Chapter 56

The live broadcast of the Athens Olympics was also taking place in the UK. As the preliminary heats of the men's 100 meters concluded, the TV画面 switched back to the BBC studio, where, in addition to the host, there were two guests.

The guest on the left was a man in his thirties, the legendary British triple jumper and world record holder, known as the "Bird of the Century," Jonnie Edwards. The guest on the right was a man in his fifties wearing glasses, a renowned authority in sports science, a well-known sports commentator, and a famous track and field coach, Peter Eriksson.

The host began, "The preliminary heats of the 100-meter sprint are over. We have two British athletes, Lewis Francis and Jason Gardener, who have advanced to the second round. Unfortunately, Darren Campbell, who was the first to compete, missed the second round by just 0.01 seconds."

Jonnie Edwards continued, "Actually, Darren Campbell had the ability to advance to the second round. However, his luck was poor, as he was placed in the first group. Being the first to compete, the atmosphere of the race had not yet been fully set, and the athletes were not fully energized, making it difficult to achieve good results. If he had been in another group, I believe he would have definitely advanced to the second round."

"Jonnie, have you ever had the experience of competing first in your career?" the host asked.

"Of course. However, triple jump is different from sprinting. We can jump six times. Even if we are slow to warm up and don't perform well on the first jump, we can gradually regain our form in subsequent jumps," Jonnie Edwards replied.

The host nodded and turned to Peter Eriksson, saying, "Mr. Eriksson, please give us a professional analysis of the first round of the men's 100-meter sprint."

The broadcast immediately focused on Eriksson, showing a close-up of his upper body. Eriksson calmly said, "Based on the performance of the athletes in the first round, there is no doubt that the U.S. team is still the strongest. The Jamaican team's performance was second only to the U.S. team. Our British team, the Canadian team, and the Ghanaian team also performed well. What surprised me was the Japanese team. This Asian country had two athletes advance to the second round, which is indeed impressive. Another team that disappointed me was the Nigerian team. In Europe, many countries have naturalized Nigerian athletes who have performed very well in competitions, so many people had high hopes for the Nigerian athletes. However, their performance in the preliminary heats was not ideal. This actually indicates that the training level in Europe is much higher. The same Nigerians can achieve good results in Europe but not in their home country."

"Regarding the athletes, I still have high hopes for the defending champion, Maurice Greene. Actually, Shawn Crawford and Justin Gatlin are also in good form, but they also have to compete in the 200 meters, so their focus will not be as strong as Maurice Greene's. Apart from the U.S. athletes, I am most optimistic about the Jamaican athlete Asafa Powell, whose performance in the preliminary heats was evident. As for the Portuguese athlete Francis Obikwelu, I don't think he will win a medal. And the champion of last year's World Championships, Kim Collins, I believe he was just a flash in the pan."

The host then asked, "What do you think about the prospects of our British athletes?"

"Among the British athletes, Lewis Francis and Jason Gardener will have no problem advancing to the semi-finals. If they perform well, they can also make it to the final, but I think their chances of winning a medal are still slim. Actually, our British team is quite strong overall. I suggest we focus on the relay races," Eriksson said.

At this point, Jonnie Edwards asked, "Mr. Eriksson, you seem to have forgotten someone. The athlete who achieved the best result in the first round is a Chinese athlete. Do you have any advice for him?"

Eriksson laughed and said, "Jonnie, do you really think a Chinese athlete has a chance to win the Olympic 100-meter sprint?"

"However, the news a few days ago said that this Chinese athlete has placed a heavy bet on himself, betting that he will win the championship. I think he must have some confidence," Edwards said.

"Hmm? I've heard about it. Is this true?" Eriksson asked.

The host immediately replied, "Mr. Eriksson, this is indeed a true story."

"Oh, God, I always thought it was a joke or a funny story about the Olympics! There are many jokes and funny stories about the Olympics, but I didn't expect it to be true. It's unbelievable!" Eriksson paused and continued, "Although I don't know what this Chinese athlete is thinking, I can confirm one thing: he has no chance of winning the championship because he won't even make it to the final. If I were to give him advice, I would suggest he take the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Athens while he's here."

"But he ran 9.96 seconds in the preliminary heats. We all know that many athletes hold back in the preliminary heats. If he held back, he will be even faster in the subsequent rounds," Edwards argued.

"He won't be faster. The next round will likely be the end of his Olympic journey," Eriksson said, looking into the camera. "The Chinese team has never advanced to the second round of the Olympic 100-meter sprint. This time, the first athlete they sent had a very poor performance, so the second athlete will have to give it his all to ensure he advances to the second round. Therefore, it's impossible for him to have held back. I think 9.96 seconds is already an over-performance for this Chinese athlete. In the subsequent rounds, he won't be able to run under 10 seconds and will be eliminated. Moreover, he is an Asian, and as an Asian, running under 10 seconds is already surprising to me."

"Cough, cough..." The host lightly coughed, as if reminding Eriksson not to involve race.

Eriksson immediately understood and continued, "Please don't misunderstand. I am not talking about race. What I am saying is based on scientific evidence. Scientific research has shown that black people have a higher muscle density, which gives them strong explosive power, making them suitable for sprinting. However, due to their high muscle density, black people have less buoyancy in water, so they need to exert more effort to stay afloat, which is why you rarely see black athletes in swimming. White people have larger hands and feet and moderate muscle density, giving them a natural advantage in swimming. Yellow people have lower muscle density than black and white people but have better body flexibility and coordination, which gives them an advantage in sports like table tennis and badminton. However, in sports that require strength, yellow people are far behind black and white people."

"Thank you very much, Mr. Eriksson, for your insights. We will take a short break now for some advertisements. See you after the ads!" The host said, and the broadcast switched to an advertisement.

...

At the Athens Olympic Stadium.

Coach Yu held the group allocation list for the semi-finals and walked up to Zhang Guan, saying, "Zhang, the group allocation for the semi-finals is out. You are in Group 2, with Shawn Crawford. However, the other athletes in this group are not strong, so if you can secure third place, you will advance!"

Zhang Guan took the list and looked at it. There were five groups in the semi-finals, and he was in Group 2, where the American athlete Shawn Crawford was also placed. Among the other athletes in the group, Zhang Guan only recognized one, a Kazakhstani athlete named Jerald Chenof, who had participated in the Asian Athletics Championships in the Philippines last year and had competed against Zhang Guan. For an Asian to advance to the second round of the 100-meter sprint was quite an achievement.

"Shawn Crawford is probably the strongest in this group. Besides Crawford, are there any other athletes I should pay attention to?" Zhang Guan asked.

"You should also pay attention to Obadele Thompson. He is the one," Coach Yu pointed to the list.

"Obadele Thompson, from Barbados? What kind of country is that?" Zhang Guan was clearly unfamiliar with the name.

"It's Barbados, a small country in the Caribbean. Don't underestimate these small countries; they are not weak in track and field! Obadele Thompson once achieved a time of 9.69 seconds," Coach Yu explained.

"9.69 seconds! That's faster than the world record!" The current world record was 9.78 seconds, and Zhang Guan knew that in the future, at the Beijing Olympics, Bolt would break the world record with a time of 9.69 seconds.

"It was a wind-assisted performance," Coach Yu explained. "That was back in 1996, with a wind speed of 5.1 meters per second. Thompson ran 9.69 seconds in that race, which is the fastest time ever recorded in the 100 meters."

"1996, that was eight years ago. So Thompson must be quite old, over 30? His competitive form should be declining," Zhang Guan asked.

"Although age does affect the performance of sprinters, based on my experience, these athletes are unpredictable. They can suddenly perform exceptionally well, and their speed can be astonishing, possibly even faster than the Americans. Pay close attention to him during the race. If he starts to perform exceptionally well, don't be surprised, and don't let him affect you, especially in terms of your race rhythm. Maintain your own rhythm and continue running," Coach Yu paused and thought for a few seconds before adding, "Actually, in the semi-finals, securing third place is enough. Third place will get you into the semi-finals, which would be a historic breakthrough for us! We have never made it to the semi-finals in sprinting."

"I feel my current form is good. Maybe I can even compete for the group lead!" Zhang Guan said with a smile.

---

Chapter 2 is here. I hope you can give me a recommendation. Tomorrow is a new Monday, and it's time to climb the rankings. I would appreciate it if you could give me more recommendations tomorrow. Thank you to Xinwei Xue, Loli Green Town, Reader-YES, Book Friend 151201153943921, Lianhua Ren, Wei Ai? Jessica, Wuru Shucong, Yan Yan, Xingkong 1208, Shenlan Tianfang, Da 1 Cheng, Yufen, Lian * Hen, Qingkong Bingdi, Wentao Wuyue, Yuren Yongbu Bai, and Xiangnan Ju for their support. Thank you.

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