Chapter 61

France, Paris.

Pierre, the editor of the *Paris Daily*, was preparing to write a prediction and analysis about the Olympic 100-meter sprint.

For sports journalists, predicting the outcome of a competition involves not only their own analysis but also an important source: the odds set by betting companies. No matter how skilled a sports journalist is, they only have one brain, whereas betting companies employ a team of professional intelligence officers and data analysts, and have specialized computer systems to calculate the odds. Therefore, the odds set by betting companies can intuitively reflect the prediction of the outcome.

Many so-called professional predictions by veteran sports journalists are based on the odds from betting companies. They create a detailed prediction analysis based on the odds set by betting companies. This reverse analysis is always much easier than forward analysis.

"Remember that Chinese runner who made it to the semi-finals? It's incredible, hard to imagine an Asian competing with black athletes!" Pierre thought to himself as he gently clicked the mouse.

"Let me check the odds set by the betting companies for the 100-meter sprint. The top odds are... " Pierre's eyes widened in disbelief. "Guan-Zhang? That Chinese runner!"

The computer screen showed that Zhang Guan's odds to win were 1 to 2, followed by the defending champion Maurice Greene at 1 to 2.5. The odds for other athletes like Gatlin, Crawford, and Powell ranged from 1 to 2.5 to 1 to 3.5. If the odds were to be believed, the betting companies clearly favored Zhang Guan to win.

Pierre's first reaction was that the betting company had made a mistake. Although the Chinese runner had performed well in previous competitions and showed the potential of a dark horse, how could he be the top favorite to win? Pierre immediately checked the odds on a British betting company's website, but found that Zhang Guan's odds were still 1 to 2, ranking first among all athletes.

"Good heavens! What's going on? Do all the betting companies really favor that Chinese runner to win the 100-meter sprint?" After his surprise, Pierre quickly realized this could be a good news angle.

A country with a weak track and field sprinting program, and a Chinese athlete who was never favored before the competition, is now seen by betting companies as the top favorite to win the 100-meter sprint. The odds for Maurice Greene, Justin Gatlin, Asafa Powell, and others are all higher than Zhang Guan's! This is like a rags-to-riches story overnight! It's exciting, dramatic, and most importantly, it has a lot of selling points!

Pierre immediately deleted the original title and typed a new one: *Chinese Athlete Becomes Top Favorite for 100-Meter Sprint!*

...

The U.S. Olympic team members mostly did not stay in the Olympic Village. Although hotel prices in Athens were very high during the Olympics, it was not a problem for the wealthy Americans. For example, the U.S. basketball team, consisting of NBA superstars with annual salaries of several million dollars, naturally stayed in the most luxurious hotels to maintain their status.

Similarly, the U.S. track and field team did not need to stay in the Olympic Village. Track and field has always been a major gold medal-winning sport for the U.S., and the U.S. track and field team has the best sponsors in the world, so they were not short of money. With money, they naturally stayed in luxury hotels to enjoy the best services.

At that moment, Maurice Greene was dining alone at a table in the hotel restaurant, enjoying the best lunch in Athens. At a nearby table, his teammate Justin Gatlin was sitting. Gatlin clearly could not stand Greene's arrogant personality and did not want to eat at the same table as him.

Shawn Crawford walked over from a distance, holding a newspaper. Seeing Crawford, Gatlin immediately waved to him, signaling him to sit down. However, Crawford smiled at Gatlin, shook his head slightly, and then walked over to Greene's table.

"How could Shawn go to Maurice! Maurice will probably use the loss to the Chinese runner yesterday to make a fuss!" Gatlin secretly worried for Crawford.

"Shawn, you better eat well today, or you'll lose to the Chinese again! Hahaha..." Greene couldn't resist mocking Crawford even while eating breakfast.

"You still have the nerve to laugh!" Crawford threw the newspaper at Greene.

"What is this?" Greene asked impatiently.

"Take a look yourself. The second page of the Olympic special edition." Crawford then turned and left, joining Gatlin at his table.

Greene reluctantly picked up the newspaper and flipped to the second page of the Olympic special edition. A headline immediately caught his attention.

"The Chinese is the top favorite to win the 100-meter sprint!" Greene's face instantly turned angry, and the content that followed only added fuel to the fire.

"F#@%$#@%$#@%!" A string of American curses spewed from Greene's mouth. "What are these betting companies doing? I am the top favorite to win the 100-meter sprint, not a Chinese runner! Are they all blind? Or have their brains been clogged with shit! These damn newspapers! No, these damn betting companies..."

Gatlin looked at Greene in confusion and whispered to Crawford across the table, "What did you show him?"

"Just some odds from betting companies," Crawford whispered. "The major European betting companies quietly changed the odds yesterday. Currently, the Chinese runner has the lowest odds to win the 100-meter sprint, making him the top favorite in the eyes of the betting companies!"

Gatlin immediately understood. Crawford was looking for an opportunity to get back at Greene. Given Greene's arrogant and impulsive personality, he would surely be furious upon seeing such news.

According to the schedule, the Olympic 100-meter sprint semi-finals and final are only two hours apart. For a regular competition, a two-hour interval would have little impact, but for a high-intensity event like the 100-meter sprint, two hours is not enough for athletes to fully recover.

For the three U.S. athletes, their goal is to win the gold medal, so they all aim to conserve as much energy as possible in the semi-finals and then give their all in the final two hours later!

The semi-finals are divided into two groups. Gatlin and Crawford are in Group A, while Greene is in Group B, along with Zhang Guan!

Greene is an extremely arrogant person with a strong sense of self-respect. When he learned that Zhang Guan was the top favorite to win the 100-meter sprint, he would undoubtedly go all out in the semi-finals that evening to prove to the world who the top favorite is. He would defend his pride. If Greene really does this, regardless of whether he beats Zhang Guan in the semi-finals, he will expend a lot of energy, which will directly affect his performance in the final.

Although Greene, Gatlin, and Crawford are teammates, they are also competitors. All three came to the Olympics to win the gold medal, and they are the three most likely to win. If the strongest among them, Greene, expends too much energy in the semi-finals, the biggest beneficiaries will undoubtedly be Gatlin and Crawford.

Gatlin understood Crawford's intention, but he was not a saint. Since it was to his advantage, why reveal it? Gatlin and Crawford exchanged a knowing smile. Though they did not speak, they had reached a tacit understanding.

...

In the Olympic Village dining hall, Director Guo sat at a table near the entrance, looking serious. Liu, his assistant, sat beside him, closely watching every Chinese athlete entering and leaving the dining hall.

"Director Guo, the track and field team has arrived!" Liu suddenly said. Then, Coach Sun, the coach for the hurdles, and several athletes and coaches, looking exhausted, entered the dining hall. They had just completed their daily training.

"Great, finally, they're here." Director Guo lowered his head to confirm the document in his hand, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

The title of the document was *Decision on the Punishment of Comrade Zhang Guan for Violating Discipline*. The thin official document was stamped with a red seal, which was very noticeable.

Director Guo was not a high-ranking official and did not have the power to directly punish an athlete, but he could write a distorted and exaggerated report and attach a punishment recommendation, which he could then submit to his superiors. The superiors would not have the time to personally investigate such matters, so they would likely base their decision on Director Guo's report.

As for the distortion and exaggeration in the report, Director Guo was not worried. Once back in Beijing, the Olympic delegation would be disbanded, and according to the unwritten rules, matters like reassignment, promotion, team dissolution, or retirement would not be subject to personal accountability.

As Director Guo had predicted, a few days after submitting the report, his superiors gave their approval, following his recommendation to reprimand Zhang Guan. However, they did not agree to his suggestion to ban Zhang Guan from competition, as a ban would be too severe and inappropriate during the Olympic period.

Upon receiving the decision, Director Guo was elated. He could hardly wait to read the decision to Zhang Guan in person. He wanted to see Zhang Guan's reaction and show him the consequences of defying him!

As his time to step down from his position approached, Director Guo cherished his power even more, and he wanted to demonstrate his authority.

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