Chapter 14

Zhang Guan, who had broken the national record, was given a week off to go home and have a brief reunion with his parents. After that, he returned to the track and field team to start new training.

On the track, Zhang Guan stood on the starting blocks.

Coach Chen raised the starting pistol and called out loudly, "Everyone, get ready..."

The pistol fired, and Zhang Guan lunged forward, but immediately slowed down and stopped after a few steps.

Zhang Guan was practicing his start.

Coach Chen frowned and muttered to himself, "I feel like your start is pretty fast! No, wait, rest for five minutes, and let's try again."

Zhang Guan nodded in agreement but secretly smiled. The new passive skill "Quick Reaction" indeed made his start reaction time faster. Now, his start reaction time could consistently stay between 0.15 and 0.17 seconds, which was comparable to other professional athletes.

Moreover, the "Quick Reaction" skill not only improved his start reaction time but also made his other action reaction times faster.

Throughout the morning, after more than ten starts, Coach Chen clearly felt that Zhang Guan's start reaction time was on par with professional athletes. This drastic improvement made Coach Chen very puzzled.

"How did your start reaction time get faster after just a week at home?" Coach Chen scratched his head in confusion and then said, "Let's go find some equipment to measure it."

The timing equipment used in international competitions is a very complex system. The starting pistol is connected to the start time sensor, and there are also sensors inside the starting blocks. The time from the pistol firing to the athlete's feet leaving the starting blocks is calculated immediately to determine if the athlete has false-started. The sensors at the finish line calculate the athlete's completion time, and there are also high-speed imaging and slow-motion replay systems to provide evidence when it's hard to distinguish with the naked eye. According to international standards, the time precision of this equipment must reach one-thousandth of a second, making it a precision instrument. Therefore, it is also very expensive, and even the provincial team only has one set of this equipment.

It took the technicians an hour to calibrate the equipment. Then, Zhang Guan stood on the starting blocks, and Coach Chen sat beside the screen, closely watching the data.

The starting pistol fired, and Zhang Guan quickly started. The electronic screen immediately displayed his start reaction time.

Coach Chen stared at the screen with wide eyes. The number on the screen made him both surprised and disbelieving.

"0.159 seconds?"

Even in international competitions, a start reaction time of 0.159 seconds is considered a good number. A start reaction time of around 0.13 seconds is almost impossible to achieve.

"Is there a problem with this equipment?" Coach Chen asked the technician beside him.

The technician immediately replied, "Don't worry, Coach Chen. This equipment is very precious. We maintain it every day, so there's definitely no problem."

Coach Chen immediately turned to Zhang Guan and asked, "Zhang, did you use the 'pressing the gun' technique?"

Zhang Guan immediately shook his head.

"It's impossible. How could you get so much faster in just a week! This isn't scientific." After some thought, Coach Chen said, "Rest for ten minutes, and let's try again. This time, I'll be the one to fire the starting pistol."

...

The reason Coach Chen decided to fire the starting pistol himself was to verify whether Zhang Guan was using the 'pressing the gun' technique.

The start is crucial for sprinters. A normal start is called a 'gun start,' where the athlete starts after hearing the starting pistol. The 'pressing the gun' technique is a common sprint tactic where the athlete tries to start as soon as the pistol fires, based on the referee's habitual rhythm. If successful, this technique can save at least 0.02 seconds.

The 'pressing the gun' technique is often used by experienced athletes. Many truly capable athletes avoid using this tactic to ensure stability in competitions. They might only use it when facing equally strong opponents or when they know their performance is poor and they have nothing to lose. As a coach, Coach Chen does not encourage or allow new athletes to use this technique. New athletes need to focus on building a solid foundation through rigorous training, rather than relying on risky tactics like 'pressing the gun.' Therefore, Coach Chen did not want Zhang Guan to be exposed to this technique too early.

"Get ready, set..."

Coach Chen raised the starting pistol but did not fire it immediately. He intended to deliberately disrupt his usual rhythm. If Zhang Guan was using the 'pressing the gun' technique, he would certainly make a move before the pistol fired. The electronic starting blocks are very sensitive and can detect even the slightest movement of the athlete's feet.

But Zhang Guan did not move and waited patiently for Coach Chen to fire the pistol.

"Bang!"

The starting pistol fired, and Zhang Guan moved accordingly.

"It doesn't feel like a 'pressing the gun' start. His body clearly moved after the pistol fired." Coach Chen immediately turned to the technician in front of the screen and asked, "What's the start reaction time?"

"0.161 seconds," the technician replied.

This start reaction time was 0.002 seconds slower than the previous one, but such a tiny difference at the thousandth-of-a-second level can be ignored. The two start reaction times can be considered the same level.

"How is this possible!" Coach Chen had never encountered such a situation in his decades-long career as an athlete and coach.

The reason sprinters have short start reaction times is mainly due to extensive training. Without training, an average person cannot achieve a start reaction time of less than 0.2 seconds. Human reaction speed is influenced by the brain and nervous system, a physiological indicator that follows natural laws. A significant improvement in start reaction time in a short period clearly violates these natural laws, which is why Coach Chen was so puzzled.

"What did you do at home this week?" Coach Chen asked.

"Eating, sleeping, and playing with DouDou," Zhang Guan replied softly. "DouDou is my dog."

Coach Chen clearly did not believe him. "How did your start reaction time improve so much!"

"Coach Chen, you said I'm a sprinting genius. Geniuses naturally create miracles!" Zhang Guan said mysteriously.

...

The intense heat of August could not dampen the athletes' enthusiasm for training. Sweat and tears mingled and were freely shed on the training ground, supporting the athletes' beautiful dreams.

By the end of August, the results of the 9th World Athletics Championships had been reported back to the country. The national team placed 37th with two bronze medals, with seven athletes in five events entering the top eight. In the higher-level walking events, both male and female athletes ranked outside the top ten. The women's hammer throw placed 4th, the women's discus throw 7th, the women's pole vault 9th, the women's 5000 meters 9th, the women's javelin throw 11th, and the women's triple jump 13th. As for the men's events, few athletes even qualified for the competition, let alone achieved rankings.

However, there were some highlights in this competition. A national record was broken in the men's decathlon, and Xing Huina set a world junior record in the women's 10,000 meters. Another female athlete, Sun Yingjie, won a bronze medal in the women's 10,000 meters. Most notably, Liu Fei won a bronze medal in the men's 110-meter hurdles, creating history for the national team.

Two bronze medals were considered the best performance of the national team in recent years at the World Athletics Championships, a significant improvement from the previous edition. Moreover, the breakthrough in the men's 110-meter hurdles meant that the national team received a warm welcome upon returning to Beijing. After a brief rest, the national team would also participate in the 15th Asian Athletics Championships.

...

Early September.

The training ground of the provincial track and field team was much less crowded, with mostly young athletes remaining, and many coaches were absent.

The national track and field championships in Huangpu were in full swing. For most domestic track and field athletes, they had no chance to stand on the world stage, so the national track and field championships became a good platform for them to showcase themselves.

Since this event is a circuit event, the eligibility was determined at the beginning of the year. Therefore, Zhang Guan, a "latecomer," did not have the qualifications to participate in this event. He would have to wait until next year to register. So, Zhang Guan continued to stay in the provincial capital and train with Coach Chen.

It was the time when the "autumn tiger" was at its peak, and Zhang Guan's training clothes were already soaked with sweat. He took them off and trained bare-chested.

Coach Chen looked at the bronze-colored muscles on Zhang Guan's body and remarked, "Zhang, you look much stronger than before."

At that moment, Coach Chen's phone rang. It was Coach Zhou calling.

"Hello, Coach Zhou, it's me. Shouldn't you be at the competition site? How do you have time to call me? How is our team doing?" Coach Chen asked.

On the other end of the line, Coach Zhou's words were urgent, and Coach Chen's expression suddenly brightened.

A moment later, Coach Chen put down the phone, took a deep breath to calm himself, and then said to Zhang Guan, "There's some good news. You will definitely be able to go to the Athens Olympics next year."

"Why?" Zhang Guan asked. He knew that matters involving local interests were not easily compromised.

Coach Chen replied, "Coach Zhou told me that Chen Jian ran 10.17 seconds in today's race, setting a personal best and reaching the Olympic A standard!"

According to Olympic rules, if both Chen Jian and Zhang Guan meet the Olympic A standard, they can both participate. The national team would not give up this opportunity for two athletes to compete, even if it's just to show up and make an appearance.

Zhang Guan took a deep breath. The course of history still followed its original direction, and his butterfly wings did not create an effect. Chen Jian still ran 10.17 seconds at the national track and field championships, and in the original historical process, Chen Jian was eliminated in the first round at the Athens Olympics, and no Chinese athlete ran under 10.20 seconds for the next seven years.

"The Olympics! I never even dared to think about it, and now I can actually participate!" Zhang Guan felt a new hope rising in his heart.

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