Breaking the 100-Meter Record Twice in a Week
Although track and field events don't have weight divisions like boxing or judo, athletes can still be classified into different tiers based on their competitive levels. In the 100-meter sprint, it's quite normal for a world-class athlete to lead a first-rate athlete by the first 50 meters, and similarly, a first-rate athlete might lead a second-rate athlete within that distance.
What is considered a world-class 100-meter sprinter? Anyone who can run under 10 seconds is classified as a world-class 100-meter sprinter. Generally, these athletes can make it to the semifinals or finals of major track meets, and with a bit of luck, they might even compete for a medal, qualifying them as world-class.
Then, what defines a top-tier track and field athlete? In the 100 meters, someone like Asafa Powell is clearly top-tier. In fact, for the 100 meters, if an athlete can easily run under 10 seconds, they are considered among the top in the world, capable of competing for medals in events like the Olympics and World Championships. If Powell were to race against Shingo Suetsugu, he could definitely lead Suetsugu within the first 50 meters if he wanted to, because they are athletes of different calibers.
When athletes of different levels compete, if the higher-level athlete gains an advantage within the first 50 meters, the gap will only widen, because the faster athlete will continue to increase their speed, naturally pulling further ahead.
Athletes like Powell, Justin Gatlin, Maurice Greene, Shawn Crawford, Obikwelu, and Kim Collins are all top-tier athletes. It's almost impossible for them to gain a decisive advantage within the first 50 meters because they are essentially on the same level. Their competitions are often decided right at the finish line.
Today, however, in the showdown between Zhang Guan and Powell, Zhang Guan gained an advantage by the 50-meter mark, and he continued to outpace Powell. This can only mean one thing: Zhang Guan's level is significantly higher than Powell's.
Therefore, this race has already become a demonstration of overwhelming superiority.
Powell silently lamented, "It turns out Zhang Guan has been hiding his true strength all along! His actual capability exceeds mine; we are no longer in the same league!"
At 60 meters, 70 meters, and 80 meters, Zhang Guan's lead continued to grow. Powell kept trying to catch up, but in his heart, he had already given up the race.
Before reaching the finish line, Zhang Guan slightly controlled his pace and crossed the line with a time of 9.73 seconds, undoubtedly breaking the world record he set just a week ago.
"Zhang Guan! Leading by a huge margin, an unassailable lead. Okay, he's crossing the line now, the champion! Zhang Guan wins, and his time is... Oh! Another world record! My goodness! It's only been a week! Zhang Guan has broken the world record twice in one week!" The commentator roared in excitement.
Powell looked despondent. This race had shattered his confidence in competing against Zhang Guan. Not long ago, he was only 0.01 seconds away from the world record. Yet, in just one week, Zhang Guan had broken the world record twice, both times in front of Powell. This dealt a severe blow to Powell's self-confidence. He realized that from now on, he could only look up to Zhang Guan.
"Zhang Guan is only 19 years old and already at this level. It seems that he will dominate the 100-meter sprint for the next decade. Should I switch to running the 200 meters?" Powell immediately dismissed this idea, worried that in a few years, Zhang Guan might also transition to the 200 meters, leaving him to face defeat once again.
Staring at the 9.73-second mark on the timing board, Powell sighed helplessly. At that moment, he completely abandoned the idea of defeating Zhang Guan, feeling a sudden sense of relief. He walked over to Zhang Guan and said, "Congratulations, Zhang Guan! You broke the world record again."
"Thank you, Asafa! But I think in three or four years, you might be able to achieve an even faster time than this," Zhang Guan replied, knowing that Powell's personal best was 9.72 seconds, set in 2008.
Powell suddenly felt an indescribable emotion and then said, "By that time, you will probably have run under 9.7 seconds."
Powell then sincerely asked, "Zhang Guan, I could tell you weren't giving it your all just now. You were holding back. Can you tell me how fast you can really run?"
"I haven't tried yet," Zhang Guan thought for a moment, then added, "I think in the future, I might be able to run under 9.6 seconds."
Powell gasped. He felt that a time under 9.6 seconds was beyond human capability.
But Zhang Guan knew that just breaking 9.6 seconds would not be enough because, in the future, there would be Usain Bolt, whose best time is 9.58 seconds.
...
In the early morning, the sound of firecrackers crackled from the residential complex.
"Who's having a celebration again?" Some curious onlookers stopped to watch, but when they saw which complex it was, they immediately understood.
"It must be Zhang Guan winning another championship!" said an old lady walking her dog, which was startled by the firecracker noise.
Every time Zhang Guan won a championship, firecrackers would be set off to celebrate at his residential complex. The property management office had even been inspected by the fire department for storing such flammable and explosive materials.
"They're setting off quite a lot of firecrackers today! Must be a few thousand bangs," the old lady remarked.
A nearby street vendor selling meat buns chimed in, "I remember last week, they set off a lot of firecrackers too, probably because Zhang Guan broke the world record, so they set off ten extra strings of firecrackers. Could it be that Zhang Guan broke the world record again?"
"Impossible, it's only been a week!" the old lady shook her head.
Moments later, the sound of firecrackers finally stopped, and one of the elderly men watching the commotion turned on his radio.
"Breaking news: Our country's athlete, Zhang Guan, has just broken the men's 100-meter world record again with a time of 9.73 seconds at the recently concluded IAAF Golden League Rome meet! This is just a week after he last broke the world record..."
"Oh, he really did break the world record again!" the street vendor exclaimed in astonishment.
...
In one week, Zhang Guan broke the men's 100-meter world record twice, an unprecedented feat!
Although Zhang Guan had previously broken the indoor 60-meter world record twice in one week, the 100-meter sprint and the indoor 60 meters are on completely different levels, much like comparing F3 racing to F1 racing. Winning ten F3 championships doesn't compare to winning one F1 championship.
In the past, people were accustomed to waiting months, even years, for a new 100-meter world record and for the crowning of a new world's fastest man. Last year, Zhang Guan broke the world record twice in a month, surprising many.
Now, less than a year later, Zhang Guan has broken the 100-meter world record twice in one week, sending shockwaves around the world. This unprecedented achievement has captured global attention, with media comparing Zhang Guan to past track and field legends and some even proclaiming him as the greatest athlete of this century.
...
After the IAAF Golden League meet in Rome, Zhang Guan immediately headed to Madrid to participate in the IAAF Super Grand Prix. According to the track and field center's schedule, the Madrid meet wasn't originally part of the competition plan, so Liu Feiren (Liu Xiang) returned directly to China from Rome. However, Zhang Guan decided to travel to Madrid at his own expense to compete.
The Madrid Super Grand Prix took place four days after the Rome Golden League meet. Zhang Guan had just used a potion to maximize his state during the Rome meet, so he didn't want to waste the effect of the potion. Additionally, he needed to participate in competitions to earn skill points. Even with a tight schedule, Zhang Guan went to Madrid and won another gold medal.
With no competitions for the next ten days, Zhang Guan flew back to China for some rest.
However, upon returning to China, Zhang Guan found himself caught up in a whirlwind of activities. Breaking the 100-meter world record twice in a week had caused a sensation worldwide, and it was even more impactful in China. Numerous media outlets flocked to Pudong City to interview Zhang Guan, and advertising endorsement contracts poured in like snowflakes.
Interviews, shooting commercials, and attending various events became the main themes of Zhang Guan's daily life. Busy yet fulfilling, Zhang Guan's once-annoying tasks became routine, and the exhausting daily grind translated into rapid growth in his bank account.
A steady stream of commercial activities inevitably affected Zhang Guan's training. This continued until he boarded the plane to the UK.
On July 22, Zhang Guan won another gold medal at the IAAF Super Grand Prix in London.
However, during this competition, Zhang Guan felt that the enthusiasm in the stadium wasn't as high as before. When he was the first to cross the finish line, the cheers and applause were far less thunderous than he had expected, as if the entire audience had grown accustomed to Zhang Guan winning.
Indeed, both the audience and the media had started to become accustomed to it. As long as Zhang Guan competed, he was expected to win. For the world, Zhang Guan winning the 100-meter sprint was no longer news but a matter of course. The real news would be when Zhang Guan didn't win a championship.
On July 26, at the IAAF Super Grand Prix in Stockholm, Zhang Guan won another championship amidst the crowd's calm demeanor. Since the Lausanne meet, Zhang Guan had swept all four IAAF Super Grand Prix championships.
On July 29, the IAAF Golden League meet was held in Oslo, Norway. Liu Feiren didn't participate this time because, after failing to win the previous two meets, he had no chance of winning the final gold award. Instead, he chose to stay in China to prepare for the upcoming World Championships in Athletics.
Jamaican sprinter Powell also missed this meet due to a recurring injury, forcing him to skip recent competitions, including the upcoming World Championships.
Zhang Guan went through another intense week with three competitions in seven days. Particularly at the Golden League meet in Oslo, being the third competition in the week, it was a significant test for Zhang Guan. He only managed a time of 9.95 seconds, but fortunately, his strongest opponents, Jamaican Dwight Thomas and Briton Jason Gardener, both ran over 10 seconds, securing another win for Zhang Guan.
In the IAAF Golden League, Zhang Guan had now won three competitions. According to the Golden League rules, he needed to win two more competitions to compete for the $500,000 gold bars. If he won all three remaining competitions, he would have the chance to win gold bars worth a million dollars.
So far, only Russia's long jump queen Tatyana Lebedeva and French sprinter Aaron have achieved three consecutive victories, just like Zhang Guan.
After the Golden League meet in Oslo, Zhang Guan headed directly to Helsinki, Finland, for the 10th World Championships in Athletics.
Initially, the World Championships were held every four years, but now they are held every two years. This event is highly valued by the national team.
Track and field has traditionally been a weak spot for the national team, but they are very competitive in walking events and women's throwing events, often winning medals in world-class competitions. However, the IAAF Grand Prix, Super Grand Prix, and Golden League rarely feature walking events, focusing mainly on running events. As a result, aside from Liu Feiren and Zhang Guan, few other athletes get the opportunity to compete abroad.
The World Championships, however, feature all Olympic track and field events, and the qualification requirements are much lower than those of the Grand Prix or Golden League, allowing many domestic athletes to participate.
This year's Championships feature over 1,200 athletes. The national team has sent a team of 36. For the men, there are three athletes each in the 110-meter hurdles, 20-kilometer walk, and 50-kilometer walk, and one athlete each in the 100 meters, 200 meters, triple jump, pole vault, discus, javelin, and decathlon. For the women, the national team is competing in a wider range of events, including all but the short-distance running, middle-distance running, long jump, and heptathlon.
Zhang Guan arrived in Finland's Helsinki much earlier than the rest of the national team, as he had come directly from Oslo in Norway. By the time the national team arrived, Zhang Guan had already been training in Helsinki for several days.
...
"How are you feeling?" Director Ma handed Zhang Guan an unopened bottle of water and sat down beside him.
"Not bad. My training has been pretty consistent these past few days, and my condition is better than it was before. Winning the championship is definitely within reach!" Zhang Guan replied, taking a sip of water.
"Don't count your chickens before they hatch!" Director Ma laughed, then continued, "Winning the championship this time won't be as easy as you think."
"With Powell absent due to injury, who else is there? My strongest competitor is probably Obikwelu, right? The others like Kim Collins, Dwight Thomas, Jason Gardener, and Aziz Zakari are all second-tier, no real threat to me," Zhang Guan remarked.
"Take a look at the list of participants first." Director Ma handed Zhang Guan a piece of paper.
Looking at the list of participants, Zhang Guan's brow furrowed as he saw a very familiar name:
"Gatlin, he's here too!"
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