Chapter 25

In formal competitions, false starts are often used as a tactical move.

Under the current rules, if an athlete false starts during the first start, the race will be recalled and restarted; however, if an athlete false starts again during the second start, the false starter will be disqualified from the race. This rule will be changed by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to a "zero false start" rule in the future.

This rule has led many athletes to use the technique of "pressing the gun" during the first start to gain a few tenths of a second advantage, while being more cautious during the second start to avoid disqualification.

Tactical false starts can also disrupt the rhythm of opponents, especially when multiple team members are in the same group. Teammates in the same group know that the first start will be a false start, so they focus mainly on the second start, while opponents, unaware of this, concentrate on the first start. Young athletes, lacking experience, are particularly susceptible to being disrupted by this tactic.

Now, with three Japanese athletes in the final, and given that Kosei Kobayashi believes Zhang Guan is young and lacks experience, choosing to use the false start tactic will maximize its effectiveness.

Kosei Kobayashi chose to have Masaharu Asahara implement the false start tactic not only because of Asahara's rich competition experience but also to protect Shingo Endo, who is in good form. Kosei Kobayashi hopes that Shingo Endo will continue to perform well as he did in the World Championships and win a gold medal for the Japanese team.

...

In the reception room of the General Administration of Sport, Director Yang of the Publicity Department was smiling and serving tea to the journalists around him.

Yesterday afternoon, Director Yang received calls from some media outlets asking whether Zhang Guan was a second-level athlete. After personally checking the athlete information, he found that Zhang Guan was indeed only a second-level athlete. Director Yang was shocked and suspected foul play. He immediately sought confirmation from the Athletics Association and learned that Zhang Guan had recently broken the national record in the men's 100 meters.

Since Zhang Guan is the national record holder, there is no issue with him joining the national team and representing the country in international competitions. Therefore, early in the morning, Director Yang gathered a few journalists he knew and hoped to clarify the matter.

Director Yang took out a thick stack of papers and said, "Regarding this matter, we have already contacted and verified with the Athletics Association. Zhang Guan won the national selection race for the Asian Athletics Championships two months ago with a time of 10.16 seconds, breaking the national record. Since Zhang Guan is the champion of the selection race and the national record holder, it is natural for him to represent the country in the Asian Athletics Championships."

The journalists present all showed a look of realization, but one immediately asked, "Such an excellent athlete should be at the level of an international athlete. Why is he still a second-level athlete? Can Director Yang explain this?"

"Sure. Let me explain the system of national-level athletes. As you know, sports performance is constantly improving, and each competition produces a large number of excellent athletes. Since the information collection of athletes from different provinces and cities is not synchronized, we stipulate that a summary is conducted every six months to update the system with new and changed athlete information. Zhang Guan broke the national record in July, and according to the rules, his information as an international athlete will only be updated in the system at the end of the year. Therefore, if you check now, Zhang Guan is still a second-level athlete."

After finishing, Director Yang showed a sincere expression and continued, "I would like to thank the media for their supervision on behalf of the General Administration of Sport. I can assure you that the selection of national team athletes will follow the principles of fairness, justice, and transparency, and we will select the best of the best. Please rest assured!"

...

Director Yang's clarification was quickly released through the media, but many media outlets and the public were not convinced, and it had the opposite effect. A characteristic of the Chinese public is that when faced with certain rumors, some believe them while others do not. However, once the official denies the rumor, those who did not believe it also start to believe it.

The first to speak out was a well-known blogger on a blog, who wrote:

"The athlete database of the General Administration of Sport shows that Zhang Guan passed the second-level athlete test in May this year with a time of 11.30 seconds. Just two months later, his time improved to 10.16 seconds, a full 1.14 seconds faster. What could have caused such a significant improvement in just two months? We all know that for high-level athletes, improving by 0.01 seconds is extremely difficult, and improving by 1.14 seconds in two months is like a fairy tale, especially when it involves breaking a national record."

"A 17-year-old young man has transformed from a second-level athlete to a national record holder in just two months. We do not know what happened during this period, but one thing is certain: the title of national record holder is enough to get this young man into any university in the country without going through the grueling college entrance exam. This result makes me wonder..."

Compared to the blogger, the comments of the general public were even more intense. Even though the internet was not as developed at the time and the number of internet users was not as large, there were always netizens who were quick to criticize.

"Who believes this explanation? Do you think we are fools?"

"The national record must be fake! It was bought."

"Not only did he embarrass himself in the country, but now he will embarrass himself abroad."

"The XXX of the General Administration should resign. Taxpayers should not pay to support these useless people!"

The Chinese public generally does not trust what the authorities say, so often the more they explain, the more it seems like they are covering up something. With the help of some unscrupulous media, even a very ordinary matter can escalate to a moral issue. Occasionally, a single bad case, after being hyped by the media and guessed by the public, can have disastrous consequences for the entire industry.

For a time, the public opinion continued to ferment.

...

In Japan, Eriko Ichiro was lying on a tatami mat, enjoying his weekend.

His son, Eriko Masahiro, came out of the room and said, "Dad, has the Asian Athletics Championships started?"

"Not yet, but it should be soon," Eriko Ichiro pointed to the TV.

After the baseball league ended, a few ads were shown, and then the live broadcast of the Asian Athletics Championships men's 100 meters final began.

Since Shingo Endo won the bronze medal in the men's 100 meters at the World Championships a month ago, a craze for athletics has swept through Japan. With Shingo Endo participating in this Asian Athletics Championships, the TV station naturally did not miss this opportunity and decided to broadcast the final live.

Speaking of Shingo Endo's bronze medal, its value is not very high, as the world's top sprinters did not participate in that World Championships. Otherwise, with Shingo Endo's time of over 10 seconds, it would have been impossible for him to win the bronze medal.

Eriko Masahiro, Eriko Ichiro's son, is only 15 years old but is already a sprinter at his school. Due to his excellent sprinting ability, he has been recruited by several well-known high school sports departments and has even been visited by a coach from the famous Waseda University.

At this moment, the TV was introducing the athletes.

In lane one was Jian Chen. As his image appeared on the screen, his best time this year and his personal best, both 10.17 seconds, were displayed. The TV commentator only briefly introduced his name.

"His best time is only 10.17 seconds? That's much slower than Shingo Endo," Eriko Ichiro said.

In lane two was Habib, whose best time was similar to Jian Chen's; in lane three was Shen Bao, who was even slower.

In lane four was the Japanese athlete Masaharu Asahara, with a personal best of 10.02 seconds and a best time this year of 10.09 seconds, both under 10.1 seconds.

"This is Masaharu Asahara, a veteran from the same era as Eiji Itō, a senior in the Japanese sprinting world," Eriko Ichiro stroked his beard. Then, in lane five, Shingo Endo appeared.

"This is Shingo Endo. His fastest time this year is 10.03 seconds! Masahiro, you should work hard; maybe you can surpass Shingo Endo in the future!" Eriko Ichiro said to Eriko Masahiro, and the TV broadcast could also hear the cheers from the audience.

Shingo Endo listened to the cheers around him, a look of satisfaction on his face. Then he glanced at Zhang Guan in lane eight on his right, a challenging look in his eyes.

In lane six was another Japanese athlete, Kenta Tsuchiya, meaning that three Japanese athletes were lined up together. Professional sports people immediately realized that this arrangement was a special favor to the Japanese team, especially for Shingo Endo, who was protected by two teammates and did not have to worry about his race rhythm being disrupted.

In lane seven was the Saudi Arabian athlete Mubarak, whose fastest time was 10.13 seconds, set last year, but this time was still not enough to threaten Shingo Endo.

At this point, Eriko Ichiro was already smiling like a victor. From the times, the athletes from other countries were at least 0.1 seconds slower than Shingo Endo, which in a 100-meter sprint is a significant difference. Therefore, Eriko Ichiro was confident that Shingo Endo would win.

Finally, the camera focused on Zhang Guan in the last lane. At the bottom of the screen, his personal best of 10.00 seconds and his best time this year were displayed, catching Eriko Ichiro's eye.

"What? 10.00 seconds! Faster than Shingo Endo and Masaharu Asahara!" Eriko Ichiro and Eriko Masahiro exclaimed.

The TV commentator's voice rang out, "Zhang's 10.00-second time was achieved under wind-assisted conditions..."

The commentator then began to explain the meaning of wind-assisted conditions, as if it gave a huge advantage.

Eriko Ichiro sighed, "It's a wind-assisted time, but it's still impressive. It might pose a threat to Shingo Endo, but Shingo Endo will still win."

Eriko Masahiro, however, frowned, thinking, "He's only two years older than me, yet he can compete on the international stage..."

And the competition for the fastest man in Asia was about to begin.

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