First Match

Two months later, the provincial track and field team boarded the train to Tianjin.

The provincial capital was not far from Tianjin, and the train took only four hours to arrive. After the high-speed rail were completed in a few years, the travel time will be reduced to just one hour.

After arranging accommodations for the athletes, they proceeded to the competition venue to familiarize themselves with the field.

Track and field was not a national strength, so domestic selection matches were not highly regarded. Consequently, registration restrictions were relatively lenient. Typically, in formal competitions, a team could only send three athletes to compete in the same event. However, for this competition, the Athletics Association expanded the number of participants from each team to four.

Sprinting had always been a discipline with the lowest technical barriers. In the men's 100 meters event, various provincial teams unanimously sent four athletes to the selection matches, mostly young athletes, clearly aimed at nurturing new talent. Thirty-five representative teams with a total of 140 athletes participated in the competition, including 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four municipalities directly under the Central Government, as well as the PLA's August 1st Team, the Vanguard Team of the Public Security System, the Locomotive Team of the Railway System, and the Communication Team of the Postal System. A total of 18 heats were held in the preliminary rounds alone.

As a result, when Zhang Guan arrived at the competition venue, the stadium was already packed, and athletes could only glance around without the opportunity to try running on the track.

Many athletes from different teams knew each other and naturally exchanged a few words upon meeting. However, Zhang Guan was new to this environment and could only follow his roommate, Wang Kai, obediently. At this moment, Wang Kai acted as a mentor, introducing nearby athletes to Zhang Guan.

Wang Kai pointed to a handsome young man in the distance and said, "Over there is Yin Hanzhao from Guangdong East, the runner-up in the 100 meters at the National Games two years ago and fourth place at last year's National Athletics Championships. Next to him is his teammate, Liu Yang, who won third place in the National Games two years ago. In addition, their team also has Chen Jian. You must know Chen Jian, currently the top sprinter in the country. He will definitely secure a spot in the Asian Athletics Championships this time! But why don't I see him...?"

"Over there is the Donghai Team," Wang Kai continued, pointing to another group of athletes. "The one with the crew cut is Shen Bao. He can reach the world's top level in the indoor 60 meters event in the country. His level in the 100 meters is second only to Chen Jian. He will probably secure a spot in the Asian Athletics Championships this time."

"Do you see the guy over there with glasses?" Wang Kai pointed to the Shan Cheng Team athlete.

Following Wang Kai's gaze, Zhang Guan replied, "I know him, he's Hu Kai, the guy with glasses!"

"You, a newcomer, know Hu Kai? The guy with glasses? That nickname suits him well. But come to think of it, there's only him among sprinters who wears glasses. Hu Kai emerged only in the past two years. He is originally from our province, then was recruited to Tsinghua University. Now he represents the Shan Cheng Team in competitions. The one next to him is He Jun, also representing the Shan Cheng Team," Wang Kai explained.

Zhang Guan nodded. At this time, Hu Kai had not yet become famous, and the nickname "Glasses Guy" was only used by some people in the capital. It wasn't until two years later when he won consecutive championships in Asian competitions that the nickname "Glasses Guy" became well-known.

At this point, Wang Kai pointed to another team of athletes.

"That's the Huangpu Team."

"The Huangpu Team?" Zhang Guan searched carefully for a while before asking, "Why don't I see Liu Feifei?"

"He didn't come this time. This Asian Athletics Championships conflicts with the 9th World Athletics Championships, so Liu Feifei won't participate in the 110-meter hurdles at this Asian Championships, nor will he participate in the selection matches. Two weeks ago, there was a selection match for the World Championships in Huangpu, and anyone who qualified for the World Championships through the selection matches won't participate in this one," Wang Kai explained.

"Then who is competing in the 100-meter event? Chen Jian?" Zhang Guan asked.

Wang Kai shook his head and smiled, "Our country's 100-meter level hasn't reached the standard to participate in the World Championships. Among the sprint events, the national team's real strength lies in race walking and women's long-distance events. Only the 110-meter hurdles have the qualifications to participate in the World Championships!"

...

After Wang Kai's introduction, Zhang Guan couldn't remember many names. As dusk fell, he returned to the accommodation with the rest of the team. After dinner and a quick wash, he fell asleep until dawn.

The next day, after breakfast, Zhang Guan followed the track and field team to the competition venue.

Due to the tight schedule, the first day mainly consisted of heats for various events. The level of athletes in the heats varied, so there was little excitement, and few people paid attention. Even the on-site journalists couldn't be bothered to take photos or write articles. They were reluctant to waste words.

In the men's 100 meters event, with 140 athletes, there were 18 heats in the preliminaries. The top two in each heat advanced to the semifinals, and the next four athletes with the best times also advanced, totaling 40 athletes. This meant that 100 athletes would be eliminated in the preliminaries.

Zhang Guan was assigned to the first heat, second lane.

In many competitions, the first heat could be considered the cannon fodder group because the timing or monitoring devices were just activated, making it prone to malfunctions or other unexpected circumstances. If any problems occurred during the race, it was natural for some unknown cannon fodder athletes to bear the consequences until the equipment was fully operational before letting well-known athletes compete.

Furthermore, since the competition had just begun, the competitive atmosphere hadn't yet developed, making it difficult for the athletes in the first heat to get into the competitive state. Therefore, they were also unlikely to achieve satisfactory results. As the competition progressed, the competitive atmosphere on the field became more intense, and the athletes' emotions became more excited. If coupled with enthusiastic cheers from the audience, it was easier to arouse the athletes' competitive state, resulting in better results. This was why the organizers often arranged the strongest athletes to compete in the middle and later heats of major competitions.

However, the cannon fodder group also had its advantages. The athletes' abilities were generally low, and the organizers would not let famous athletes be cannon fodder. Therefore, the first heat usually consisted of either new athletes or those who rarely had the chance to compete.

Experienced athletes certainly didn't want to be in the cannon fodder group, but Coach Chen was quite satisfied with this grouping. In his view, what Zhang Guan needed most at the moment was to adapt to the competitive atmosphere. Thus, being placed in a group with weaker competition was advantageous for Zhang Guan to advance.

"Kid, this group is weak in strength. If you work hard, you can advance," Coach Chen muttered as he watched Zhang Guan, who was already standing on the track.

At that moment, someone tapped Coach Chen on the shoulder from behind.

"Old Chen!"

Coach Chen turned around to see a bald-headed man smiling at him. This man appeared to be around 60 years old, with a big nose and a large mouth, slightly overweight, giving the impression of a formidable figure.

"Xiao Yu! You remembered to come see this old man!" Coach Chen said with a smile.

This bald-headed man was none other than the deputy head coach of the National Track and Field Team and also the head coach of the sprinting events, Coach Yu.

The organizer of this competition was the National Athletics Association, and Coach Yu, as the deputy head coach of the national team, also held a position in the association. Therefore, he naturally had to come to the scene personally.

Coach Yu was eight years younger than Coach Chen and had been a sprinter himself in his youth, specializing in the 200 meters. He had broken the national record for the 200 meters several times.

Coach Chen and Coach Yu were quite close. Both of them were from Sichuan Province, and when Coach Chen set the national record of 10 seconds, Coach Yu was selected into the national team. After Coach Chen retired, he became a coach for the national team. It was during Coach Yu's peak as an athlete. Later, after Coach Yu retired, he also became a coach for the national team. The two had nearly forty years of friendship, and they addressed each other as "Old Chen" and "Xiao Yu."

When old friends met, there was naturally a lot of catching up to do. The other coaches also knew the identities of the two men and tactfully moved aside to let them chat. However, Coach Yu soon noticed that Coach Chen's attention was not on reminiscing about the past but focused on the competition.

"Alright, Old Chen, stop looking. Let's go to the rest area and have a cup of tea. The athletes in this first round are all cannon fodder, with mediocre strength. There's nothing interesting to see," Coach Yu said with a smile.

"Cannon fodder? There are some good prospects among them, ones I struggled to find!" Coach Chen said earnestly.

Knowing Coach Chen well, Coach Yu understood that if Coach Chen valued them so highly, the so-called "good prospects" were definitely not ordinary. This piqued Coach Yu's curiosity, and he couldn't help but ask, "Which one?"

"It's the one in the second lane," Coach Chen replied.

Coach Yu carefully looked at Zhang Guan in the distance and said, "A young athlete. Is he very promising?"

"You'll see," Coach Chen said with a smile.

Now Coach Yu was even more curious. If Coach Chen, with his understanding of athletes, valued him so highly, it meant that this "good prospect" was extraordinary. This sparked Coach Yu's interest, and he couldn't help asking, "Which one?"

"It's the one in the second lane," Coach Chen replied.

Coach Yu carefully looked at Zhang Guan in the distance and said, "A young athlete. Is he very promising?"

"You'll see," Coach Chen said with a smile.

The relationship between Coach Chen and Coach Yu was quite special. They had gone through ups and downs together, and their friendship spanned decades. Now, as they watched the competition unfold, they couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement for the young athletes stepping onto the track, each with their own dreams and aspirations in the world of track and field.