Chapter 24

"Goodness, exactly 10 seconds!" a reporter exclaimed, while Ramos beside him stared blankly at the number.

"It's impossible, the timer must be broken. How could he run a 10-second flat time! The timer must have missed 0.1 seconds, yes! It must be that, the timer missed 0.1 seconds!" Ramos muttered to himself.

"If the timer is broken, then the 10.13 seconds of Masaharu Asahara is also wrong? It was also 0.1 seconds faster? This Rizal Memorial Stadium should be the largest in the Philippines, could the timing equipment also have a fault?" Yang Zhongyi mocked Ramos straightforwardly.

Ramos remained silent. This morning, the *Manila Times* had just mocked Zhang Guan, claiming that Chinese people could not run under 10 seconds. Today, Zhang Guan's 10-second flat time directly slapped the *Manila Times* in the face. Ramos was already at a loss as to how to write the report tonight.

In the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games, Japanese athlete Koichi Ito ran a 10-second flat time, breaking the Asian record. He was the first Asian to run under 10 seconds. In the following years, including Ito himself, no Asian athlete had achieved this time. Today, Zhang Guan ran a 10-second flat time, tying Ito's Asian record and surpassing Shingo Suwa's 10.03 seconds at the recent World Athletics Championships, making him the current top athlete in Asia.

This morning, all Philippine media had uniformly predicted Zhang Guan's failure, citing various data to show that Zhang Guan was still far from running under 10 seconds. By the afternoon, Zhang Guan had run a 10-second flat time, leaving the Philippine media representatives in the press area speechless, as they pondered how to retract their morning statements.

Just as the Philippine reporters were pondering how to retract their statements, Ramos suddenly pointed to the electronic display at the finish line and shouted, "Look quickly, 2.1 meters per second! The wind speed is 2.1 meters per second, it's a tailwind, it's a tailwind! No wonder Zhang Guan could run so fast, it's a tailwind! The record is invalid! Hahaha..."

Everyone looked over, and the display indeed showed that the wind speed during the race was 2.1 meters per second, meaning the athletes' times were achieved under a tailwind.

In track and field, especially in sprint events, a tailwind can help athletes improve their times. Therefore, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has set a limit for tailwinds at 2 meters per second. If the tailwind exceeds this speed, it is considered a tailwind, and while the race results are valid, they cannot be used as official records.

Modern international sports venues are often designed with aerodynamics in mind to avoid excessive wind speeds on the track, but the wind is ultimately a force of nature, and it is difficult to completely control.

The tailwind instantly made Ramos feel relieved. At least he could use this as an excuse to explain that Zhang Guan's 10-second flat time was just a fluke, making it easier to write the report for tomorrow. Therefore, he couldn't help but laugh.

But at that moment, Yang Zhongyi's voice echoed, "A tailwind just invalidates the record, the time is still valid. And in this situation, other athletes also benefited from the tailwind, Zhang Guan still ran 0.1 seconds faster than Masaharu Asahara!"

Ramos glared angrily at Yang Zhongyi. The satisfaction he had just gained from his "A Q spirit" was instantly shattered by Yang Zhongyi's words.

...

On the bus returning to the base, Zhang Guan felt a bit depressed. Because of the tailwind, the record was invalid, so he did not receive the skill points as a reward for this race.

Chen Jian, sitting beside Zhang Guan, kept talking about the race earlier in the day.

"Zhang, you ran fantastically this afternoon! 10 seconds flat! You're the second Asian to run under 10 seconds! Especially in the last 30 meters, you maintained such high explosive power! Masaharu Asahara couldn't catch up no matter what! I didn't expect your explosive power to be so strong at the end. I think Shen Bao should learn from you." Chen Jian said with a teasing smile.

"Shen Bao is an experienced athlete, what does he need to learn?" Zhang Guan shook his head, clearly not understanding that Chen Jian was teasing Shen Bao.

Shen Bao, sitting behind them, coughed lightly and said awkwardly, "Chen Jian is saying that I couldn't keep up in the second half. But don't blame me, in the past, you also struggled in the second half, it's only in the last two years that you've improved."

At this point, Yang Yao explained to Zhang Guan, "Blacks are strong in sprint events because of their sustained explosive power. Among top athletes in China, whether in the start or the explosive power after the start, they don't fall behind black athletes. However, by the time they reach 40 to 50 meters, our speed has already reached its peak, but blacks can still accelerate. We mainly lose in the second half. In terms of sustained explosive power, both Asians and Caucasians find it hard to match black athletes. The best example is our Shen Bao (Shen Bao), who won the bronze medal in the 60-meter event at the World Indoor Athletics Championships, leaving many blacks behind, but in the 100-meter event, he is far behind black athletes."

Zhang Guan nodded in agreement. There are many such examples in the future, such as Su Bingtian, the first Chinese athlete to run under 10 seconds. In the London Olympics, he was in the lead in the first half of the race, even leading Bolt in the first 30 meters, but his final position was eighth, due to the difference in the second half.

At this point, Yang Yao continued, "Speaking of which, the Japanese are a bit of an anomaly. They can still maintain explosive power in the second half of the race. However, the fast runners among the Japanese all have flat feet, like Koichi Ito in the past, and Masaharu Asahara and Shingo Suwa now. Flat feet are generally considered unsuitable for sports, but the Japanese have special training methods for flat feet."

As they were discussing, Coach Yu walked over from the front, looking pleased, and said, "Zhang, you're really making progress! A step a day, a surprise a day! I've already reported your 10-second flat time to the Athletics Association. Run well in tomorrow's race, don't have any burden, and try to win a gold medal. Our national athletics team will really be proud!"

Coach Yu knew that athletes' performance can fluctuate. Running a 10-second flat time today doesn't guarantee the same tomorrow. Although he hoped Zhang Guan would win the gold, he didn't put too much pressure on him, focusing on encouragement.

"Coach Yu, don't worry, I think I can run even faster! I'll definitely win the 100-meter gold medal tomorrow!"

"You can run even faster? Hahaha..." Everyone stared at Zhang Guan, all with a teasing look, and then they all laughed, clearly taking his words as a joke.

Zhang Guan also laughed, but only he knew that when he had the expert-level sprint skill, he was already very close to the 10-second mark. Now, with the master-level sprint skill, he was confident in challenging the world's best.

...

That evening, at the Japanese national athletics team's base.

Masaharu Asahara stood with his head down in front of Keiichi Kobayashi and said softly, "Coach, I'm sorry, I lost to Zhang Guan."

Keiichi Kobayashi comforted him, "Asahara, you did your best. Zhang Guan's strength has exceeded our expectations. From today's performance, it's clear that Zhang Guan reserved a lot of strength in yesterday's preliminary and semi-finals. I estimate he can consistently run under 10.1 seconds, meaning that Zhang Guan is currently stronger than our Japanese team."

Shingo Suwa, standing beside him, frowned in annoyance. He had just won the bronze medal in the 100-meter event at the World Athletics Championships last month, creating history for all of Asia. His 10.03-second bronze medal time was widely praised by the media as the "Asian No. 1." But he never expected that the title of "Asian No. 1" would be taken away in just half a month.

At this moment, Shinji Takano spoke up, "Coach, based on my observations, Zhang Guan's technique is not perfect, with many flaws. But he is only 17 years old, and it's normal for his technique to be immature. Moreover, China's training standards are far below ours, which has led to Zhang Guan's technical deficiencies. In the past, Chinese athletes had good starts, leading black athletes in the first 30 meters, but lacked endurance, being overtaken after 50 meters. However, Zhang Guan is the opposite, running an average first 30 meters but showing great endurance, overtaking other athletes after 50 meters, which is a black athlete's running style."

"Yes, I also believe that the physical constitution of Asians cannot match the sustained explosive power of blacks, especially for Asians. Being able to accelerate in the second half of the 100 meters is a miracle..." Keiichi Kobayashi paused, as if thinking of something, then his eyes flashed with a cold light, and he said softly,

"Takano, your words have reminded me. The explosive power of Asian muscles cannot match that of blacks. Zhang Guan having black-like explosive power is itself unusual. We can use this as an excuse to request a doping test for Zhang Guan from the organizing committee!"

Shinji Takano was slightly taken aback and asked, "From his speed, it's possible he used performance-enhancing drugs, but what if he passes the test?"

"If he passes the test, then we'll have to use another tactic!" Keiichi Kobayashi looked at Shingo Suwa and Masaharu Asahara and said, "Asahara, use the false start tactic in tomorrow's race!"

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