Chapter 16

Director Ma's face instantly darkened. Winning a medal in track and field at the international level is not easy, and the 4x100m relay is also a team event, representing the overall sprinting level of a national team. The medal's value is very high, so Director Ma did not want to give up on the 4x100m relay at the Asian Athletics Championships.

Zhang Guan couldn't even start the 100m dash properly, and he had never run the 4x100m relay. In high-level competition, one Zhang Guan would definitely drag the whole team down, so there was little hope for the 4x100m relay at the Asian Athletics Championships.

After a moment of contemplation, Director Ma asked the person opposite him, "Director Tang, do you have any good ideas?"

Director Tang was not from a sports-related background, but he was sitting there because of his personal abilities. Compared to the other athletes around him, Director Tang was a genuine graduate of Tsinghua University's statistics program, with a much more flexible mind.

Director Tang didn't beat around the bush and immediately replied, "Director Ma, I think we should immediately call Zhang Guan to the national team and arrange for a dedicated person to train him specifically for the 4x100m relay."

"An athlete's training isn't something that can be done in a day or two. There are only ten days until the Asian Athletics Championships. Training a new person to be a 4x100m relay athlete might be too late," someone beside him said.

"That's why we need special training," Director Tang said, raising the white paper in his hand and drawing a track on it. He pointed and said, "Zhang Guan is a new athlete and has only trained for the 100m dash, which means he definitely can't run the curves. In the 4x100m relay, the first and third legs are on the curves, so Zhang Guan can't run them. The remaining second and fourth legs can be assigned to him. The second leg athlete needs to receive the baton from the first leg and pass it to the third leg, requiring both receiving and passing skills. The fourth leg athlete only needs to receive the baton from the third leg, without needing passing skills. After a short curve, the fourth leg is a straight run, just like the 100m dash. So we only need to train Zhang Guan's baton receiving skills and have him run the fourth leg."

"That's a good idea," Coach Yu nodded. "If we calculate it this way, among our four athletes, Chen Jian can run the first leg; Shen Bola can run the second leg; Yang Yao, who is experienced in the 200m sprint, should have no problem running the third leg; and Zhang Guan running the fourth leg can leverage his speed. In ten days, we can focus on baton receiving. With a bit of luck, this 4x100m relay medal might still be ours."

Director Ma slapped the table. "It's settled. Although we are making a last-minute change, we can't easily give up this medal. For the honor of the country, we must give it a try!"

...

An hour later, Zhang Guan received the notification to participate in the Asian Athletics Championships.

Zhang Guan didn't know what had happened to bring about this turn of events, but Old Chen had a vague idea, though he didn't say anything.

Zhang Guan took the train to the capital that evening and arrived at the national track and field team training center the next day.

Coach Yu personally trained Zhang Guan, and the national team also assigned a dedicated training partner for him.

"Zhang, have you ever run the 4x100m relay before?" Coach Yu asked.

Zhang Guan shook his head. "I've seen others run it, but I've never run it myself."

"Then let's start with the rules," Coach Yu said, somewhat helplessly. As the deputy head coach of the national track and field team and the direct trainer, he usually trained the top athletes in the country. He never expected to have to explain the most basic competition rules to an athlete.

Coach Yu pointed to the prepared drawing board. "This is the acceleration zone, where you cannot receive the baton. You can only receive the baton in the exchange zone. The exchange zone is twenty meters long, enough for the athlete to complete the baton exchange. Your task for the fourth leg is to start in the acceleration zone, receive the baton in the exchange zone, and then sprint to the finish line as fast as possible."

"I understand," Zhang Guan said.

Coach Yu continued, "In the 4x100m relay, the baton exchange is the most critical part. The rhythm of the exchange is mainly controlled by the passer, so you just need to follow the third leg's instructions. When he tells you to reach out, you reach out; when he tells you to receive the baton, you grip it and sprint forward. Got it?"

"Got it," Zhang Guan nodded again.

"I've found a training partner for you to practice the baton exchange. In a couple of days, Yang Yao, who will run the third leg, will join us, and we'll do some coordination training. Our time is tight, only ten days, so the training intensity will be very high. You need to be mentally prepared," Coach Yu said.

"Coach Yu, rest assured, I will practice seriously."

...

"Start!"

"Reach out!"

"Stop! Stop!" Coach Yu shouted. On the track, Zhang Guan had already passed the exchange zone, but the baton was still in the training partner's hand.

Coach Yu frowned and looked at the two of them. "Usually, it's the slower runner who affects the baton exchange, but this is the first time I've seen the receiver start too fast, and the passer can't catch up!"

The training partner's face turned red with embarrassment. He was a former professional athlete who had retired due to injury. He had applied to be an assistant coach for the national team, but he also had to do some training partner work. The job was tough, the pay was low, the benefits were poor, and there was no official position, but the experience of being an assistant coach for the national team would add a lot to his resume, making it easier for him to apply for coaching positions at city-level sports teams or university sports teams in the future.

Even at his peak, this training partner had never reached the national team's standards. Now, facing Zhang Guan, a freak, he couldn't keep up with Zhang Guan's speed during the baton exchange, leading to the failure of the exchange.

Coach Yu knew the training partner's level was limited. Unless he found a formal national team athlete to train Zhang Guan, it would be hard to find someone who could keep up with Zhang Guan's speed. However, the formal national team athletes were all in Huangpu for the National Track and Field Grand Prix, leaving Coach Yu with no choice.

Coach Yu had to tell Zhang Guan, "Zhang, this is practice, mainly to help you get a feel for the 4x100m relay and familiarize yourself with the baton exchange. There's no need to sprint so fast. Once you get the hang of the baton exchange, Yang Yao will return, and we can start formal training. Let's try again!"

So Zhang Guan didn't use his sprinting skill and finally began practicing the baton exchange.

"Start!"

"Reach out!"

"Receive! Good, nice job! Stop, let's do it again!" Coach Yu signaled Zhang Guan to return to the acceleration zone for another round of training.

There are mainly three ways to exchange the baton in a relay race. The first is the push-pass method, where the two athletes need to be very close to complete the exchange, but it doesn't effectively reduce the running distance. This method is usually used by amateur athletes who haven't received professional training.

The second is the top-pass method, where the receiver extends their hand backward with the palm facing down, and the passer sends the baton from below to the front and above into the receiver's hand. This method is easier to master, but the disadvantage is that the fourth leg athlete can only grip the front of the baton, which can lead to dropping the baton or affecting the running speed.

The third is the bottom-pass method, where the receiver extends their hand backward with the palm facing up, and the thumb and other four fingers spread apart, with the palm facing backward. The passer sends the front of the baton from above to the receiver's hand. This method is convenient for running fast and is more accurate in the exchange process, but it is the most technically demanding, and professional athletes usually use this method.

The main difference between the second and third methods is whether the receiver's hand is palm down or palm up. Normally, when people pick up something, using the palm to support it is more stable, but when athletes receive the baton, their hand is extended backward. During high-speed running, extending the hand backward with the palm up is very uncomfortable, so the bottom-pass method requires more technical skills from the receiver.

Since Zhang Guan was a complete novice in relay races, Coach Yu decided to train him in the top-pass method. This method doesn't affect speed, is easy to master, and the technical difficulties are mainly on the third leg. The fourth leg athlete only needs to grip the baton firmly and avoid dropping it.

The more important reason is the extremely tight schedule. After Zhang Guan masters the baton exchange, the four relay athletes still need one to two days of team practice. After subtracting the time for flying to the Philippines and pre-competition registration, Coach Yu felt that it would be great if Zhang Guan could master the top-pass method.

For five whole days, Zhang Guan, in addition to some basic physical training, mainly focused on baton exchange practice. Due to the approaching competition, to conserve the athletes' energy and avoid injuries, the training intensity was not too high. Including rest time during training, Zhang Guan's daily training time was about five hours, with actual physical exertion not exceeding four hours.

Zhang Guan's comprehension was average. After a few days of training, he had basically mastered the technical points and could avoid baton exchange errors, but he still had a significant gap compared to top athletes.

Zhang Guan also hoped to seek help from the system, but perhaps because baton exchange was not a difficult skill, the system did not have any related skills. Zhang Guan could only rely on his own practice to improve.

Two days later, Yang Yao arrived at the training center, and he and Zhang Guan specifically practiced the baton exchange for the third and fourth legs.

Another two days later, Chen Jian and Shen Bola also arrived. The four of them had two days of brief team practice before hastily boarding the plane to the Philippines with the national team.

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