th and 7th lanes were the South African athlete Le Clos and the athlete from Grenada, Morris.
Several of the athletes in the other lanes were already familiar to Zhang Ziyi. In the ninth lane was the Bahraini athlete McNair, in the third and second lanes were Ramirez from Cuba and Wolcott from Botswana, respectively.
This semifinal would ultimately determine who would earn the right to break into the most prestigious and glorious stage of the quadrennial Olympic event.
"Based on the current lane distribution, Zhang Ziyi's lane position is acceptable, but the presence of top-notch competitors in the 4th to 7th lanes is hard to ignore."
Shao Min has already introduced each of the eight athletes on the track one by one. At this point, the TV screen displayed the names of the eight athletes, along with their personal bests (PB) and season's bests (SB), helping viewers who are not well-versed in athletics understand the performance differences between these athletes.
Including Shao Min and Li Sen, they straightforwardly explained the significance of the different performances of the various athletes.
Of course, for the layman to understand most directly, the performance ranking from the previous year's World Athletics Championships was highlighted.
"Just now, we have repeatedly emphasized that tonight's semifinal will be a fierce battle for both Zhang Ziyi and Qiu Wen. The only thing we can do to support them is to hope that they can let go of the pressure, give it their all, and not leave any regrets on the track."
The implications in Shao Minyi and Li Sen's words were clear, and watching the atmosphere on the field at this moment, listening to Shao Minyi and Li Sen, even the ordinary athletics novices watching at home could feel the pressure emanating from this top-level arena.
In the stands of the Chinese athletes' section, Jiang Wentao, Pei Jin'an, and Su Bai, among others, had given up on their pre-match chatter and were sitting quietly in the stands, anxiously awaiting the start of the upcoming race.
Among everyone, it was when the camera caught Zhang Ziyi on the field that one could see his face was the calmest, or perhaps not just calm, but with a fearless determination.
The spectators on-site had already begun cheering loudly for the athletes on the field, and after the voice of the announcer was broadcasted, the atmosphere in the venue returned to that tense and pressurized pre-match mode.
The men's 400-meter semifinal of the first group was about to begin!
The athletes on-site were already waiting in position at their respective starting blocks. When the announcer's "On your marks" sounded, all the athletes crouched at their starting blocks, hands on the ground, hips raised, waiting for the final sound of the starting gun.
"On your marks."
"Set."
Bang!
At the moment when the starting gun rang out, the Tokyo Olympic Stadium once again turned into a roaring ocean. The cheers and shouts from the multilingual audience blended together, converging into a majestic force that surged into the arena!
On the track, the eight athletes from the first group of the semifinals had already exploded forward at the first sound of the gun. Oh, well, not all of them. Botswana's athlete, Wolcott, in the second lane, clearly had a faulty start. Not only did he have a reaction time of 0.193 seconds, but during the process of getting up after the start, he exhibited clear signs of bodily imbalance.
This renowned athlete from Botswana practically declared his failure in this race within the first second of the start due to excessive nervous tension.
On the track, Zhang Ziyi's reaction time at the start was average, 0.159 seconds, ranking fourth overall. The reaction times of the top three and the fifth were also mostly within this range, with no very obvious distinctions among them.
From the moment the race began, Zhang Ziyi was like a released beast, launching an attack toward the front without hesitation.
He was very clear in his heart that he might already have little hope and opportunity to advance in this semifinal, but it did not stop him from yearning for victory and pushing his limits in this race.
In his surroundings were formidable rivals that he had never imagined he could compete with before.
Yes.
Before Su Bai appeared, even though he carried the banner and label of the top male 400-meter sprinter in China, his heart was full of emptiness and confusion.
Was there really hope for the rise of China's men's 400 meters sprint?
Was there really a day when China's men's 400-meter sprint could refresh the national record?
Was there really hope for China's men's 400-meter sprint to break the 45-second barrier?
Or perhaps...
Did he really have a talent for the 400-meter sprint?
There was a time when he could only participate in the annual Diamond League held in S City, China, as a wildcard entrant of the organizer, competing with top athletes from around the world.
During that time, when facing those top athletes, he could only struggle at the back, achieving an eighth-place ranking with times around 45 or 46 seconds.
At that time, even achieving the qualifying standards for the World Championships was a luxury, and he could only dare to dream about his glorious presence on the Olympic stage.
Perhaps some people didn't know how difficult the journey was for the 400-meter project in China, or perhaps some had known but had already forgotten those past experiences.
But Zhang Ziyi would not forget.
He might be the one who understood the rise of the men's 400-meter sprint project in China the most deeply. He would never forget the disbelief and joy in his heart when Su Bai told him, "You have the chance to participate in the Olympics."
These past experiences had long since settled bit by bit in Zhang Ziyi's heart. He was not used to saying much in general, but in his heart, he would never forget the details formed by these accumulations.
As he stepped onto what might be his final Olympic individual event stage, all those past details had been transformed into the most solid support and strength in his heart.
Run!
Give it your all on this final and highest stage!
This will be the most precious and regret-free moment in your life!
On the track, Zhang Ziyi's strength was unprecedentedly powerful. The determination and reminiscence within him seemed to have transformed into a continuous source of power within his body, making his steps on the track more solid and explosive.
Almost every step seemed to give his body a stronger and faster impetus to move forward!
Faster, even faster!
The wind on the track blew over Zhang Ziyi's face, and he could almost feel the cutting sensation caused by the wind. The wind that moved his hair seemed to become proof of his tearing through the obstacles ahead.
"Zhang Ziyi! Zhang Ziyi's current condition is excellent!" Shao Minyi stared at Zhang Ziyi, who was running at full speed on the track, and said without hesitation, "This is his best performance of the season! Even facing seemingly unbeatable opponents, he is still giving it his all and surpassing himself!"
"This is the spirit of competitive sports, as well as the spirit of the Olympics!"
"No matter what place Zhang Ziyi achieves today, his performance, his spirit, are his medals of victory!"
Shao Minyi and Li Sen watched Zhang Ziyi on the track, and with their rich experience, they could tell that Zhang Ziyi's performance today was indeed excellent, as they had said.
However, it wasn't just Zhang Ziyi who was excelling on the track.
Morris, the athlete from Grenada, almost had an explosive performance on today's semi-final stage. He even left the top contender Fernandez behind and quickly took the lead by the second turn.
Fernandez, as the top control player, still had perfect control over his performance today. On the track, Fernandez was in the second position, just behind Morris, while Le Clos from South Africa was closely trailing behind these top runners.
McNair from Bahrain also had an outstanding performance tonight, perhaps without the distraction of Qiu Wen. This Bahraini athlete had run his best this season and was currently in a deadlock with Zhang Ziyi on the track.
Among the eight athletes on the track, besides the initial mistake by Botswana's athlete Wolcott during the start, last year's World Championship gold medalist Gardiner also made a noticeable mistake, resulting in him falling behind in the later positions.
"Come on!! Zhang Ziyi, come on!!!"
The race had entered its final stage, and the top five athletes had already passed the second turn, heading into the final straight sprint.
Morris and Fernandez had already surged far ahead, while Le Clos was in the third position, trying to chase down Fernandez in the second position.
Behind these top three runners were McNair from Bahrain and Zhang Ziyi in the fourth and fifth positions.
"Go!! Zhang Shuai, go!! Surge ahead!!"
"Zhang Shuai!!! Come on!!"
The shouts from the Chinese audience were deafening in the stands.
On the track, Zhang Ziyi was running with a level of performance he had never achieved before. He could feel his speed was rapid, but his inner desire was urging him, telling him—it wasn't enough, he needed more!
Zhang Ziyi could see that there was a considerable distance between him and the three runners in front, but that was by no means a reason for him to give up.
Run, use the last of your strength.
Zhang Ziyi's eyes were fixed firmly on the finish line ahead—he wanted to go faster, even faster.
Just as he had said.
Surpass yourself, surpass the limits!
"Zhang Ziyi!!! Come on!!!"
"The last 50 meters!!"
"30 meters!!!"
Even though they knew that there was no chance for Zhang Ziyi to advance in this race, even though they knew he had lost the opportunity for victory, all the Chinese spectators still watched the final moments on the track with earnestness and tension.
They watched as Zhang Ziyi's speed increased during the final sprint, and then... he almost neck-and-neck with McNair in the fourth position as they crossed the finish line!
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