Chapter 30

The night had grown deep.

Coach Yu lay in bed, occasionally breaking into a silly smile.

An elderly man in the same room could no longer bear to watch and said, "Little Yu, that's enough. Don't get too excited. It's time to sleep; we have a competition tomorrow!"

This elderly man was Coach He, who was ten years older than Coach Yu. He was a veteran coach of the national track and field team, mainly responsible for throwing events such as shot put, discus, javelin, and hammer throw.

"Coach He, you don't understand. I've been waiting for this moment for forty years!" Coach Yu said with deep emotion. "In 1964, when I first joined the provincial team, my dream was to become the top sprinter in Asia! In 1977, I retired and became a coach, hoping that one of my disciples would become the top sprinter in Asia, fulfilling my youthful dream. I've waited for forty years! Now, it's finally happened!"

The national team was very strong in throwing events, with some female athletes even having the potential to win Olympic gold medals. Although the male athletes were not as strong as the females, they were still top-notch in Asia. Therefore, Coach He, who was responsible for throwing events, couldn't really understand the feeling of waiting for forty years.

After a moment, Coach Yu said, "Get some rest. We have a competition tomorrow. I remember you have the 4x100m relay final and the 200m final tomorrow."

"Don't worry. In the 200m, we have Yang Yao, a very capable athlete. With Endo Shingo injured, Japan only has Tsuchida Kengo and Takahashi Shinji. Yang Yao should be able to win a medal. As for the 4x100m relay, without Endo Shingo, it's uncertain whether Japan will even participate. We have Zhang Guan as a wildcard, and we might even have a chance at the gold medal in the 4x100m relay," Coach Yu said confidently.

Coach He frowned and asked, "During the competition today, I was watching Zhang Guan and didn't notice Endo Shingo. Where do you think he's injured?"

Coach Yu sat up, gesturing with his hands, and said, "When Endo Shingo was first injured, I thought it was his ankle. But from the way he left the field, it's more likely that he injured his Achilles tendon."

Coach He nodded. "Endo Shingo's main event is the 200m sprint, so it's normal for his left ankle to be injured. But if it's his Achilles tendon, that's a big problem."

In the 200m sprint, athletes need to run through a left turn after the start. During high-intensity, high-speed left turns, the left ankle bears the most force, making it prone to stress injuries.

The Achilles tendon is crucial for sprinters. Located at the back of the ankle, it is essential for walking, running, and climbing. The strength of a sprinter's explosive power is closely related to the strength of their Achilles tendon. Later, it was analyzed that Bolt's exceptional speed was due to his unusually thick and developed Achilles tendon.

If a sprinter's Achilles tendon is severely injured, even after recovery, they will lose some explosive power and speed, making it difficult to return to their peak condition. Many excellent athletes have had to retire due to Achilles tendon injuries, such as Liu Fei.

During training, sprinters' Achilles tendons are often damaged to some extent to maintain high explosive power. Therefore, Achilles tendon injuries are a common issue for all sprinters. Many sprint champions in the future would spend a lot of money to hire world-class therapists to relax their Achilles tendons. For example, Bolt would often go to Germany for his vacations because Germany had top-notch therapists and advanced equipment to relax his Achilles tendon.

...

Coach Yu's guess was correct. Endo Shingo's injury was indeed in his left Achilles tendon.

At the Japanese team's base, Takano Shinji approached Coach Kobayashi Kei and said, "Coach, here is the report and examination results from the team doctor."

Coach Kobayashi waved his hand. "I won't read the report. Just tell me the results."

"The team doctor says it's an overuse strain of the Achilles tendon, mainly due to prolonged fatigue. The excessive force during the competition was the trigger. The doctor suggests that Endo Shingo should not engage in intense activities and needs to rest and undergo physical therapy to recover. However, the medical facilities in the Philippines are poor, so the physical therapy will need to be done in Japan," Takano Shinji said.

"How long does he need to rest? Can he still participate in the upcoming competitions?" Coach Kobayashi asked.

"The doctor suggests resting for two weeks and then reassessing the recovery. I've already given Endo Shingo special shoes to help with mobility, but the doctor does not recommend him participating in the upcoming competitions," Takano Shinji said, hesitating.

Coach Kobayashi noticed that Takano Shinji had more to say and asked, "Is there anything else?"

"Endo Shingo strongly requests to participate in the upcoming competitions," Takano Shinji said.

Coach Kobayashi frowned and thought for a moment. "Endo Shingo has two more competitions left: the 4x100m relay final tomorrow morning and the men's 200m sprint final. If he can still compete, let him participate in the 4x100m relay final, but not the 200m sprint."

"Understood! I'll inform him right away," Takano Shinji nodded and prepared to leave.

"Wait a moment," Coach Kobayashi called out. "Endo Shingo's leg injury makes him unsuitable for the fourth leg. Switch him with Asahara Kengo. Asahara Kengo will run the fourth leg, and Endo Shingo will run the second leg."

...

Back in China, although it was already past nine in the evening, Editor-in-Chief Zheng of a well-known sports website was still in his office, typing away at his keyboard.

"Manila Victory Breaks Asian Record, Zhang Guan Outshines Japanese Athletes."

"Chinese athlete Zhang Guan, who vowed to break the 100m sprint Asian record held by Japanese athlete Itō Kōji for five years, finally fulfilled his promise at the Asian Athletics Championships in Manila, Philippines. With a time of 9.99 seconds, Zhang Guan not only improved the Asian record by 0.01 seconds but also won his first international championship."

"Describing Zhang Guan's growth this year as 'explosive' is no exaggeration. In May, Zhang Guan just qualified as a second-level athlete, and then at the Asian Athletics Championships qualifying round, he won the 100m sprint with a time of 10.16 seconds, breaking the national record and becoming the top sprinter in China..."

After finishing the news article, Editor-in-Chief Zheng read it several times and felt very satisfied.

Just yesterday, one of his sub-editors had posted an article criticizing Zhang Guan, and this afternoon, it was announced that Zhang Guan had broken the Asian record. Editor-in-Chief Zheng had to personally step in to clean up the mess. This time, he wrote about Zhang Guan's growth journey to show that the media's previous reports were accurate—Zhang Guan had indeed transformed from an unknown high school student to the top sprinter in Asia in just four months. The underlying message was that the previous doubts were reasonable and based on evidence.

However, in the final part of the article, Editor-in-Chief Zheng heavily praised Zhang Guan's achievement, making up for the previous negative coverage.

Compared to online media, newspapers were not as fast or timely. Today's newspapers often reported on events from the previous day. Because newspapers were slower, they hadn't had time to report on the negative news about Zhang Guan when they received the news of his Asian record.

Since the newspapers hadn't criticized Zhang Guan, they had no qualms about reporting the news. They simply paired it with a photo and made it the front-page headline. The next morning, the main newspapers in China all reported on Zhang Guan's achievement.

Who was Zhang Guan? Most ordinary people didn't know.

The Asian 100m sprint record? 9.99 seconds? Most ordinary people didn't have a clear concept of it.

But Zhang Guan breaking a record held by the Japanese was a different story. Ordinary people's thoughts were simple: in any sport, if you can beat the Japanese, you're definitely not a pushover.

So, on that day, Zhang Guan officially entered the public eye, and many people remembered his name.

In the world of track and field, the news of Zhang Guan breaking the Asian record was like a typhoon, causing a massive wave.

Originally, breaking the national record was already a surprise, but breaking the Asian record was beyond anyone's expectations.

"Training for two months to break the national record, and then another two months to break the Asian record. Luckily, there's no major international competition in the next two months, or this kid might break the world record next!"

"Is Zhang Guan some kind of monster? It's so hard for us to improve by 0.01 seconds, but he's improving like a rocket."

"Coach Chen really has a keen eye for talent! Who would have thought to pick someone from a second-level athlete test?"

"Zhang Guan might be another Liu Fei!"

"I think Liu Fei can't compare to Zhang Guan. The 100m sprint has a much greater impact than the 110m hurdles."

"The 100m sprint has a greater impact, but the competition is also more intense, isn't it?"

...

While Zhang Guan dominated the headlines in China, the competition in Manila, Philippines, was still ongoing.

It was the last day of the competition, and the 4x100m relay started early in the morning, first for the women's event, followed by the men's event.

Endo Shingo appeared in the Japanese team's preparation area, with a thick bandage on his left leg, indicating that his injury from the previous day was still significant.

Originally, the Japanese team was the strongest, and they had a clear advantage in this event. However, with Endo Shingo injured, they lost their strongest point, and countries like Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan were eager to win the championship, including the Chinese team.

"Go for the gold!" The four members of the national team stacked their hands together, encouraged each other, and then headed to their positions.

At the same time, Zhang Guan quietly entered the system.

"I have one more skill point. Learn the curve sprint!"

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