Chapter 57

Although it was already dark, the CCTV building was still bustling with activity. Most of the staff were focused on the coverage of the Athens Olympics.

Xu, the director in charge of the event broadcasts, was not in his office but was stationed in the front-line broadcasting room.

A staff member ran over, handed a document to Director Xu, and said, "Director, this is the latest update on the track and field events. Our athlete Zhang Guan has successfully advanced to the second round of the 100-meter sprint."

Director Xu quickly read through the event summary and then said, "If I'm not mistaken, this should be the first time a Chinese athlete has advanced to the second round of the 100-meter sprint at the Olympics. That's quite an achievement! Check when the second round is scheduled to take place."

"Director, should we broadcast the second round live?" the staff member asked.

"If we can, we should try to broadcast it live. The athletes have traveled all the way to Athens for the Olympics, and this might be the only chance in their lives. Now that they have made a breakthrough in track and field, it would be a shame if they didn't get the opportunity to appear before the national audience." Director Xu said.

"Director Xu, I've found it. The second round of the men's 100-meter sprint starts at 0:40 AM Athens time."

"That's prime time in Athens." Director Xu immediately flipped through the live broadcast schedule and found the time slot.

"Fortunately, by midnight, today's badminton and table tennis matches will have ended. Only the women's 75+ kg weightlifting event will still have Chinese athletes participating." Director Xu thought for a moment and then said, "Let's schedule the live broadcast of the second round of the men's 100-meter sprint. It will start right after the midnight news. Have the commentator prepare in advance."

...

At 19:40 on August 21, Athens time, the second round of the men's 100-meter sprint officially began.

The second round was divided into five groups, with the top three from each group advancing to the next round. The athlete with the best time among those who did not place in the top three would also advance, meaning a total of 16 athletes would move on to the semi-finals.

Compared to the first round, the level of competition in the second round was higher, making it more difficult to advance. The competition was also bound to be more intense and exciting.

In the second round, even championship-level athletes had to take it seriously. Pre-event experts predicted that running under 10.10 seconds would almost guarantee a spot in the semi-finals, while running under 10.15 seconds would give a good chance of advancing. If an athlete couldn't run under 10.15 seconds, they would have to rely on luck to advance. For non-Black athletes, the second round was a difficult hurdle to clear. In Olympic-level competitions, White and Asian athletes often did not advance beyond the second round, and the semi-finals were usually dominated by Black athletes.

On the track, the first group was in progress, and Zhang Guan was waiting for the second group to start, while also observing the performance of the first group.

A Black athlete was leading the race, far ahead of the others.

"It's Francis Obikwelu from Portugal! He's really fast!" Zhang Guan took a deep breath, feeling the pressure for the first time.

"Obikwelu was supposed to be the silver medalist in this Athens Olympics, just 0.01 seconds behind Gatlin. Although Gatlin didn't make a final sprint in the final, which affected his time, it's clear that Obikwelu is a very strong athlete."

Then, Zhang Guan noticed that the second-ranked Japanese athlete, Shinji Noguchi, had already been overtaken by four Black athletes.

"Indeed, the second round is dominated by Black athletes." Zhang Guan watched as Obikwelu crossed the finish line first, with a time of 9.93 seconds. The British athlete Lewis Francis and the Jamaican athlete Dwight Thomas finished second and third, respectively. The Japanese athlete Shinji Noguchi finished fifth and was eliminated.

"This is world-class performance! Just in the second round, he ran 9.93 seconds. I can do that too, and I can do it faster. But Obikwelu was clearly holding back; his true speed must be even faster. And this is just Obikwelu. Don't forget about Gatlin, who is even faster than Obikwelu. It seems I was too optimistic; winning this Olympic gold medal won't be easy." Zhang Guan felt a bit heavy-hearted.

Before this, Zhang Guan had always believed that with the help of the system, he would definitely win the Olympic 100-meter gold medal. So far, he had never encountered a worthy opponent in any of his races. But now, with the sudden appearance of several strong opponents, Zhang Guan felt a sense of crisis.

"Nervous! Yes, that's the feeling. I haven't felt this nervous in a long time." Zhang Guan took a deep breath, looking at the finish line. His nervousness gradually turned into anticipation and excitement.

"This time, I'm going to give it my all. I want to see just how strong a championship-level athlete is!"

Then, Zhang Guan strode onto the track.

...

The American athlete Shawn Crawford, who was about to compete, took off his upper body jacket.

"Shawn, are you ready to go?" Justin Gatlin walked over with a mischievous smile. "Be careful not to slip up..."

"Are you talking about Obadele Thompson? I know he ran 9.69 seconds, but that was with a tailwind. Even if he's in top form, he's no match for me." Crawford said confidently.

"I'm not talking about Thompson, but about the Chinese athlete. He was the top performer in the first round." Gatlin said.

"Ha ha ha, Justin, what are you talking about? A Chinese athlete? How could he pose a threat to me? 9.96 seconds is an incredible level for an Asian, but for me, it's just my regular training level. I'll show this Chinese athlete what real speed is!"

...

The athletes were already at the starting line, but three minutes passed without the start signal.

"What's going on? Why such a long preparation time?" Zhang Guan looked at the referee, who was talking into a walkie-talkie.

"Maybe he's chatting and forgot to signal the athletes to get ready!" Zhang Guan thought to himself.

At that moment, a commotion broke out in the stands, followed by cheers.

"Huh? What's happening? Why are the spectators cheering?" Zhang Guan looked at the stands, but from a distance, he couldn't see why they were cheering. One thing was certain: they weren't cheering for him. In this situation, it would be hard to hear the starting gun, so the 100-meter race had to be delayed.

"Clap, clap, clap, clap..."

In the stadium, the applause grew louder, but it wasn't random. It was rhythmic, getting louder and faster, like the drumbeats before a battle, full of tension and ready to ignite.

"This scene seems familiar. It reminds me of her!" Zhang Guan suddenly thought of someone and looked towards the pole vault area. Sure enough, he saw a figure with black hair tied in a braid, holding a long pole, preparing to run.

"It's really her, it's Yelena Isinbayeva!"

Yelena Isinbayeva, the true queen of pole vault, had broken the world record 28 times in her career and was the dominant force in women's pole vault, both now and in the future.

At the Athens Olympics, Isinbayeva was only 22 years old but had already been famous for many years, especially in Europe.

In the sports world, athletes with good performance naturally receive attention, and beautiful women also receive attention. Athletes who are both talented and beautiful naturally receive a lot of attention. Although Zhang Guan didn't think Isinbayeva was particularly beautiful, by European standards, she was definitely a beauty. In Greece, her black hair and large eyes were seen as a classic beauty, which gave her a huge following in Greece.

The entire stadium was cheering for Isinbayeva, especially the male fans, who were roaring loudly, making it impossible for the second group of the men's 100-meter race to proceed. The athletes could only wait for Isinbayeva's competition to end.

The applause became more rhythmic and faster, with tens of thousands of people clapping in unison, bringing not just encouragement but a sense of awe.

Zhang Guan closed his eyes and felt the atmosphere. Although the applause wasn't for him, it still made him feel excited and his blood boil. A vivid image formed in his mind: one warrior challenging another, another warrior charging on horseback, the drums thundering, and the two warriors engaging in a fierce battle, the cries of battle shaking the sky!

"This is what a competition should be! This is the kind of competition I want! Passion, excitement!" Zhang Guan opened his eyes, feeling his hormones surge, every cell in his body coming alive, and he once again tasted the thrill of excitement.

At the same time, in the system, Zhang Guan's competitive state suddenly increased to 67 points.

On the pole vault field, Isinbayeva waved to the audience, signaling them to quiet down. She then raised her pole, ran, planted it, jumped, and landed, completing the competition flawlessly.

The stadium erupted in cheers, even though this was just the qualifying round of the women's pole vault, requiring only a jump of 4.40 meters to advance to the final. The cheers for Isinbayeva were no less enthusiastic.

As the cheers gradually subsided, the referee signaled the athletes to prepare for the start.

"Such great applause, such great cheers, making me feel excited and my blood boil! It's a pity it's not for me. But one day, I will have such applause and cheers!" Zhang Guan adjusted his breathing, but the excitement in his heart was hard to suppress.

Next, he stepped onto the starting blocks, ready for his second Olympic race.

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