Chapter 95

In the hotel's buffet restaurant, Director Luo, as the team leader, held a plate and walked over to Zhang Guan, sitting down beside him and said, "How do you feel? Are you getting used to it?"

"Pretty good. The Japanese food is quite light, but it's more palatable than Western cuisine," Zhang Guan replied.

"Alright, run well in tomorrow's competition, but don't put too much pressure on yourself," Director Luo encouraged Zhang Guan before turning to leave.

"Director Luo doesn't look too good, what's wrong?" Zhang Guan quietly asked Coach Yu across the table.

"He's worried about the International Athletics Golden Grand Prix! I haven't told you about this yet, but our country plans to host an international athletics series grand prix next year, hoping to follow the model of the IAAF Golden League, holding it annually. The provisional name is the International Athletics Golden Grand Prix. The association has already applied to the IAAF, but it seems to be stuck recently," Coach Yu leaned forward and continued, "It's stuck with a high-ranking official of the IAAF, someone named Sebastian."

"The name sounds familiar, is he British?" Zhang Guan asked immediately.

"Yes, he's British. He was an athlete in his youth and even set a world record," Coach Yu replied.

"Track and field? Middle distance?" Zhang Guan asked further.

Coach Yu nodded, "Track and field, otherwise he wouldn't be in the IAAF. As for which event, I don't know."

"It must be him!" Zhang Guan knew that if he guessed correctly, this Sebastian would be the future president of the London Olympic Committee and the next president of the IAAF.

Zhang Guan didn't have a good impression of Sebastian. He vividly remembered the actions of the British during the London Olympics, where they blacklisted China's gold medal in gymnastics, accused China of消极比赛 (negative competition) in badminton, penalized China for correct serving in table tennis, overturned China's gold medal in cycling, and hung the Chinese flag lower during the award ceremony... Such incidents were countless, and it was clear that the British Olympic Committee did not want China to win more gold medals.

...

The Celebrity Invitational Meet does not have preliminary, semi-final, and final rounds like the Olympics. For example, in the 100-meter event, the organizers invited five international athletes and three Japanese athletes, making a total of eight runners, and the race is decided in one go. Therefore, even though there are many events in track and field, the entire competition can be completed in one day.

The Yokohama International Stadium is quite large, with a capacity of over 40,000 people, but it was packed to the brim.

The sports atmosphere in Japan is very strong, and their sports programs start from a young age. For instance, in track and field, multiple short-distance races and relay races are held annually from kindergarten. In the minds of ordinary Japanese, encouraging children to participate in sports extracurricular activities is a very commendable thing, and they are not worried that sports might affect academic performance.

Of course, the full house today also had another reason: the Japanese team won another Olympic gold medal!

Although the Olympics have ended, the competition for Olympic gold medals has not. Recently, the International Olympic Committee announced that the gold medal in the hammer throw event at the Athens Olympics, which was won by Hungarian athlete Anus, was revoked due to the use of performance-enhancing drugs. The medal was awarded to Japanese hammer thrower Shiro Kato. Therefore, Japan decided to take advantage of the IAAF All-Star Meet to hold a gold medal award ceremony for Shiro Kato, and many Japanese people rushed to Yokohama to witness Shiro Kato receiving the Olympic gold medal.

The ceremony to award Shiro Kato the gold medal was held after the 110-meter hurdles event. In the 110-meter hurdles, Liu Fei once again defeated American hurdler Alan Johnson, winning the gold medal with a time of 13.08 seconds. This performance was quite impressive for Liu Fei, considering he had not undergone systematic training after the Olympics and was not in his best form, yet he still managed to run 13.08 seconds, demonstrating his strong capabilities.

After the award ceremony, the men's 100-meter sprint was up next. The 100-meter sprint is always the highlight of track and field events and is usually placed as the final event.

Zhang Guan was still preparing in the rest area when a young man approached him and said awkwardly, "Zhang Guan, can I take a photo with you?"

Zhang Guan recognized the man as a reporter with the team, though he didn't know him personally. Since he was part of the team, Zhang Guan readily agreed to the photo request.

The reporter looked very happy and said, "My name is Yang Zhongyi, and I'm a reporter with the team. I was at the scene when you broke the Asian record in the Philippines last year. You're about to compete, good luck!"

"Thanks," Zhang Guan smiled at Yang Zhongyi.

This reporter, Yang Zhongyi, had witnessed Zhang Guan breaking the Asian record in Manila last year. He did not have the opportunity to attend the Olympics, but he was fortunate enough to be part of the team for the Yokohama All-Star Meet.

At this moment, the Japanese national anthem played in the stadium.

Yang Zhongyi frowned and then sighed.

"Why the sigh?" Zhang Guan asked casually.

"They're awarding Shiro Kato the gold medal outside!" Yang Zhongyi said sourly.

"Awarding the gold medal? Did the Japanese do it themselves or did the IOC do it?" Zhang Guan asked.

"The IOC did it," Yang Zhongyi explained the situation to Zhang Guan and then said, "The Japanese are really clever. They chose such a special occasion. The news of Liu Fei defeating Alan Johnson might not get much media coverage now."

"What do you mean?" Zhang Guan asked.

"Originally, the media came to report on the Yokohama All-Star Meet. With many sports stars here, the sports section's front page tomorrow might have been about this competition. But with the Japanese making such a fuss, it's uncertain now. Doping scandals always grab the most attention, especially when an Olympic champion is involved. With a bit of lobbying, the doping scandal could overshadow the All-Star Meet and even make the front page of tomorrow's sports sections."

"Is that so?" Zhang Guan suddenly remembered the Japanese reporter's interview where he kept mentioning doping and said fiercely, "Then I'll go and grab the front page!"

...

In the press area, American reporter Duke was drafting his news article.

"The Olympic champion in the hammer throw from Hungary was found to have used performance-enhancing drugs, making this the first doping scandal after the Olympics! The audience loves this kind of story, so it's sure to be the front page of the sports section tomorrow. I'll write a few lines about the Japanese being awarded the gold medal, considering the small gift the Japanese organizers gave me," Duke thought as he outlined his article.

As for the IAAF All-Star Meet, Duke had already forgotten about it. Alan Johnson lost to Liu Fei again, and the U.S. team might not win the 100-meter sprint. Reporting on a U.S. team that didn't win, especially in an invitational meet, was not as interesting as the doping scandal in the hammer throw.

Duke looked up at the athletes preparing on the track, including Justin Gatlin and Maurice Greene from the U.S. team.

In addition, there were European champion Obikwelu from Portugal, World Championship winner Kim Collins, and three Japanese athletes. Of course, the world's fastest man, Zhang Guan, was also present.

"I wonder how the Chinese are doing now! I heard Maurice Greene was determined to compete against Zhang Guan," Duke thought to himself.

...

The 100-meter sprint was about to begin.

On the track, Zhang Guan looked around. He recognized the four black athletes. Among the three Japanese athletes, he knew Asahara Nobuyuki and Takahiro Koga, but Endo Shingo did not participate, and instead, 19-year-old Japanese athlete Tsukahara Naoki took his place.

Tsukahara Naoki was a rising star in Japanese short-distance running. Although he was a year older than Zhang Guan, he stood out with his 1.85-meter height and weight over 70 kilograms, which was rare for a Japanese athlete. Therefore, the Japanese called Tsukahara Naoki the Japanese athlete closest to a black athlete.

The audience was still discussing the gold medal award ceremony for Shiro Kato until the eight athletes on the track were ready, and the stadium gradually quieted down.

Zhang Guan placed his feet on the starting blocks and, at the same time, used a status potion and a stamina potion in the system to boost his status and stamina to full. He then prepared quietly for the start.

To his right was the Japanese veteran Asahara Nobuyuki. At this moment, Asahara Nobuyuki felt a deep sense of reflection. A year ago, in Manila, Philippines, he had competed against Zhang Guan. Now, a year later, they were competing again, but Zhang Guan's strength was far beyond his reach.

To Zhang Guan's left was American Justin Gatlin.

Gatlin won a silver medal in the 100-meter sprint and a bronze medal in the 200-meter sprint at the Olympics, which was a good result, but he was not satisfied. He wanted to achieve better results and break the world record. However, Gatlin knew that his first step was to defeat the Chinese athlete beside him.

Since the Athens Olympics, Gatlin had been in the best form of his career. He was the only athlete who could compete with Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell from 2005 to 2006, and Gatlin's record against Powell was even better.

As for Maurice Greene, he was specifically targeting Zhang Guan.

After the Olympics, athletes usually enter a relaxation period, but Greene continued to train. His goal was to defeat Zhang Guan in the next competition!

...

The eight athletes stood on the track, holding their breath, waiting for the starting gun.

Finally, the starter's gun sounded, and the highly anticipated 100-meter sprint began.

The start was smooth, and the athletes immediately sprinted at full speed.

Because their opponent was Zhang Guan, Greene gave it his all from the start, hoping to defeat Zhang Guan.

Because their opponent was Zhang Guan, Gatlin also gave it his all from the start, hoping to defeat Zhang Guan.

Because their opponent was Zhang Guan, Obikwelu also gave it his all from the start, hoping to defeat Zhang Guan.

Because their opponents were Zhang Guan, Gatlin, Greene, and Obikwelu, Kim Collins also gave it his all from the start, as being left far behind would be embarrassing.

Zhang Guan was determined to steal the front page from the Japanese, so he gave it his all from the start.

Although this was not the Olympic final, the top sprinters in the world treated this race as if it were an Olympic final.

As a result, the three Japanese athletes were left far behind.

---

Chapter 2 delivered, please give a recommendation. Thank you to the readers who supported me: I Love Fantasy, Fantasy, Moon's Hatred, _Book Savage_, Zheng Jinxuan, Fashion Brother, Free Hire, Endless Book Enthusiast, Tianchang Tushan Hao, Zhu Luoyan, 9922392, Da1 Cheng, Quan18. Thanks.

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