Chapter 63

**The race begins!**

Powell had a great start, with a reaction time of just 0.142 seconds. However, his compatriot Dwight Thomas had a very poor start, with a reaction time exceeding 0.18 seconds.

Zhang Guan's start could only be described as average, at 0.159 seconds, which was slower than Kim Collins, Jason Gardner, and Obikwelu. The defending champion, Maurice Greene, had a start time of 0.158 seconds, almost the same as Zhang Guan.

The athletes began to accelerate.

After the start, Greene noticed that Zhang Guan was running neck and neck with him, which he clearly could not accept. So he began to accelerate with all his might, hoping to gain the lead and leave Zhang Guan behind.

At the same time, Kim Collins also started to push himself to the limit. The competition was fierce, and if he didn't give it his all from the start, he would definitely be eliminated.

Another athlete who was giving it his all was the British Jason Gardner. He was also a renowned athlete, but at 31 years old, his performance was declining. In this group, he had no advantage, and as the only British athlete left in the 100-meter sprint, he had to fight hard to make it to the final for the sake of his country's honor.

Collins and Gardner's performances put immense pressure on Powell. With the Portuguese Obikwelu hot on his heels, Powell quickly made a decision: he had to run even faster, or he might be eliminated.

Obikwelu glanced at the other athletes and thought to himself, "This is just the semifinal, why are they all running so fast? If Powell expends so much energy in the semifinal, how will he run in the final? I can't be like Powell; I just need to secure my position and make it to the final."

In the next moment, two figures caught up with Obikwelu.

"What's going on? Two people at once! This is just the semifinal!" Obikwelu was taken aback, and in that moment, these two had already overtaken him.

"It's Maurice Greene! He's running so fast! The other one is the Chinese athlete! Is he as fast as Maurice Greene?"

Obikwelu was startled. He had no confidence in beating Greene, and naturally, he had no confidence in beating Zhang Guan, who was as fast as Greene. In an instant, he dropped from second place to fourth, on the brink of elimination.

"What's happening? This semifinal feels like a final! What's wrong with everyone? Are they on steroids? If I don't speed up, I'll really be eliminated." Obikwelu also brought out his best effort.

On the sidelines, Crawford and Gatlin were overjoyed. This was exactly the effect they wanted. From the current situation, the semifinal would consume a lot of Maurice Greene's energy, and the final hadn't even started yet, putting Greene at a disadvantage.

After 40 meters, the Ghanaian Mills and another Jamaican Thomas had clearly fallen behind, but the competition became even more intense. Kim Collins and Jason Gardner were desperately chasing Obikwelu, and the gap between them was not significant. Leading the pack were Powell, Greene, and Zhang Guan, and it was difficult to distinguish the gap between them with the naked eye.

Although Maurice Greene's emotional intelligence was not high, his athletic intelligence was not lacking. He had already noticed that Zhang Guan's speed was not inferior to his own, and if they continued to push each other, it would be difficult to determine the winner at the finish line.

"I am the world champion! I cannot lose to him!" The anger in Greene's heart gradually faded, replaced by a desire for victory.

"Madmen! Two madmen! This is just the semifinal, why are they giving it their all? Why not just run to qualify? What's the point of fighting for first place in the semifinal?" Powell, caught between the two, cursed inwardly.

Powell secretly glanced back and noticed that the fourth-place Portuguese athlete, Obikwelu, was already far behind, but he was just enough to keep Collins and Gardner at bay. At this moment, Powell realized that Obikwelu had already started to conserve his energy.

"Since the top four advance to the next round, I should conserve my energy and not follow these two madmen. I'll save my energy for the final." With this thought, Powell gradually slowed down. As Powell slowed, Zhang Guan and Greene instantly overtook him and took the lead.

Originally, the three were running neck and neck, but as Powell fell behind, the enthusiasm in the stadium was instantly ignited.

The spectators who had come to watch the race were discerning. In the first semifinal group, the athletes had clearly not given their all, and their lackluster performance had not satisfied the audience. In the second semifinal group, at least two athletes were fighting for first place, and they were the strongest in the group.

The audience expected a thrilling competition. Since the athletes were not sparing their energy, the spectators would not spare their cheers and applause.

After 70 meters, the two were still neck and neck.

Zhang Guan could clearly feel the pressure from Greene. He even had a vague sense that he might fall behind at any moment in this competition. Zhang Guan could feel that Greene's strength might be slightly superior to his own.

"This is talent!" Zhang Guan sighed inwardly.

For professional athletes, talent is far more important than effort. Every professional athlete is sufficiently hardworking, and each one sweats profusely on the training field, but not everyone possesses enough talent.

Maurice Greene was clearly the most talented athlete in the world at the moment, with unparalleled talent.

Zhang Guan knew that he had no talent. Without the system and the sprint skill, his real speed would not qualify him to be an athlete. But the system was the source of all his confidence.

"Since I have the stamina recovery potion, let's go all out today!" A fierce look flashed in Zhang Guan's eyes, and his speed did not slow down at all. He continued to sprint with all his might.

...

Coach Yu clenched his fists tightly. Although he hoped that Zhang Guan could defeat Maurice Greene, his rational side told him that this was just a semifinal, and Zhang Guan should not be giving it his all.

"Slow down! Slow down! If you exhaust yourself now, what will you do in the final? Slow down!" Coach Yu shouted inwardly, but Zhang Guan continued to sprint with all his might.

Not far away, the American coach was also anxious. Maurice Greene was pushing too hard, and if he expended too much energy in the semifinal, he would not perform well in the final.

"What is Greene doing? It's just a semifinal, if he loses, he loses. Qualifying is enough, the final is the most important. If he exhausts himself, how will he run in the final? If he keeps running like this, we'll have to give up the gold medal! Fortunately, we have Crawford and Gatlin, so the gold medal will still be ours." The American coach suddenly turned to look at Crawford and Gatlin, but found that the two had smug expressions on their faces.

"Huh? If Greene falls behind, these two will benefit the most. Could it be that these two are up to something?" The American coach frowned.

The intense internal competition among the American athletes was known to the coach, but the big-name athletes often paid lip service to the coach while doing as they pleased. Therefore, the coach did not interfere much in the competition among the athletes. Moreover, Maurice Greene's arrogant personality was not well-liked by the coach, and at this moment, the coach felt a strange sense of schadenfreude.

...

On the track, the athletes were approaching the finish line, and Maurice Greene was struggling internally.

"This is just the semifinal, there's no need to give it my all. Running like this will consume too much energy, which will be very disadvantageous for the final. Should I slow down a bit and conserve more energy for the final?" Maurice Greene hesitated for a moment but quickly rejected this idea.

"No, I can't. I mocked Crawford earlier, saying he couldn't beat a Chinese athlete. If I also lose to this Chinese athlete, Crawford will definitely mock me, and I'll lose face! This damn Chinese, how can he run so fast!"

Greene recalled the morning when Crawford brought him the newspaper and suddenly realized that he might have been tricked. Crawford didn't bring the newspaper to demoralize him but to make him and Zhang Guan fight each other, so he could benefit from their rivalry.

"Damn Crawford! But so what? I am Maurice Greene, the world's best sprinter, and I won't lose!"

The finish line was in sight, and Greene could not give up. He was the world champion, and he had to maintain his dignity.

Maurice Greene did not give up.

Zhang Guan, of course, would not give up either.

Although Zhang Guan was not the world champion, he was an athlete. The finish line was right in front of him, and his competitor was right beside him. He had to fight for the first place with all his might, for the dignity of an athlete!

The two continued to run neck and neck, both making the final push, and both crossed the finish line at the same time!

"Cross the line!"

"Who crossed the line first?"

"Who was faster?"

The time stopped at 9.83 seconds. Everyone's attention was focused on the large timing board.

"First place is 9.83 seconds, who is it?" Coach Yu looked at the scoreboard and shouted excitedly, "It's Zhang Guan, Zhang Guan is 9.83 seconds!"

At the same time, Director Ma shouted in disappointment, "Greene, 9.83 seconds!"

In the next moment, both realized that Zhang Guan and Greene had the same time, 9.83 seconds!

There was a commotion in the stands. The audience then looked expectantly at the finish line, waiting for the final decision from the officials.

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Chapter 1 is here, please give me some recommendations.

By the way, before I started writing this book, I checked the race data for this semifinal. All the athletes were holding back, waiting for the final. How could I write that? It's impossible to write about our protagonist, Zhang Guan, qualifying first in the group by giving it his all while the other athletes didn't try their best. So, I started to set up the semifinal plot early, using Zhang Guan's bet on himself to bring about changes in the favorites and connect it with Greene's competitive nature, creating a plot where the two fight to the end. This plotline is not over yet and will continue.

I want to make every race unique, but writing about sprinting is different from writing about football or basketball. A football match lasts 90 minutes, and a basketball match lasts 48 minutes, not counting overtime. It's easy to make each match unique. However, a 100-meter sprint only lasts ten seconds, making it difficult to make each race unique. Therefore, I often need to set up plot points many chapters in advance, such as the betting plot, which will lead to other subplots or important characters. I won't reveal the details, but you'll see them gradually.

I am good at long-term plot setups, and some plot points may have a chain reaction, which is part of my personal style. Some long-term setups may not turn out well in the end, but I am genuinely putting effort into planning and designing the plot. I believe that no matter how good or bad the plot is, I must put in the effort and be responsible to my readers. Even if a certain plot is not entirely satisfactory, I have put in the effort to think and plan, at least giving myself a sense of fulfillment.

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End of the chapter.