Six Wins in the Golden League
Between August 30 and September 4, the Asian Athletics Championships were held in Korea. The previous Asian Athletics Championships took place in the Philippines, where Zhang Guan made his international debut, consecutively defeating competitors like Shingo Suetsugu and Nobuharu Asahara, and winning the championship by breaking the Asian record. That year's Asian Athletics Championships followed closely after the World Athletics Championships, and due to the short interval between the events, top domestic athletes did not participate.
This year, half a month has passed since the World Athletics Championships, giving the national team athletes ample time to adjust and prepare. Therefore, top domestic track and field athletes, including Liu Feiren, went to Incheon, Korea, to participate in this year's Asian Athletics Championships.
However, this time Zhang Guan couldn't participate because the final leg of the IAAF Golden League in Berlin was scheduled for September 4, overlapping with the Asian Athletics Championships. Zhang Guan had already won the previous five events, and if he won the last one, he would secure the $1 million jackpot. Thus, Zhang Guan would not forgo the Golden League. From the national team's perspective, the Golden League's final major victory is much more significant than winning an Asian Athletics Championships title in terms of prize money, difficulty, and honor. The Golden League surpasses the Asian Athletics Championships by a wide margin in all aspects.
According to the IAAF Golden League rules, winning five out of the six events entitles an athlete to a share of the $500,000 prize pool. Currently, besides Zhang Guan, Russian long jump queen Lebedeva also achieved five victories, meaning she and Zhang Guan would share the $500,000, effectively guaranteeing each of them $250,000.
For Zhang Guan and Lebedeva, the final Golden League event in Berlin was a $500,000 race. If both won, they would split the remaining $500,000; if neither won, they would get nothing from the remaining prize. However, if one of them won while the other did not, the winner would take the entire remaining $500,000.
Although they competed in different events, the final Golden League leg turned them into competitors. Media worldwide speculated on who would win the final prize, with many sports journalists and analysts predicting how the $1 million would be distributed.
Deutsche Welle conducted a poll among the public, showing that only 10% believed that neither Zhang Guan nor Lebedeva would win in Berlin. Thirteen percent believed only Lebedeva would win, 17% thought only Zhang Guan would win, and a whopping 53% thought both would win, while 7% had no opinion.
Professional sports analysts offered more detailed insights. For example, German professional athletics coach Ewald expressed his view in the "Berlin Daily": "In the men's 100-meter sprint, since Powell withdrew from this year's Golden League due to injury, Zhang Guan's victory in all six events is almost a certainty. The remaining competitors are far inferior to Zhang Guan and have all been defeated by him before. Moreover, Zhang Guan arrived in Berlin a week early for adaptive training, skipping the August 28 IAAF Grand Prix in Rieti. I believe for Zhang Guan, the key is to perform as usual."
"In the women's triple jump, Lebedeva has been plagued by injuries, which caused her to miss the World Championships. She competed injured in the last Golden League event in Brussels. Her main rival, World Championships champion Smith, also competed injured," Ewald continued.
"Lebedeva has had a persistent ankle injury, which kept her out of the World Championships. However, her injury is not severe enough to prevent normal competition. It is evident that Lebedeva intentionally rested to prepare for the Golden League, aiming for the final $1 million prize. Compared to the $1 million Golden League prize, the World Championships title prize is only €10,000, with an additional €100,000 for breaking the world record."
"Lebedeva's main rival in the triple jump is Jamaica's Smith, who placed fourth in the women's triple jump at the Athens Olympics. Besides participating in the Golden League, she also competed in this year's World Championships, where she won the triple jump but got injured, missing the Zurich and Brussels legs of the Golden League. The Berlin leg is her comeback from injury, and her condition is uncertain."
The competition for the $1 million between Zhang Guan and Lebedeva was the most anticipated event of the Berlin Golden League and the entire series. Since they competed in different events, the order of their competitions became crucial.
The athlete who competed first would have a psychological advantage over the one who competed later. Winning first would put significant pressure on the other competitor, while not winning could relieve some pressure for the later competitor. Therefore, the order of competition was vital. The nature of the triple jump and the 100-meter sprint is different: the 100-meter sprint is over within a few minutes, while the triple jump involves each athlete making six jumps, taking much longer.
Finally, the organizers reached a compromise: the triple jump would start first, with the 100-meter sprint occurring during the triple jump competition.
...
The competition day arrived. When Lebedeva appeared on the runway, the crowd erupted in cheers. As the champion of the last women's triple jump, Lebedeva was the last to compete among all the participants. She waved to the crowd to quiet them before starting her run-up.
Run-up, hop, step, and jump—Lebedeva executed her moves flawlessly. However, upon landing in the sandpit, her expression was not good. Her first jump was only 13.93 meters, a poor result for an athlete of her caliber. In previous Golden League events, Lebedeva had only twice jumped less than 13.93 meters, making this her third-worst performance in the series.
Fortunately for Lebedeva, her main competitor, Jamaica's Smith, also had a poor result, just over 14 meters, indicating Smith's injury had not fully healed. Lebedeva quickly adjusted, preparing for her next jump.
Meanwhile, on the track, the eight male 100-meter runners were at their positions, awaiting the referee's signal.
"The men's 100-meter race is about to start!" The DJ's announcement caught Lebedeva's attention. She saw Zhang Guan warming up at the starting line, his yellow skin standing out among the black athletes.
"Zhang Guan is also competing. If he wins, I'll lose $250,000. I must put pressure on him. My next jump must be a decisive victory!" Lebedeva thought, walking to the runway.
Run-up, hop, step, jump—a perfect execution. Upon landing, Lebedeva smiled, knowing she had just landed a jump precisely on the 15-meter mark, enough for a win.
"Yes, I've won! Audience, you can cheer for me now!" Lebedeva awaited the crowd's applause but was met with sighs instead.
"What's going on?" Lebedeva turned sharply, seeing the referee raising a red flag.
Her jump was a foul, with the result nullified. To achieve a good distance, Lebedeva had pushed her takeoff point to the limit, stepping on the foul line without realizing it.
The second foul affected Lebedeva's mood, but as an experienced athlete, she quickly adjusted for her third jump. Nearby, the men's 100-meter race had not yet started, and Lebedeva prepared for her third attempt.
The crowd gave her enthusiastic applause for her third jump, which was 14.78 meters, placing her first among all participants.
Lebedeva started bowing to the audience as if she had already won the championship and secured the $1 million prize.
But just two minutes later, Sudanese athlete Aldama emerged, jumping 14.82 meters, surpassing Lebedeva.
Meanwhile, the starting gun for the 100-meter sprint fired.
...
"Zhang Guan takes the lead!"
The camera focused on Zhang Guan, moving alongside him on the track, capturing every action and expression. The other competitors, though trying hard, had become mere bystanders. Everyone awaited Zhang Guan's finish, no longer caring about the battle for second place.
"Zhang Guan has crossed the finish line! He's the champion! He wins the $1 million prize! Six consecutive victories! He is the fourth athlete to claim the million-dollar jackpot," the commentator announced. "Before 2003, the Golden League awarded 50 kilograms of gold directly. After 2003, it changed to a $1 million prize. Previously, three athletes—Mozambique's Mutola, Bahama's Darin Williams, and Sweden's Olsson—had won the jackpot. According to the rules, Lebedeva's five victories have also earned her $250,000 of the million-dollar prize. Now, the final distribution of this year's prize, whether equally split or one taking a larger share, depends on Lebedeva's performance!"
The pressure had now shifted to Lebedeva.
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