The Unbeatable Monster!
43.82 seconds. Since Michael Johnson retired, no athlete has been able to achieve this time. Today, Wariner did it, truly deserving the title of Johnson's successor.
At any level of competition, barring any mishaps, this time would be enough to win the championship, enough to shock the world. But today, the unexpected happened.
Zhang Guan's 43.67 seconds shine brighter, more astonishing than Wariner's 43.82 seconds! In the 400 meters sprint event, the top ten historical performances have all been created by Americans. The first, of course, is Johnson's world record of 43.18 seconds, and the second at 43.29 seconds was Johnson's previous record. Following this, apart from American Watts' 43.50 seconds, the remaining seven best 400-meter performances were also set by Johnson.
Today, Zhang Guan's time of 43.67 seconds is precisely the tenth-best performance in the history of the 400 meters sprint. Before this, Johnson set a 43.66-second record in Lausanne, followed by Johnson's 43.68 seconds in Zurich.
Wariner stared blankly at the scoreboard. In training, he had once achieved around 43.80 seconds, so he had always been confident in himself. Even when Zhang Guan ran 43.99 seconds in Oslo, Wariner still believed in his victory.
Wariner had always felt that the Oslo race was lost due to his carelessness. As long as he treated subsequent races seriously and remained vigilant throughout, he was sure he could defeat Zhang Guan. But today, this 43.67 seconds told Wariner that even without relaxation, even with full effort, he still could not beat Zhang Guan.
43.67 seconds, a performance Wariner had never touched in training, appeared before him today. How could he not be shocked?
Apart from shock, it was more of a blow to his confidence. Wariner knew that in this match, he had no excuses for losing. He was in good shape today and gave his all in the race, yet he still lost, losing out in sheer ability!
Not far away, Coach Hart's expression grew increasingly serious. For Coach Hart, Zhang Guan mastering new techniques was not frightening. What was terrifying was Zhang Guan shattering Wariner's confidence. The most essential requirement for a world champion isn't superior technique or exceptional talent, but a champion's heart. Once an athlete loses the will to win, the championship drifts further and further away from them.
"It looks like the top priority now is to help Wariner rebuild his confidence!" Coach Hart thought silently.
...
In the athletes' rest area, Montgomery looked excitedly at Zhang Guan, applauding continuously with a sincere smile on his face. The feeling seemed as though he had won the championship himself.
Powell glanced at Montgomery somewhat puzzled. He didn't understand why the former world record holder would react this way. Logically, as both Montgomery and Wariner were Americans, Montgomery should have felt disappointed after Wariner lost. Yet Montgomery appeared exceedingly jubilant.
Crawford, standing beside Montgomery, couldn't bear it anymore and spoke up: "Tim, alright, the celebration should end now. After all, we lost the race."
"Lost the race? No, no, no, I don't think so! I will win the race!" Montgomery's baby face showed a surprised smile, then continued: "Did you see that just now? Zhang Guan ran 43.67 seconds! Isn't this the fastest 400 meters after Johnson? Zhang Guan is so fast, he must have given his all in the previous race. He has no energy left now! Zhang Guan is exhausted, and in fifty minutes, it's the 100 meters sprint. Sean, do you know what that means? Haha, our strongest competitor has already been eliminated! We are one step closer to the championship!"
Sean Crawford frowned. "Tim, haven't you seen the 100 meters sprint at the Athens Olympics?"
Montgomery nodded. "Of course I did. Zhang Guan ran so fast back then! Greene, Gatlin, and even you were left behind by Zhang Guan."
"Weren't you watching the semifinals before that?" Crawford continued, "Zhang Guan and Greene fought fiercely in the semifinals. We all thought Zhang Guan had no energy left, but in the final race, he had the most stamina! Zhang Guan has a unique secret in terms of energy recovery."
"The interval between that race was two hours, while today we have less than fifty minutes!" Montgomery continued, "And that time you ran 100 meters, this time it's 400 meters, four times the distance, and even more energy consumption! Zhang Guan's time of 43.67 seconds definitely means he has no reserves! No one in the world can recover their energy in such a short time! Unless he's a monster..."
"A monster?" Crawford repeated the word, then sighed, "Tim, you're right on target with that word. That guy Zhang Guan is a monster! An unbeatable monster!"
...
In a city in China.
Gao Jie walked out of the news building, looking at the empty street, sighing softly.
Gao Jie was an editor for newspapers and magazines. His work hours were noticeably different from others. He started work at seven in the evening, laying out and beautifying newspapers and magazines, and finalized the layout for the next day's paper before midnight, then submitted the drafts to the printing press. With the submission completed after 1 am, Gao Jie confirmed there were no issues on the printing side before heading home.
It was already past 1 AM, and after submitting the work, Gao Jie was looking forward to a good night's rest. As he opened his car door, his phone rang again.
"Hello, Chief Editor, it's Xiaogao... I haven't left yet, I'm still in the parking lot... Zhang Guan won the Golden League 400-meter championship again? 43.67 seconds, the best performance in the last seven years? It's historical top ten? We need to redesign the layout of the newspaper? I'll come back right away!" Gao Jie hung up the phone, feeling helpless, turned around and walked back to the news building.
...
The Golden League schedule was extremely tight. Even though Zhang Guan ran a time of 43.67 seconds, the organizers didn't give him much time to celebrate because the next race was about to start.
Next up were the women's 100 meters hurdles and the men's 110 meters hurdles. The time between the women's 100 meters hurdles and the men's 400 meters sprint was only ten minutes. It could be said that as soon as Zhang Guan finished his race, hurdles were being set up on the track, and the participating athletes were already getting ready.
After the women's 100 meters hurdles, which also had a ten-minute break, came the men's 110 meters hurdles. Liu Feiren was about to take the stage.
However, Liu Feiren's form today seemed rather ordinary. His reaction time at the start was as high as 0.188 seconds, which was inadequate for someone as good at starting as Liu Feiren. In the end, Liu Fei could only manage a fourth place. Local French runner Duke was in fifth place.
The champion of the 110 meters hurdles belonged to American Tremel, with the runner-up being the veteran American Arnold. Liu Feiren's old rival Alan Johnson also had bad luck, abandoning the race midway.
However, a young athlete attracted everyone's attention, and that was Cuban athlete Roberts, who secured third place in the race, seen as a surprise contender. Zhang Guan knew that from now until Liu Feiren retired, Roberts would be Liu Feiren's biggest competitor.
The women's 100 meters sprint that followed was also a highly anticipated event, marking the comeback of American legend Marion Jones. Jones effortlessly won the race with a time of 10.92 seconds, presenting a more perfect comeback than Montgomery's.
Immediately after the women's 100 meters sprint, the men's 100 meters sprint began, and Zhang Guan was about to take the stage.
...
At the starting line, Zhang Guan appeared extremely calm and composed, showing no signs of fatigue.
"As expected, Zhang Guan's stamina has already recovered. This freak! Oh well, I won't bother about him anymore. I'll just focus on running to my own level!" Powell turned his head back, concentrating on his own lane.
Since battling throughout last year, Powell had no hope left of beating Zhang Guan, a younger and more skilled athlete. Powell couldn't muster the courage to challenge him. However, Powell, who had abandoned the idea of competing against Zhang Guan, saw his results improve this year.
On the other side, Sean Crawford also harbored no hope of winning the championship. The 200 meters sprint champion from the Athens Olympics clearly understood his own capabilities. His 100 meters prowess was already inferior to Zhang Guan's, and from the current situation, the 200 meters event would undoubtedly not be Zhang Guan's opponent.
Only Montgomery didn't think so.
"Zhang Guan doesn't seem to be very tired. He must be bluffing! Alright, forget about him, I have a great chance in the next race. As long as I can beat Powell, the championship is mine!" Montgomery thought quietly, having only competed against Zhang Guan once and being unaware of Zhang Guan's unique abilities.
One minute later, the athletes were ready. With the sound of the starting gun, the men's 100 meters sprint officially began.
Zhang Guan had a normal start, a normal acceleration, and by sixty meters, he was already leading.
At seventy meters, Powell surged into second place, Crawford and Montgomery rushed past Powell, then closely at the final barometer.
Montgomery was full of hope that Zhang Guan would slow down due to fatigue, but instead, Zhang Guan continued to accelerate and crossed the finish line first with a time of 9.72 seconds. Powell also performed well, achieving a final time of 9.77 seconds, demonstrating the prowess of a top-class athlete.
As the third runner to cross the finish line, Montgomery looked at the scoreboard with an expression of awe. A time of 9.72 seconds clearly indicated that Zhang Guan not only had a good form but also ample stamina. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to sustain such explosive speed.
"Surprised?" Crawford walked up beside Montgomery and said, "I told you earlier, that guy Zhang Guan is simply a monster!"
...
Gao Jie once again walked out of the news building, looking at the increasingly empty street, he sighed again.
Gao Jie checked his watch; it was already past two in the morning. Zhang Guan winning the Golden League 400-meter championship had added over an hour to his workday. He had to re-layout and design the newspaper, then reconfirm the printing process before submitting the drafts to the printing press.
"I can finally go home and get some sleep!" Gao Jie had just opened the car door when his phone rang again.
"Hello, Chief Editor, it's Xiaogao... I haven't left yet, I'm still in the parking lot... Zhang Guan won the Golden League 100-meter championship again! We need to redesign the layout of the newspaper?" Gao Jie almost felt like crying: "I'm coming back right away..."
The overworked editor Gao Jie turned around and walked back into the news building.
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