Chapter 72

Being able to win a medal at the Olympics is a matter of bringing glory to the country. The delegation had long reached a consensus that any athlete who stands on the Olympic podium cannot be punished until the Olympic commendation ceremony is over. Punishing a medal-winning athlete before the Olympics are over is akin to slaying a hero on the battlefield, which is a major taboo. It not only damages the country's reputation but also undermines its credibility. Therefore, even if an athlete commits a serious offense, the delegation will try to suppress the matter first. As for how to settle accounts after the Olympics, that's another story.

The value of a medal in the men's 100-meter sprint is clearly incomparable to that of other events. Even a bronze medal in the 100-meter sprint holds far more significance for the national team than a gold medal in a dominant sport, as it represents a historic breakthrough, turning the impossible into the possible, and achieving what others have never achieved.

Director Gu naturally knew that if Zhang Guan really won a bronze medal in the men's 100-meter sprint, this punishment would be completely ineffective, and he would have to take the blame. After all, the document bears the official seal. Without the seal, it could be considered a misunderstanding, but with the seal, it becomes an official document, and someone must take responsibility, and that person would undoubtedly be Director Gu himself.

Suddenly, Director Gu found the red seal mark glaringly obvious, as if it were a death warrant, terrifying to behold.

"Did you win a bronze medal?" Director Gu asked cautiously.

"No!" Zhang Guan shook his head frankly.

Director Gu instantly felt relieved, thinking to himself that without a medal, Zhang Guan couldn't be so arrogant. But Zhang Guan's next words made him jump.

"You can guess a little higher," Zhang Guan said.

"Guess higher? What's above a bronze medal?" Director Gu immediately understood and asked in a trembling voice, "Did you win a silver medal?"

"No, you need to guess higher," Zhang Guan's smile grew even wider.

At that moment, Director Gu knew he was in trouble. Above a silver medal is naturally a gold medal, and Zhang Guan's expression clearly told him that he had won the gold.

"Gold medal? How can it be a gold medal? How is that possible! How could he have the ability to win a gold medal? Am I dreaming? Yes, it must be a dream, he can't possibly have won a gold medal!" Director Gu secretly bit his tongue and found it painful, finally confirming that this was not a dream.

Director Gu's face instantly turned ashen. Fortunately, he didn't have high blood pressure or any other such conditions, or he might have fainted on the spot.

"Gold medal? You won a gold medal?" Director Gu still felt the need to confirm.

"Almost right, guess a little higher," Zhang Guan said.

"Higher than a gold medal? There's nothing higher than a gold medal! The best in the Olympics is a gold medal!" Director Gu was slightly stunned, thinking that Zhang Guan was playing with him. At that moment, Director Gu suddenly felt a sense of the old days of public criticism, where intellectuals, despite their eloquence, were eventually paraded through the streets. Thinking of this, Director Gu became agitated: "You're playing with me, you didn't win any medal at all!"

"Higher than a gold medal is breaking the world record! This is a record-breaking victory, you're so stupid!" Zhang Guan smiled cunningly.

One sentence almost scared Director Gu to death. The feeling of such a dramatic rise and fall was almost exhilarating for him.

But the next moment, Director Gu regained his composure: "You don't need to use such tactics to delay time. Do you really think you can break the record and win? I won't believe anything you say. I'm going to read the punishment decision now."

"Whether I'm lying or not, just ask the people around you," Zhang Guan pointed to the journalists nearby.

Director Gu looked around, and although no journalist answered his question, their serious expressions suggested that what Zhang Guan said was true.

Director Gu's heart sank again, and at that moment, the final straw appeared.

"I can testify that in the recently concluded Olympic men's 100-meter sprint final, Zhang Guan won the championship and broke the world record, making an unprecedented breakthrough for the country's sports!" A deep voice rang out, and an elderly man walked through the crowd. The journalists, seeing him, automatically made way for him to come forward.

"Director Hou!"

In Greece, public transportation has priority, so the bus arrived at the Olympic Village first, while the car Director Hou was in arrived a bit later. When Director Hou got out of the car, he saw a crowd gathered around the bus and came over to see what was happening, just in time to witness the scene.

Director Hou walked through the crowd and said, "I was at the race when Zhang Guan competed. I can testify, do you have any questions?"

"N... No..." Director Gu almost cried. He knew that Zhang Guan's record-breaking victory in the 100-meter sprint would inevitably make him a national hero, and as a hero, he couldn't have any blemishes. Therefore, he himself would inevitably play the role of the villain in the movie, beaten by the hero. So, his political career would likely end prematurely.

Director Hou's appearance marked that the higher-ups would protect Zhang Guan, and no reason was needed, or rather, a world record in the 100-meter sprint was the best reason.

Director Hou held the punishment decision in his hand and said to the journalists, "While our athletes are constantly achieving new results and breakthroughs, some of our officials are still stuck in old ideas and concepts, especially with a long-standing mentality of favoring foreign things, thinking that foreign is better than domestic, and that the moon is rounder abroad! This is wrong! Our country has achieved remarkable results after years of openness and development, and our achievements in many fields are no less than those of foreigners, and in some cases, even better. We should neither be blindly arrogant nor undervalue ourselves, nor should we believe everything foreigners say..."

Director Hou glanced at Director Gu and continued, "Today's incident reflects the loopholes in our management. Some officials lack systematic management thinking and use simple and brutal management methods, which are areas we need to strengthen in the future."

"Furthermore, I must say that Zhang Guan won the championship in the Olympic men's 100-meter sprint and broke the world record, which is an unprecedented breakthrough for our country! This is the dream of several generations of track and field athletes! For this gold medal, the national track and field team's coaches and athletes have put in countless efforts and sweat..."

Due to Director Hou's arrival, the scene turned into a mini press conference. The next morning, Director Hou convened a meeting, where it was decided that Director Gu would be demoted to a secondary position, and Zhao would be transferred to a grassroots position. They also instructed the domestic media not to report on the incident that night, including Zhang Guan's gambling.

...

A small storm ended, and the forgetful media focused entirely on Zhang Guan. The Olympic champion and new world record holder instantly overshadowed the achievements of other Olympic athletes.

The men's 100-meter sprint championship has always been a domain where Asians struggle to compete, yet it is one of the most watched events in the world. Previously, the domestic attention to track and field was low because the athletes' abilities were far behind world-class competitors. Now, with the world's top sprinter, the situation has changed dramatically. The most primitive human sport, sprinting, has suddenly come to life, and almost everyone is talking about Zhang Guan's record-breaking victory. The disappointment over losing the men's table tennis gold medal instantly vanished.

...

The Greeks have a very slow pace of life, with normal working hours starting at 10 a.m., and 9 a.m. being the time for a normal breakfast.

Accountant Flagosks sat at the dining table, and the TV nearby was broadcasting the news.

"In the men's 100-meter sprint final that concluded yesterday, the Chinese athlete unexpectedly won the championship and broke the world record..."

"Chinese breaking the 100-meter sprint record?" Flagosks turned to look at the TV, where Zhang Guan was celebrating.

"It's him!" Flagosks exclaimed, and a few seconds later, he realized that this new world champion was his client!

Flagosks almost jumped with excitement. The fastest person on the planet being his client was a huge free advertisement for his accounting firm, and he could use this to attract more high-profile clients. At that moment, Flagosks saw a clear path to becoming a top accountant.

Thinking of this, Flagosks put down his breakfast and prepared to go to the Olympics to congratulate Zhang Guan.

At that moment, his phone rang, and the caller was OPAP's director, Osetoris.

Flagosks had just answered the phone when he heard the other party say anxiously, "Flagosks, do you know that the Chinese client I introduced to you a few days ago is a sprinter, and he won the men's 100-meter sprint championship and broke the world record yesterday!"

"I know, I know, I'm about to go to the Olympic Village to congratulate him," Flagosks said.

"No, dear Flagosks, you might have to wait a bit. I need you to come to my office first," Osetoris said.

"Why, my friend, do you have something important?" Flagosks asked.

"According to regulations, this is client privacy, and I can't tell you, but since he is also your client and you have signed an authorization document, I can tell you without violating the rules," Osetoris lowered his voice and continued, "Do you know that our world champion is very talented in betting? According to my records, he placed two large bets before, both through our OPAP and other European betting companies. One was on Iraq reaching the semi-finals in football."

"I'm not surprised, he was very optimistic about the Iraqi team, so he bet on Iraq beating Portugal. What was the prize money?" Flagosks asked, not revealing that Zhang Guan had discussed this with him.

"3.4 million euros," Osetoris replied.

"So much, even after tax, it would still be over 2 million euros. What about the other bet?" Flagosks asked.

"He bet on himself winning the Olympic men's 100-meter sprint championship, and he placed the bet before the track and field events started, at the highest odds. After preliminary calculations, the prize money for this bet is..." Osetoris paused and then said, "13.7 million euros!"

"Oh, my God!"

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Chapter 2 is delivered. Please give a recommendation if you like it. Thank you to Qing Yi Ru Hong Chen for the generous support. Thank you to book friends Xin Wei Xue, Wen Tian Tian Cheng, Shang Xin Zhong De Ren, zys512622, i Yu Sheng Qing Duo Zhi Jiao, gigiliu5277, Xing Xue Rou, Quan 18, Zhu Shen Yong Yuan De Cheng Nu, Shuai Si De Nian, Hu Jiu Jiu, Shu Du Ren - YES, Yue Zhi Feng Hen, Bei Gu Niang Ni Da De Xiao Guai Shou, Sui Ji, Hiolrsh, Xiang Nan Ju, Zong Shi Shu Huang ing, Da 1 Cheng, Zheng Jin Xuan for the support. Thank you!