Chapter 20

"Champion? You mean the champion?" the female reporter asked for confirmation, as if doubting her own ears.

Zhang Guan nodded: "Of course, I came to the competition to win the championship."

If the Japanese runner Endo Shinji had given such an answer, the female reporter might not have been surprised, but Zhang Guan's words made her feel not only astonished but also that the young man in front of her was overestimating himself.

"Really arrogant, does he think he can defeat the Japanese athletes?" A hint of disdain flashed in the female reporter's eyes.

Although Singapore is in Asia, Singaporeans look down on other Asian countries outside of Japan, especially China. Despite being of the same race and origin, the anti-Chinese sentiment among Singaporeans is similar to that of the Philippines.

This Singaporean female reporter still carried the arrogance and disdain for the Chinese in her bones. She was not convinced by Zhang Guan's answer and said, "Japanese athletes have always been at the top in sprint events in Asia. Do you really think you can defeat the Japanese athletes?"

An experienced person dealing with the media would have noticed that the female reporter was deliberately setting a trap in her question, and that was indeed the case. Her original question was, "Do you have confidence in defeating the Japanese athletes?" But when she heard Zhang Guan's declaration of winning the championship, she deliberately changed the phrasing, making the question more pointed.

"I can, my goal is the championship," Zhang Guan did not realize that the female reporter had set a trap for him.

The female reporter got a very satisfactory answer, but she felt it was not enough. She then asked, "The current 100-meter Asian record is held by the Japanese athlete Ito Koichi at exactly 10 seconds. You just said you want to defeat the Japanese athletes. Do you think you can match or even surpass Ito Koichi's record in this Asian Athletics Championship, and run under 10 seconds?"

This was also a question with a trap. In the female reporter's original questions, it was, "Do you have the confidence to break Ito Koichi's 10-second Asian record?" But she changed her mind and not only made the question more pointed but also limited the time frame to this Asian Athletics Championship.

The female reporter particularly emphasized the words "Japanese athlete" in her question, with the aim of making Zhang Guan look foolish. If Zhang Guan said no, it would be a contradictory answer.

The female reporter looked at Zhang Guan with a smug expression, ready to see him flustered, but she saw a determined look on his face.

"I must break the Asian record!" Zhang Guan said.

For Zhang Guan, breaking the Asian record was not just for honor but also to complete the system's task.

Hearing Zhang Guan's answer, the female reporter looked at him with surprise, but then her eyes showed a look of disdain.

"Just you want to break the Asian record? Just you think you can break the world record! Ignorant and backward Chinese," the female reporter thought to herself, but did not show it on her face.

"Thank you for accepting our interview," the female reporter smiled politely. She knew that this exclusive interview would be a great article, and anti-Chinese media would love it.

...

Every evening, the organizing committee of the event would release some news to the media and the public, including the results of the day's competitions, information about the next day's events, and interviews with some athletes. The main method of release was through the official gazette, which was a thick book published daily. Each participating team could receive a copy, and journalists from various countries who had registered with the organizing committee before the event could also receive a copy. If ordinary people wanted to get this gazette, they would have to buy it.

The Manila Times is a large-circulation general newspaper in the Philippines. At that moment, the editor Raymond was flipping through the official gazette of the Asian Athletics Championship that had just been delivered.

"Even though the competition is held in the Philippines, we can't even win a single medal." Raymond flipped past the part of the event information that saddened him and began reading the athlete interviews. Soon, the interview with Zhang Guan caught his eye.

"This Chinese guy is really boastful, saying he wants to win the 100-meter championship! Ridiculous! Does he think he can defeat the Japanese?" Raymond continued reading and his eyes finally stopped at the last sentence.

"Break the Asian record?" With his rich media experience, Raymond instantly came up with an attractive headline. He then picked up a pen and wrote it on a piece of paper:

"Chinese Athlete Claims: Break the 100-Meter Asian Record at the Asian Athletics Championship!"

Raymond personally wrote a report, emphasizing Zhang Guan's "breaking the record" and filled it with various sarcastic remarks about Zhang Guan and the entire Chinese team, using derogatory and defamatory language. The conclusion was to tell the readers that Zhang Guan was a boastful and dishonest athlete.

The media in the Philippines had no sense of integrity, and Raymond's skill in distorting the truth with a few words was very proficient. The Philippines has always been a vanguard of anti-Chinese sentiment in Southeast Asia, and they are very enthusiastic about reporting negative news about China, seizing every opportunity to defame. The more such reports, the more popular they are among Filipino readers, and Western media also like to reprint such reports, which is very helpful for increasing newspaper sales and enhancing the newspaper's reputation.

The Philippines is not short of newspapers without integrity, and there are many journalists even less principled than Raymond. This Asian Athletics Championship, due to the absence of many big names, seemed rather unremarkable, and the media needed a focus to attract readers. Zhang Guan's interview was like a bolt from the blue, instantly giving these unscrupulous media a direction for their rumors.

...

Ma Director has a habit of reading the newspaper while having breakfast. Therefore, early in the morning, he found a corner in the hotel's buffet restaurant and opened the newspaper in his hand.

The newspapers in the Philippines are mainly in English, with a few Chinese newspapers, mainly for the Chinese community in the Philippines. Ma Director was not interested in Chinese newspapers and directly opened the English newspaper. Soon, a headline caught his attention.

"Arrogance or Strength — Chinese 100-Meter Sprinter Issues a Winning Declaration"

Ma Director read the main content, which reported Zhang Guan's interview, then listed Japan's past achievements, and compared the gap between China and Japan in the men's 100-meter sprint. The conclusion was that Zhang Guan's declaration of winning the championship was a boastful joke.

Ma Director shook his head in disdain. He often led the national track and field team to compete in various countries and had often seen negative reports from foreign media, so he did not take this report seriously.

"A soldier who doesn't want to be a general is not a good soldier. Young people should have some fighting spirit. A declaration of winning the championship can be so blackened," Ma Director muttered to himself.

The first newspaper's biased report made Ma Director feel that there was no point in continuing to read it. He put the newspaper aside and opened the second one.

"Chinese Athlete's Fantasy: Breaking the 100-Meter Asian Record"

"Zhang Guan again?" Ma Director continued reading. This report was similar to the previous one, directly comparing Zhang Guan with the current 100-meter Asian record holder, Ito Koichi, and concluding that Zhang Guan breaking the 100-meter world record was just a fantasy.

"Hmph, a fantasy? We've already broken the 110-meter hurdle Asian record, and the 100-meter record is just a matter of time," Ma Director thought to himself, though he was not entirely confident, he still had some faith.

Ma Director put down the newspaper in disdain and picked up the third one.

"Chinese Athlete Claims: Break the 100-Meter Asian Record at the Asian Athletics Championship!"

"What is this?" Ma Director quickly read the entire article and put down the newspaper.

"Young people, probably fell into the reporter's trap? Especially abroad, you can't speak recklessly. Should I remind him to be more careful? Let him pay attention," Ma Director thought to himself.

Then he thought, this was Zhang Guan's first international competition, and he had been busy with 4x100-meter relay training and had not attended any training on how to handle interviews. It was understandable that he did not know how to speak properly, so he could not blame Zhang Guan entirely.

"After we return to China, he should attend some training on how to handle interviews. But today in the morning, Zhang Guan has to participate in the 4x100-meter relay preliminary, and in the afternoon, he has the 100-meter semi-final. I shouldn't tell him about this to avoid affecting his performance," Ma Director thought, folded the newspapers, and put them in his bag.

...

At the same time, in the hotel where the Japanese team was staying, Kobayashi Keiichi handed the same newspaper to Takano Susumu and said, "Takano-kun, please read this news report."

Takano Susumu respectfully took the newspaper and read it carefully. After a moment, he looked up and said, "Coach, although I also think Zhang Guan cannot break the Asian record, I cannot deny that Zhang Guan is a very capable athlete. The low level of sports in the Philippines does not qualify them to criticize Zhang Guan. Their methods to defame and smear a capable athlete are immoral."

Japanese culture has always revered the strong and despised the weak. In Takano Susumu's view, the Philippines, with its poor sports level, was clearly a despised weak country. Zhang Guan, who could run under 10.10 seconds, should be considered a strong athlete and deserved respect. For a weak country like the Philippines to shamelessly smear a strong athlete was clearly an immoral act.

"Takano-kun, this is not Japan, this is the Philippines," Kobayashi Keiichi smiled. "Do you think these Filipinos are a moral people?"

Kobayashi Keiichi then threw the other newspapers to Takano Susumu and continued, "Take a look, almost all the media have the same tone. The Chinese are very face-conscious. I think Zhang Guan is in trouble this time."

—

—

Thank you for your support. Please follow and recommend.

Page AD starts

Page AD ends