Chapter 17

If the previous draw for Chen Jian was a good one, then Zhang Guan definitely drew an excellent one.

In the sixth group, there were three athletes who had achieved the B standard for the Olympics. Among the A standard athletes, three had their best times over 10.10 seconds. The remaining two were Zhang Guan and the Japanese athlete Asahara Noboru. Asahara Noboru was the strongest competitor in the group besides Zhang Guan. It could be said that Zhang Guan had no pressure in qualifying.

Since there were no internationally renowned athletes competing, the media, the audience at the venue, and the event broadcasters paid little attention to this race. Some TV stations even went straight to commercial breaks.

...

At the Olympic Village, the Jamaican track and field team, who had no races, gathered to watch the 100-meter dash on TV. Jamaica is a sprint powerhouse and has produced many world champions in the past, so the 100-meter dash naturally attracted a lot of attention, especially since Powell had not yet appeared.

"Gatlin isn't the weakest on the U.S. team, right? But he seems very strong now!"

"I still think Gatlin is not as good as Crawford, but the Portuguese Obikewuru surprised me. He definitely has the potential to win the gold."

"Our Jamaican athletes are in the seventh, eighth, and tenth groups. After the sixth group, it should be Powell's turn, right?"

"With Powell's strength, he will definitely be the group leader."

Amidst the discussions, a young, tall man got up from the sofa.

"Usain, what are you doing? The race is about to start," someone said.

"There are no strong athletes in the next group, I'll go to the bathroom first." The rookie athlete Usain Bolt said as he walked into the bathroom.

...

Coach Yu and the entire track and field team placed great importance on this race. Everyone knew that if Zhang Guan ran normally, he would definitely advance to the next round. Before this, the Chinese team had never advanced to the second round in the Olympic 100-meter sprint, so advancing to the second round would be a breakthrough for Chinese track and field in Olympic history.

"Don't be nervous, just run as you usually do, and stay relaxed. There are no strong opponents in your group. Asahara Noboru is probably the strongest besides you. He is your former rival, so don't worry too much about the competition. Just focus on yourself. If you're really nervous, close your eyes and think about the races you've run at home. Treat this like a domestic competition..." Coach Yu kept reminding Zhang Guan.

While nodding continuously, Zhang Guan checked his status in the system.

"Stamina is at 80, which is the best condition I can be in. My competitive state has recovered to 63, so I can perform normally in the race. For the preliminary round, as long as I perform normally, advancing to the second round is a sure thing. No, this is the Olympics, I should use this opportunity to break an Asian record and earn at least two skill points," Zhang Guan thought to himself.

The referee signaled for the athletes to enter the track, and Zhang Guan immediately stepped onto the starting line.

"Zhang Guan, hello. It's an honor to compete against you again," a somewhat unrefined English voice came. Zhang Guan turned around and saw Asahara Noboru bowing to him, appearing very polite.

The Japanese are naturally polite, and since Zhang Guan was stronger than Asahara Noboru, Asahara was very courteous to him. If the opponent was weaker than Asahara, he would not have been so humble.

"Good luck to you too," Zhang Guan replied. Although he did not like the Japanese, Asahara Noboru, at 33, had still qualified for the Olympic A standard and made it to the Olympics, which was a testament to his hard work and dedication, making him a role model for athletes.

The other athletes, besides Asahara Noboru, ignored Zhang Guan. They did not know him, and he did not know them. Even though they were competing in the same race, unless they were from the same continent, they would likely never meet again, so there was no need to greet each other.

...

At the same time, the major betting companies in Europe were also paying close attention to this race.

Ordinary viewers might only focus on the big names, and coaches on the athletes' performances, but the betting companies were concerned with the athletes' overall strength and their performance on the day. If an athlete showed excellent form or strong overall strength, the betting companies would immediately adjust the odds.

A few days earlier, when the media reported that Zhang Guan had placed a large bet on himself, the betting companies knew where the over a hundred 500-euro bets came from. Each company had taken a dozen or so bets, and if the odds at the time were used, each company would have to pay out about 1 million euros.

Although the European media had belittled Zhang Guan, the analysts at the betting companies did not think so. They believed that if Zhang Guan dared to bet on himself, he might have some confidence. If Zhang Guan turned out to be a dark horse, the betting companies would need to adjust the odds quickly to avoid losing money.

...

In the sixth group, there were eight athletes, two of whom were white, from Poland and Hungary. One was from the Pacific island nation of Micronesia, and one from Trinidad and Tobago was a mixed-race athlete. The athletes from Côte d'Ivoire and France were both black. Notably, the black athlete from Côte d'Ivoire had only achieved the B standard.

Blacks have a natural advantage in sprinting, so the French black athlete Nisepi appeared very confident.

Nisepi was in lane four, with Zhang Guan in lane three and Asahara Noboru in lane five.

"Both sides are Asians?" Nisepi looked to his left and right and noticed that Zhang Guan was wearing a red tracksuit, while Asahara Noboru was in a white one, and the styles were different.

"Looks like they're from different countries. But it doesn't matter. This is the 100-meter dash, and Asians are just here to make up the numbers. The red one on the left is tall but looks too young, and the white one on the right isn't strong enough. I'll definitely win this group." Nisepi smiled to himself.

At that moment, Nisepi felt someone looking at him from the right. He turned his head and saw the white athlete in lane six, a tall and muscular Polish sprinter named Lukas Czira.

"He must be from Eastern Europe. He's probably my biggest rival for the group win," Nisepi thought.

Lukas Czira had the same thought, considering Nisepi his biggest rival.

As for Zhang Guan and Asahara Noboru, they were ignored. Asians were never taken seriously in the 100-meter dash.

The eight athletes were ready at the starting line.

The gun went off, and the athletes sprinted out.

Perhaps because it was his first Olympic race, Zhang Guan's start was average, but the other athletes' starts were also similar. Even the experienced Japanese veteran Asahara Noboru did not perform well at the start.

None of the eight athletes gained an advantage at the start, but the differences became apparent as they accelerated.

After 30 meters, Nisepi found himself trailing behind the Polish athlete Lukas Czira. However, the more surprising thing was that Asahara Noboru on his right was keeping pace with Czira.

"This Asian is running faster than me!" In Nisepi's mind, it was normal for a white athlete to overtake him, but being overtaken by an Asian was completely shocking.

"How can I lose to an Asian!" Nisepi glared and prepared to give it his all. At that moment, he noticed that Zhang Guan on his left had already pulled far ahead, with a gap of nearly five meters.

"How is this possible! We're only halfway through, and he's already this far ahead! The Asian on the right is already fast, but how can the one on the left be even faster! What's going on today, where did these strong Asians come from, and why did I have to face them?" Nisepi watched Zhang Guan's back, feeling the gap between them growing larger.

...

In the stands, the audience was stunned.

Normally, after the gun, the two black athletes would take the lead, and the Asians would be at the back. In sprinting, Asians were just there to make up the numbers! But now, an Asian was leading, and the gap between him and the second place was growing.

Then, the stadium erupted in cheers. People sympathize with the underdog, and if the black athlete always led, it would be boring. Now, with an Asian leading and the black athletes trailing, it was a classic underdog story, and the audience spontaneously cheered for the athletes.

The French athlete Nisepi, however, was frustrated. The Côte d'Ivoire athlete had already overtaken him, and the athlete from Trinidad and Tobago was now running alongside him.

"How can this be!" Nisepi was devastated, and his rhythm was disrupted.

In the lead, the Polish athlete Lukas Czira was competing with Asahara Noboru for the second place in the group.

As for catching up to Zhang Guan, they had already given up. The gap was too large.

Actually, both the second and third places would advance to the second round, so it didn't matter much. With their strength, they wouldn't make it to the semi-finals, and the second round would be the end of their Olympic journey. However, the Côte d'Ivoire athlete was closing in, so they had to give it their all to secure the second place.

...

At the start, Zhang Guan decided to give it his all. It was his first Olympic race, and he wanted to take it seriously, especially with the two strong black athletes. In his mind, black athletes were always fast.

But after the start, Zhang Guan easily took the lead. He realized that not every black athlete was a sprinter. The French black athlete, while looking strong, was much slower than him.

"I have another race this afternoon, so I'll save some energy! This race is just to adjust my state and get used to the race rhythm." Zhang Guan thought to himself, slightly easing his pace, and then crossed the finish line first.

This group race was a clear win for Zhang Guan, just like the other favorites in their groups.

...

Outside the stadium, Coach Yu clenched his fists tightly. Zhang Guan had secured a significant lead and would undoubtedly advance to the second round as the group leader.

"He crossed the line! We're finally in the second round!" Coach Yu closed his eyes, forcing back tears. Since the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, he had been hoping to lead his team to the second round. After 20 years and five Olympics, his dream had finally come true!

What made Coach Yu even more pleased was that Zhang Guan's performance was normal, and he had not been affected by nervousness.

"We can't be complacent. The race isn't over yet. There's another round this afternoon. With Zhang Guan's performance, we might even make it to the semi-finals!" At this moment, Coach Yu felt that making it to the semi-finals would be very satisfying, and reaching the Olympic final was still just a beautiful wish.

Coach Yu didn't care if Zhang Guan could hear him and started shouting, "Zhang Guan! Well done!"

...

The Jamaican rookie Bolt came out of the bathroom just in time to see Zhang Guan cross the finish line on TV. The time in the bottom right corner of the screen was 9.96 seconds.

"Did I see that right? An Asian ran 100 meters in 9.96 seconds! That's the best time in the preliminaries! Now even an Asian can run this fast!"

At that moment, a strange thought arose in Bolt's mind. If an Asian could run 9.96 seconds, maybe he could try the 100-meter sprint while also competing in the 200 meters.

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Chapter 2 is here. This chapter is 3900 words. I humbly request your recommendations. Thank you to Shishiong, Xinweixue, gigiliu5277, Ada146, Tuhao Shangbuliao, Shugulang, Bookfriend151201153943921, *Feng Piaoshi*, Yun7956k, Lian*Heng, Yufen, Ykwfox711, Meizhujushi, Freehire, Bookfriend151028122651876, Bookfriend151201153943921, Honglou Yanyu, Zhang Dao for their support. Thanks.

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