Chapter 6 of the preliminary round begins
Old Chen brought Zhang Guan closer and introduced him, pointing to the coach beside him, saying: "This is Coach Yu, the coach of the national athletics team"
The organizers of the competition took into account the strength of the participants when forming the groups, ensuring that each of the 5 groups contained two to three strong athletes. As a result, there were no surprises in the subsequent semifinals, with the strong competitors successfully advancing to the finals
A time of 10.38 seconds, if placed in the previous year, would already be considered the fourth fastest domestic result of that year. However, this year, domestic athletes have generally performed well, and this time currently ranks fifth for the year. The sudden emergence of an individual capable of achieving this time will naturally attract the attention of coaches from various teams
Zhang Guan suddenly recalled that the national record at this time did not seem to be very fast, being outside of 10.10 seconds
Wang Peng is indeed an athlete capable of running within 10 seconds and 30 milliseconds, and he is also a local athlete from Tianjin. It is certain that this grouping will guarantee Wang Peng a spot in the semifinals; Hu Kai is an athlete discovered by Professor Li from Tsinghua University two years ago. Although he only started training in sprinting at the age of 18, his performance has improved remarkably over the past year, and his time should be around 10 seconds and 40 milliseconds. " Coach Chen thought to himself as he wrote down his estimated times next to the athletes' names.
Since 2004, with the retirement of a group of outstanding athletes who rose to prominence in the late 1990s, the domestic 100-meter sprint event has entered a low ebb characterized by a lack of successors. From 2004 to 2010, no athlete in the country managed to run within 10.20 seconds in competitions
Pang Guibin is one of the key contributors to the provincial team in winning the national championship in the 4x100 meters relay at the Ninth National Games. This athlete performs well during training, but his best official competition time is 10.40 seconds. Clearly, this is slower than Zhang Guan.
... ...
The progress of the 100-meter race was swift, and in the blink of an eye, the eighteen heats were completed. The coaches of each team quickly received the list of qualifiers and the upcoming groupings. Meanwhile, the name Zhang Guan spread rapidly.
... ...
Old Chen beside him chuckled and said, "Don't always compare one mountain to another. To be honest, your current performance meets my expectations. If you keep running like this and get a bit of luck, you might just win a medal. As for the national record, with more effort in the future, there will be opportunities."
"What was it again, ten seconds something?" Zhang Guan carefully recalled, only remembering the sprinter Su Feiren who ran 9.99 seconds, but he could not recall the current 100-meter record.
When Old Chen spoke of the hundred-meter record, he appeared somewhat regretful, as this national record has been maintained for five years without any athlete breaking it. In Zhang Guan's memory, this record stood for a full thirteen years, until it was finally broken by Su Feiren at the National Athletics Championships in 2011
After watching the guidance leave, Zhang Guancai finally spoke up and asked, "Old Chen, what is the current national record for the 100 meters?"
Zhang Guan started running but fell behind again
A time of 10.38 seconds, in the eyes of a coach at Chen Wenzhong's level, could make one the top sprinter in certain provincial teams, and would also allow one to hold a key position among the strongest sprinters in the Guangdong and Guangxi provinces.
You have just fallen behind by a significant margin in second place. During the preliminary round, there is no need to push yourself so hard; ensuring advancement is sufficient. There is no need to exert all your strength, as there will be a semi-final later, and you should conserve some energy.
"It's nothing. I'm just calculating how much I still need to improve," Zhang Guan thought to himself. "I remember now, the current national record is 10.17 seconds set by Zhou Wei, and I am only 0.21 seconds away. It doesn't seem too difficult. I just upgraded my sprinting skills, and both the effect and duration have improved, so perhaps I can reach that level."
The fastest time in the preliminary round is 10 seconds 38? Who ran so fiercely, do they not know that there are two matches to compete in this morning? His name is Zhang Guan? Where did he come from, I have never heard of this person before.
At the same time, the coaches of the Tianjin team and the Mountain City team were also advising Wang Peng and Hu Kai with the same words. Although these coaches may not have had impressive records in previous matches, their intellect was sharper than the next. Originally, there was an unexpected variable in this group of eight advancing to three, namely Zhang Guan, which led the coaches to adopt a more cautious approach in their strategic choices
What a terrible system this is, this task is simply impossible to complete! How could the national record be broken so easily? If I could break the national record, why would I still be here? I am currently running at 10.38 seconds, and what is the current national record again...
... ...
The moment Zhang Guan stood on his own track, he instantly attracted the attention of most people inside and outside the stadium. Both athletes and coaches were eager to learn about the athlete who had run a time of 10.38 seconds in the preliminary round, and even the judges couldn't help but take a second glance at Zhang Guan
At that moment, the starting gun fired, and Zhang Guan rushed out immediately, only to realize that he was already half a body length behind the competitor next to him
At this moment, Chen Wenzhong is seriously studying the promotion list and the grouping list
Old Chen also called Zhang Guan over to prepare for pre-match guidance
When Coach Chen Wenzhong opened the groupings for the rematch, he was astonished to find that Zhang Guan was grouped with his team's key player, Pang Guibin.
I understand now, Zhang Guan replied.
... ...
The semifinals will be held soon. A total of five matches will take place in the semifinals, with the top three from each group advancing, along with the best fourth place from the five groups, making a total of sixteen participants. The competition remains extremely fierce
Old Chen looked at the grouping list in his hand. He initially intended to introduce Zhang Guan to the notable characteristics of the other athletes in the same group. However, he soon realized that explaining technical characteristics to a beginner would be of no use; even if Zhang Guan understood, it would take time for him to digest and comprehend. Thus, Old Chen simply set aside the grouping list and said, "Run well in a while and strive to qualify"
What? Break a national record! Zhang Guan was taken aback by this task. In the past, Zhang Guan's best level was merely that of a national second-level athlete, and the national record seemed so distant to him, almost an insurmountable peak.
This group will definitely see Wang Peng in first place. The next two qualifying spots should go to our team’s Pang Guibin and Hu Kai from Shancheng. However, the sudden emergence of Zhang Guan presents an unknown factor. If he is indeed that fast, one of Pang Guibin and Hu Kai will surely be eliminated. Coach Chen circled Zhang Guan's name and then added a question mark. However, the sudden emergence of Zhang Guan presents an unknown factor. If he is indeed that fast, one of Pang Guibin and Hu Kai will surely be eliminated. Coach Chen circled Zhang Guan's name and then added a question mark.
In the athlete training system in the country, athletes begin their training from a young age. County-level sports teams select promising talents from schools, and those who perform well in county teams may be chosen for city-level teams. Similarly, outstanding athletes from city teams can be selected for provincial teams. There are also various levels of sports schools involved in the selection process. Under this multi-tiered selection system, excellent athletes have long been well-known. By the time they reach the provincial team level, they are very familiar with each other. It is no secret which teams have athletes in good form or which teams possess outstanding talents in their reserves. Even when a so-called "dark horse" emerges in competitions, it is usually an athlete who is already known to everyone, simply one that has not been paid much attention to before.
The expert-level sprinting skills have seen a significant improvement, and I wonder if I can break the national record with all my effort. However, this is only the semifinals; as long as I ensure my advancement, there should be no need to exert myself to the fullest.
Hello, Coach Yu!" Zhang Guan immediately greeted Coach Yu. He had noticed Coach Yu for quite some time, as a bald head is indeed very conspicuous, and Coach Yu was dressed in sportswear, which led Zhang Guan to naturally imagine him as a coach of some team. However, he did not expect that he was actually the coach of the national team
"Old Chen, I have been promoted." Zhang Guan ran over to Old Chen.
Chen Wenzhong is the sprint coach of the Guangxi provincial athletics team. In his youth, he was also a renowned sprinter in the country, having broken national records five times, including in 1996 when he set a new national record for the men's 100 meters with a time of 10.20 seconds. After retiring last year, Chen Wenzhong remained with his original team and became a coach.
Old Chen truly has a discerning eye, having found another good talent. With this thought in mind, Yu guidedly patted Zhang Guan's shoulder and said, "Young man, I remember you. In the upcoming competitions, run well. As long as your performance is not worse than it is now, if there are future training sessions for the national team, I will definitely count you in"
10 seconds 17. This was achieved by Zhou Wei at the National Athletics Grand Prix in 1998. Chen Lao turned to Zhang Guan and asked, "Why are you asking about this?"
After a few minutes of contemplation, Coach Chen called Pang Guibin over and quietly advised him: "You need to pay attention to Zhang Guan, who ranked first in the preliminary round; his ability to run 10.38 seconds may be a coincidence, but we cannot rule out the possibility that he truly possesses this strength. Therefore, when you run, do not hold back, and focus primarily on qualifying for the semifinals"
Coach Chen then looked down and discovered two more names on the list from the same group, namely local player Wang Peng from Tianjin and player Hu Kai from Shancheng
Zhang Guan's group was the last to perform, and with the presence of the local strongest competitor, Wang Peng, it attracted a significantly larger audience
However, the vast majority of people looked at Zhang Guan with skepticism. Zhang Guan appeared to be only seventeen or eighteen years old, and previously he was relatively unknown, making it unlikely for him to possess a high level of competitive skill. His preliminary round time of 10.38 seconds might have been a coincidence, and this semi-final would likely be the end of his journey in this competition.
When everyone learned that Zhang Guan was personally selected by Elder Chen, they displayed an attitude of taking it for granted. Elder Chen is a master in the field of athletics, and it is only natural that the disciples he personally selects are so outstanding.
However, today Zhang Guan clearly broke this tradition, achieving a time of 10.38 seconds to secure first place in the preliminaries, which quickly spread his name far and wide. At this moment, the coaches of various teams realized that they knew nothing about this athlete, prompting them to inquire everywhere in hopes of learning about Zhang Guan's background
Zhang Guan on the runway wore a smile, looking ahead at the finish line with an expression full of anticipation
While thinking, Zhang Guan walked off the runway and approached Old Chen.