Masha, Teach Me How to Play Tennis!
44.50 seconds, a new Asian record for the 400 meters sprint. The general public might think this is an impressive achievement, but it doesn't seem as dazzling as the Asian record for the 100 meters. However, seasoned sports professionals know that the record for the 400 meters sprint might carry even more prestige than that of the 100 meters.
The 400 meters sprint requires technique, physical strength, speed, and, more importantly, it involves many uncertainties. The 44.56 seconds by Omani athlete Al-Malki was already considered an insurmountable number for Asians. Yet today, Zhang Guan has surpassed this number by 0.06 seconds.
The crowd began to celebrate, even starting a wave in the stands. It's safe to say that 100% of the audience came to witness Zhang Guan's debut in the 400 meters, hoping he would achieve a great result. Now that Zhang Guan has broken the Asian record, he has undoubtedly delivered a satisfactory answer.
At the finish line, Zhang Guan waved to the surrounding spectators. Simultaneously, a notification appeared in the system: "The first athlete to run 100 meters in under ten seconds, 200 meters in under twenty seconds, and 400 meters in under forty-five seconds. Reward: three skill points!"
"There's a reward for this too, and it's three points!" Zhang Guan was instantly delighted. Previously, he knew there were rewards for breaking records, winning championships, and achieving six consecutive victories in the Golden League. But he didn't expect to be rewarded for accomplishing achievements like this as well.
"It seems that achievements also count as a form of honor," Zhang Guan thought silently.
The honors of the East Asian Games come with diminished rewards, with only one skill point for a championship. However, the Asian record carries no such reduction, so he still gets two points. In total, Zhang Guan has earned six skill points from these two wins, and with the three points for the achievement honor, Zhang Guan now has nine skill points. After deducting the six points spent on learning flexibility and coordination, Zhang Guan still has a net gain of three skill points. Tomorrow, Zhang Guan has another race, the 4x100 meters relay.
…
"Breaking the Asian record twice in two days, and he also became the first person in the world to run 100 meters in under ten seconds, 200 meters in under twenty seconds, and 400 meters in under forty-five seconds." The news about Zhang Guan continued to air on the television.
Takano Jin, watching the replay of the race on TV, said, "Coach, I still can't understand how Zhang Guan's final sprint could be so fast. After running 300 meters at a high speed, his energy reserves should be largely depleted. But Zhang Guan's sprinting speed didn't seem like he had just run 300 meters; it was more like he had just finished a 100-meter sprint. This isn't scientifically possible!"
"But the fact is that Zhang Guan did have very ample energy reserves at the end! We can only conclude that Zhang Guan has exceptional stamina," Kobayashi Keikazu replied.
"And I have another question. Given that Zhang Guan had such ample energy reserves, why didn't he run faster earlier? He could have chosen to use a different running strategy, like Michael Johnson's technique, starting his sprint at 250 meters; or the traditional method of accelerating on both straights," Takano Jin continued.
"Indeed, if I had his level of energy reserves, I would definitely run like Wariner, whose method is considered the most advanced in the world right now. But Zhang Guan didn't do that. His running style looks like an old-fashioned method from the last century, a method that has disappeared for over half a century!" Kobayashi Keikazu's eyes shone with a peculiar light as he said, "So I believe that Zhang Guan isn't using an old-fashioned running style, but rather a completely new method!"
"A completely new method?" Takano Jin was taken aback.
Kobayashi Keikazu nodded earnestly. "Yes, a completely new method! And it could be a method particularly suited to the physical characteristics of East Asians. This method might allow conserving energy in the early stages and could help avoid the issue of insufficient explosive power in East Asians. I believe that if we can learn this new method, our 400 meters sprint project in Japan could definitely rise to prominence!"
"This…" Takano Jin hesitated. As a former professional 400 meters sprinter who had once clocked a sub-45-second time, his professional judgment told him that Zhang Guan was not using any new running method, but simply had extraordinary physical fitness.
However, the Japanese sense of hierarchy and respect prevented Takano Jin from voicing his disagreement with his superior's judgment. Kobayashi Keikazu was, after all, the head coach, and Takano Jin, as a subordinate, could not question his superior's decisions.
"Takano-kun, when we return to Japan, we need to thoroughly analyze every move Zhang Guan made in the 400 meters, including every step he took. We also need to collect as much information as possible on Zhang Guan's 400 meters races. We need to study Zhang Guan's new method and learn it! In the future, we might even be able to improve upon Zhang Guan's technique!" Kobayashi Keikazu spoke with increasing excitement, his ideas growing more and more far-fetched.
Thus, Japan's 400 meters sprint program embarked on a path of no return…
…
In the 4x100 meters relay event, the national team fielded a lineup of Hu Kai, Jin Ke, Yang Yao, and Zhang Guan. As for the Japanese team, since Shingo Suetsugu and Nobuharu Asahara did not participate, a few young athletes alone were clearly no match for the Chinese team. As a result, the national team won another gold medal in the 4x100 meters relay.
With this, in the men's track and field events, the gold medals for the 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, 4x100 meters relay, and 110 meters hurdles were all taken by the national team.
Afterward, Zhang Guan returned to the capital to attend the East Asian Games awards ceremony. Following this, he took a leave of absence from the Track and Field Management Center and immediately flew to Los Angeles in the United States.
The WTA year-end championships were held in Los Angeles, USA, starting on November 7th. This is the last event of the WTA season, with a total prize money of up to $3 million, including $1 million for the champion.
Last year's WTA year-end championship was won by Sharapova, so she was competing as the defending champion.
The right to participate in the WTA year-end championships is determined by the WTA official rankings, with the top eight players qualifying. This year, the Williams sisters were both sidelined with leg and knee injuries and missed many tournaments, resulting in lower rankings. Henin also missed out due to injury, so world number nine Elena Dementieva replaced Henin.
The other six players participating were Davenport from the United States, Petrova from Russia, Schnyder from Switzerland, Clijsters from Belgium, and Mauresmo and Pierce from France. Among them, Davenport from the United States and Clijsters from Belgium are currently ranked first and second in the WTA rankings, with only a small gap between them. Sharapova, in third place, is more than 600 points behind them and is out of the race for the year-end number one ranking.
The WTA year-end championships use a round-robin format. The eight players are divided into two groups, with the top two from each group advancing to the semifinals and the winners of the semifinals competing for the championship. Sharapova was grouped with Davenport, Schnyder, and Petrova.
In the group stage, Sharapova defeated Swiss player Schnyder 2-1, then won against American Davenport by the same score, but in the third match, she lost to Petrova due to a recurrence of an old chest injury. In the semifinals, Sharapova faced Mauresmo but made 39 unforced errors and was ultimately stopped in the semifinals.
Since this event was held in Los Angeles, it naturally attracted many American celebrities, including many well-known figures from Hollywood who came to watch the matches. With the dual titles of "world's fastest man" and "Sharapova's boyfriend," Zhang Guan received more media attention than many Hollywood stars. During Sharapova's matches, a camera was constantly focused on Zhang Guan, making him one of the most frequently filmed individuals aside from the players.
After the WTA year-end championships ended, Zhang Guan and Sharapova headed to New York together.
…
California, Manhattan Beach.
"What do you think of this house? I just bought it," Sharapova said. "It's over 3,600 square feet! And the ocean is right over there. It's a great place for a vacation, isn't it?"
"The design is innovative, and the view is fantastic," Zhang Guan said as he looked around. It was a frameless loft-style house, with half the walls on the front and side made entirely of glass, providing excellent lighting inside. The open design made the indoor space seem very spacious.
"The renovation company said it would be finished next year, but I asked them to speed up because I knew you'd be coming," Sharapova said proudly, leading Zhang Guan to the large rooftop terrace.
The terrace had two white lounge chairs, perfect for soaking up the sun. Zhang Guan walked over and saw a stack of thick magazines on a small table next to the chairs.
They were all track and field magazines!
"Masha, why are there so many track and field magazines?" Zhang Guan casually picked one up and began to flip through it.
"Because I don't know anything about track and field!" Sharapova leaned on Zhang Guan's shoulder from behind and continued, "We are lovers, but I know nothing about track and field. I want to understand you more, so I bought these magazines."
Zhang Guan's body shuddered slightly. He didn't feel any excitement but rather a slight twinge of guilt and a deep sense of self-reproach.
"Yes, she's right. We are lovers. Lovers are supposed to understand each other and be familiar with each other. But how much do I really know about her? If she hadn't told me herself, I probably wouldn't even know about her childhood experiences. She is a tennis player, and I don't even know how to play tennis…"
Zhang Guan suddenly felt that he was an inadequate boyfriend. Although they seldom saw each other, Sharapova had been trying to understand him, while he had never thought of understanding her.
Suddenly, Zhang Guan realized that his feelings for Sharapova might not be true love but rather a sense of possession and pride. Sharapova was the top beauty in tennis, and any man would feel a sense of pride and satisfaction in having her.
But as her boyfriend, he needed to do more than enjoy the satisfaction and pride. He needed to stand firmly by her side, to understand her, to take care of her, to accompany her, and to support her…
In these aspects, Zhang Guan was not qualified.
"Masha, teach me to play tennis!" Zhang Guan suddenly said.
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