Chapter 19

"Nano?" Gao Ye Jin exclaimed in Japanese.

Originally, Zhang Guan and Tsuchi Ei Kan'yu running neck and neck had already surprised Gao Ye Jin greatly. Although Tsuchi Ei Kan'yu was the weakest among the three athletes Japan sent for the 100-meter event, Gao Ye Jin stubbornly believed that no athlete from other Asian countries could be faster than Tsuchi Ei Kan'yu. Moreover, Tsuchi Ei Kan'yu was mainly a 200-meter sprinter, so his strength in the second half of the race should have been even greater. Gao Ye Jin always firmly believed that in the second half of the race, Tsuchi Ei Kan'yu would definitely pull ahead of Zhang Guan.

But Zhang Guan became even faster.

The duration of the upgraded sprint skill doubled again, and the Master-level sprint allowed Zhang Guan to maintain a sprinting state for 40 seconds. More importantly, the effect was significantly enhanced once again.

With over thirty meters left to the finish line, Zhang Guan suddenly exerted more effort, pulling away from Tsuchi Ei Kan'yu. Gao Ye Jin, watching from the stands, was taken aback for a moment and then realized that Zhang Guan had already pulled far ahead of Tsuchi Ei Kan'yu.

On the track, Tsuchi Ei Kan'yu felt the change in Zhang Guan's speed the moment he accelerated. He tried to catch up, but found that he had already reached his limit and could only watch helplessly as Zhang Guan overtook him.

"Baka, he clearly had a speed faster than mine, yet he deliberately ran neck and neck with me, and only exerted himself when I was already at my limit! He was toying with me," Tsuchi Ei Kan'yu felt a wave of humiliation surge in his heart. But he knew that the speed Zhang Guan displayed was something he could never catch up to.

"This speed is comparable to that of Senpai Asahara (Asahara Nobuyuki) and Endo (Endo Shingo). I never thought that someone in the Chinese team could run so fast," Tsuchi Ei Kan'yu looked at Zhang Guan with a mix of anger and sorrow, while Zhang Guan slowed down slightly before the finish line but still crossed it first.

...

Even Zhang Guan himself felt a surge of overwhelming excitement.

"Is this the effect of the Master-level sprint skill? So powerful!"

As the protagonist, Zhang Guan could feel the strength of the Master-level sprint, especially when he exerted himself fully. The airflow generated by his running continuously rushed past his ears, making him feel intoxicated, even though he couldn't hear clearly.

Zhang Guan wanted to try his best, but his rationality told him not to run too fast, as long as he broke the national record, it would be enough.

...

"Great! He's ahead! Go! First place!" Chen Jian, seeing Zhang Guan cross the finish line first, excitedly waved the towel in his hand and cheered loudly. The other national team athletes and coaches also burst into applause.

In contrast, Gao Ye Jin's face turned very grim. He stared at Zhang Guan, as if his eyes were about to shoot flames. Then Gao Ye Jin looked at the scoreboard, carefully examining the numbers.

Tsuchi Ei Kan'yu ran a time of 10.17 seconds, which was an extremely fast speed. If placed in the Olympics, it would be enough to enter the second round. Tsuchi Ei Kan'yu rarely achieved such a good level in competitions.

But Zhang Guan was even faster, running a time of 10.09 seconds, breaking the 10.10-second barrier. Zhang Guan thus broke his own national record again and received a skill point as a reward.

...

The Japanese head coach, Kobayashi Keiwa, who had just finished an interview with the media, walked out of the athlete's tunnel and, seeing the race was over, subconsciously looked at the scoreboard.

"10.09 seconds, who could have run that fast, breaking the 10.10-second barrier? Could it be Tsuchi Ei Kan'yu?" Kobayashi Keiwa's heart leaped with joy, but then he noticed that the name before the time was not Tsuchi Ei Kan'yu.

"Zhang Guan? Chinese? The one who broke the Chinese 100-meter record!" Coach Kobayashi Keiwa sensed something was amiss and ran to find Gao Ye Jin, just as Tsuchi Ei Kan'yu was leaving the track.

"Tsuchi Ei Kan'yu, what happened? What happened on the track just now?" Kobayashi Keiwa asked impatiently.

"Coach, I'm very sorry, I have disappointed you," Tsuchi Ei Kan'yu immediately bowed in apology.

Gao Ye Jin also walked over and said, "Coach, it's not Tsuchi Ei Kan'yu's fault. He ran a time of 10.17 seconds, which was already a very good performance for him. I just didn't expect the Chinese young athlete named Zhang Guan to be so fast."

Gao Ye Jin recounted the details of the race to Kobayashi Keiwa. After listening, Kobayashi Keiwa sighed and said to Tsuchi Ei Kan'yu, "Tsuchi Ei Kan'yu, you didn't win, but it's not your fault. You did very well, and you helped us gauge the strength of our opponent, so Asahara and Endo won't be caught off guard. Don't feel burdened, go rest well, and don't forget you still have the 200-meter event."

Tsuchi Ei Kan'yu left first, and Gao Ye Jin walked over to Kobayashi Keiwa and said, "Coach, I'll immediately arrange for someone to investigate Zhang Guan's detailed information when I get back."

"No rush," Kobayashi Keiwa waved his hand. "Look, someone is even more anxious than we are."

Gao Ye Jin followed Kobayashi Keiwa's gaze and saw two journalists with cameras and microphones walking towards the Chinese team.

"I know them, they are official journalists from the Asian Athletics Association," Gao Ye Jin said.

Kobayashi Keiwa smiled meaningfully. "A time of 10.09 seconds should rank in the top ten of the best times in Asia right now! Any Asian athlete who can break the 10.10-second barrier is extraordinary and deserves the attention of the Asian Athletics Association. Besides, today's race was rather dull, so even the official media won't miss this news point."

...

Chen Jian excitedly rushed to Coach Yu and, like a child, said, "Coach Yu, did you see that? Zhang Guan ran 10.09 seconds, breaking the 10.10-second barrier!"

Coach Yu remained very calm, nodding expressionlessly and saying, "I saw it, he ran well."

But no one noticed that Coach Yu's hands, hidden in his pockets, were trembling with excitement, betraying his true feelings.

When the reaction time was displayed, Coach Yu had already guessed that Zhang Guan would run a better time than before. Zhang Guan had previously broken the national record with a time of 10.16 seconds, and his reaction time was around 0.3 seconds. Now, with a reaction time of 0.153 seconds, which was nearly 0.15 seconds faster, Coach Yu calculated that Zhang Guan's actual time should be just over 10 seconds. However, athletes' performances can vary, and Coach Yu thought Zhang Guan would achieve a time close to 10 seconds when he was in good form.

But the time of 10.09 seconds clearly exceeded Coach Yu's expectations. This was not only a new national record but also a time that broke the 10.10-second barrier, making Zhang Guan the first person in the national team to achieve this. Based on the experience of other countries, if a young athlete can break the 10.10-second barrier, it means they are not far from the 10-second barrier.

"Perhaps, we can defeat the Japanese in the 100-meter sprint!" Coach Yu couldn't help but look forward to the future.

At this moment, a staff member of the national team approached with two journalists.

"Coach Yu, these two official journalists from the Asian Athletics Association want to interview our team's Zhang Guan," the staff member added, "We have already consulted with Director Ma over the phone, and he said we should cooperate as much as possible without affecting the athletes' rest."

Coach Yu frowned slightly. If it were other journalists, he might have brushed them off, but these were official journalists from the Asian Athletics Association. As the organizer of the Asian Athletics Championships, the official journalists of the organizer should be given some face. Moreover, as official journalists, they would not ask overly sharp or difficult questions.

"Alright, let's go to the rest area," Coach Yu said, pointing to the distant rest area. He then waved to call Zhang Guan over and whispered, "Zhang, two official journalists from the Asian Athletics Association want to interview you."

"Interview? I'm not prepared at all!" Zhang Guan said.

"No need to prepare," Coach Yu continued in a low voice. "These official journalists ask similar questions, usually about your feelings on the race, your goals for this competition, and maybe your future aspirations. Don't be nervous, just be honest."

"By the way, Coach Yu, should I answer in Chinese or English?" Zhang Guan asked.

"Do you know English?" Coach Yu turned around, looking at Zhang Guan with surprise.

"Basic conversation should be fine," Zhang Guan said. He had once tried to take the postgraduate entrance exam but didn't pass, and his English skills were mainly from watching English movies, so he could handle basic conversations.

Coach Yu suddenly remembered that Zhang Guan had been a diligent high school student, unlike other athletes in the national team who had entered sports schools from a young age. However, he still said, "No need to use English, we have a translator on the team."

...

The female journalist interviewing Zhang Guan was a young Chinese-Singaporean woman.

"Mr. Zhang, hello, my Chinese name is Chen Meimei. Can we start the interview now?" the female journalist said in fluent Chinese.

Zhang Guan, who had been hesitating between Chinese and English, was slightly surprised and asked, "You can speak Chinese?"

"Yes, I am from Singapore, so I can speak Chinese," the female journalist smiled and asked again, "Can we start the interview now?"

"Sure, let's start," Zhang Guan replied.

"In the race just now, you broke the 10.10-second barrier, running a time of 10.09 seconds. As far as I know, only four athletes in Asia have broken the 10.10-second barrier before you, and you are the fifth. What are your thoughts on this?" the female journalist asked.

"Indeed, as Coach Yu said, they start with asking about feelings!" Zhang Guan thought to himself. He then carefully considered and realized he didn't really have any special feelings. With the system and the recently upgraded sprint skill, he felt this performance was expected.

"Actually, I don't have any special feelings. If I must say something, I think it's just a matter of performing normally, and achieving this result is natural," Zhang Guan replied.

This time, it was the female journalist's turn to be surprised. When she asked other athletes similar questions, they usually said things like "very excited" or "very lucky." This was the first time someone said it was "natural."

"What a conceited athlete," the female journalist thought. In her experience, Chinese athletes were often humble and reserved, while some American athletes were more outspoken.

The female journalist continued, "What is your goal for this Asian Athletics Championship?"

"Of course, to win the championship!" Zhang Guan answered without hesitation.

---

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