Breakthrough and Interview

"What?!" Takano Jin exclaimed in Japanese.

Originally, Zhang Guan and Hirohiro Tsuji running neck and neck had already surprised Takano Jin a lot. Although Hirohiro Tsuji was the weakest among the three athletes Japan had sent for the 100-meter event, Takano Jin firmly believed that no athlete from other Asian countries would be faster than Hirohiro Tsuji. Moreover, since Hirohiro Tsuji was primarily a 200-meter specialist, his performance should have been stronger in the latter part of the race. Takano Jin was convinced that in the latter part of the race, Hirohiro Tsuji would definitely pull ahead of Zhang Guan.

But Zhang Guan became even faster.

The newly upgraded sprint skill had doubled in duration, and the master-level sprint allowed Zhang Guan to maintain a sprint state for 40 seconds, with its most important effect once again seeing a considerable enhancement.

With just over 30 meters remaining to the finish line, Zhang Guan made a powerful burst of speed, pulling away from Hirohiro Tsuji. Takano Jin, who was watching from the sidelines, was taken aback for a moment and saw that Zhang Guan had already widened the gap significantly.

On the track, Hirohiro Tsuji felt Zhang Guan's change in speed the moment he accelerated. He tried to catch up but found that his own speed had reached its limit, and he could only watch as Zhang Guan pulled away from him.

"Damn, he clearly has a speed faster than mine, yet he deliberately ran neck and neck with me. He only decided to accelerate and surpass me after I had exerted all my effort! He's toying with me." Hirohiro Tsuji felt a rush of humiliation. But he knew that he couldn't keep up with the speed Zhang Guan was displaying.

"This speed could rival the likes of Nobuharu Asahara and Shingo Suetsugu. I never imagined that the Chinese team would have someone who could run this fast." Hirohiro Tsuji looked at Zhang Guan with grief and indignation. Meanwhile, Zhang Guan slowed down a bit before the finish line but still crossed it first.

...

Even Zhang Guan himself felt a surge of emotion.

"Is this the effect of the master-level sprint skill? It's so powerful!"

As the one experiencing it, Zhang Guan could feel the might of the master-level sprint, especially when he was fully exerting himself. The air currents generated by his running flew past his ears, making it hard to hear anything clearly, yet it was intoxicating.

Zhang Guan wanted to exert himself fully, but his reason told him not to run too fast. Breaking the national record was enough.

...

"Well done! You've surpassed them! Go for it! First place!" Chen Jian shouted excitedly as he waved his towel, cheering loudly as he watched Zhang Guan cross the finish line first. Other athletes and coaches from different countries also applauded and cheered.

In contrast, Takano Jin's face looked grim. He stared at Zhang Guan as if he wanted to shoot flames from his eyes. He then turned to look at the scoreboard, scrutinizing the numbers.

Hirohiro Tsuji clocked a time of 10.17 seconds, a very fast time that could have easily advanced to the second round in the Olympics. It was one of the best performances Hirohiro Tsuji had ever delivered in a race.

But Zhang Guan was even faster, clocking a time of 10.09 seconds, breaking into the sub-10.10 barrier. Zhang Guan once again broke the national record he held and earned a skill point as a reward.

...

Having just finished an interview with reporters, Japan's head coach Kobayashi Keiwa walked out of the athletes' passageway and subconsciously looked at the scoreboard to check the times.

"10.09 seconds. Who was that? Who broke into the sub-10.10 barrier? Could it be Hirohiro?" Kobayashi Keiwa felt a surge of joy but quickly realized the name next to the time wasn't Hirohiro Tsuji's.

"Zhang Guan? A Chinese athlete? The one who broke the Chinese 100-meter record!" Coach Kobayashi had a bad feeling and hurried to find Takano Jin, encountering Hirohiro Tsuji on his way out of the track.

"Hirohiro, what happened? What happened on the track?" Kobayashi asked impatiently.

"Coach, I'm very sorry for disappointing you." Hirohiro Tsuji bowed and apologized immediately.

Takano Jin also approached and said, "Coach, this wasn't Hirohiro's fault. He ran a time of 10.17 seconds, which is a very good performance for him. I just didn't expect that young Chinese athlete named Zhang Guan to be so fast."

Takano Jin explained the race to Kobayashi Keiwa, who sighed deeply after hearing it and said to Hirohiro Tsuji, "Hirohiro, it's not your fault that you didn't get first place. You did very well, and you've helped us gauge the opponent's strength, so Nobuharu and Shingo won't be caught off guard when they face him. Don't worry about it and get some rest; don't forget you still have the 200-meter race."

Hirohiro Tsuji left, and Takano Jin asked Kobayashi, "Coach, should I arrange for someone to investigate Zhang Guan's details immediately when I get back?"

"No rush," Kobayashi waved his hand. "Look, someone is in a bigger hurry than we are."

Takano Jin looked in the direction Kobayashi indicated and saw two reporters with cameras and microphones heading towards the Chinese team's area.

"I know them; they're official reporters for the Asian Athletics Association," Takano Jin said.

Kobayashi gave a knowing smile, "A time of 10.09 seconds can rank in the top ten of the current best performances in Asia! Any Asian athlete who can break 10.10 seconds is remarkable and worth the Asian Athletics Association's attention. Plus, today's competition was too dull, and even the officials wouldn't pass up such a newsworthy event."

...

Chen Jian excitedly ran up to Coach Yu, waving his arms like a child, and said, "Coach Yu, did you see that? Zhang Guan ran a time of 10.09 seconds, breaking into the sub-10.10 barrier!"

Coach Yu appeared very calm, nodding with a neutral expression, "I saw it, he did well."

But no one noticed that Coach Yu's hands, trembling with excitement in his pockets, betrayed his true feelings.

When the starting reaction times were displayed, Coach Yu had already suspected that Zhang Guan would deliver a better performance than before. Zhang Guan had previously broken the national record with a time of 10.16 seconds, and at that time, his starting reaction time was around 0.3 seconds. Now, with a reaction time of 0.153 seconds, which was nearly 0.15 seconds faster, Coach Yu calculated that Zhang Guan's real time should be just over 10 seconds. However, athletes' performance can fluctuate, and Coach Yu thought Zhang Guan might achieve a time close to 10 seconds when he was in good form.

But a time of 10.09 seconds exceeded Coach Yu's expectations. It was not only a new national record but also a time breaking into the sub-10.10 barrier, making Zhang Guan the first person in the national team to achieve this milestone. Based on other countries' experiences, a young athlete who can break 10.10 seconds is usually not far from breaking the 10-second barrier.

"Maybe, we can beat the Japanese in the 100 meters!" Coach Yu couldn't help but imagine the future.

At this moment, a staff member accompanying the national team led two reporters over.

"Coach Yu, these are official reporters from the Asian Athletics Association who want to interview Zhang Guan," the staff member added, "We just got permission from Director Ma on the phone; he said we should cooperate as much as possible without affecting the athletes' normal rest."

Coach Yu frowned slightly. If it were other reporters, he might have brushed them off, but these were official reporters from the Asian Athletics Association. As the organizers of the Asian Athletics Championships, one has to give some face to their official reporters. Besides, official reporters from the organizers wouldn't ask sharp or difficult questions.

"Alright, let's go to the rest area," Coach Yu said, pointing to the rest area in the distance. Then he waved Zhang Guan over and whispered, "Zhang, there are two official reporters from the Asian Athletics Association who want to interview you."

"Interview? I'm not prepared at all!" Zhang Guan said.

"No need to prepare," Coach Yu continued in a low voice, "Official reporters usually ask the same questions, like your thoughts on the race, your goals for this competition, and maybe your future aspirations. Don't be nervous, just speak the truth."

"By the way, Coach Yu, should I answer in Chinese or English?" Zhang Guan asked.

Coach Yu turned around abruptly, looking at Zhang Guan with some surprise, and said, "Can you speak English?"

"I should be fine with simple conversations," Zhang Guan replied. He had tried to take the graduate entrance exam in the past, although he didn't pass in the end. Along with watching English movies, he could handle basic English conversations.

Coach Yu suddenly remembered that Zhang Guan had been a diligent high school student, unlike other athletes who had trained at sports schools since childhood. But Coach Yu still said, "You don't need to speak English; we have a translator on our team."

...

The journalist interviewing Zhang Guan was a young Chinese woman.

"Hello, Mr. Zhang, my Chinese name is Chen Meimei. Can we start the interview now?" the reporter said in fluent Chinese.

Zhang Guan, who had been worrying about whether to use Chinese or English, was slightly taken aback and asked, "You speak Chinese?"

"Yes, I'm from Singapore, so I can speak Chinese," the reporter smiled slightly and asked again, "Can we start the interview now?"

"Sure, let's begin," Zhang Guan replied.

"In the recent race, you ran a time of 10.10 seconds, breaking into the sub-10.10 barrier with a performance of 10.09 seconds. As far as I know, before this, only four athletes in Asia had run under 10.10 seconds. You are the fifth. What are your thoughts on this?" the reporter began.

"Just as Coach Yu said, she's starting with asking about my feelings," Zhang Guan thought to himself. Then, after carefully considering, he realized he didn't have any special feelings. After all, with the system in place and the recent upgrade of his sprint skill, Zhang Guan felt that this achievement was expected.

"In truth, I don't have any particular feelings. If I have to say something, I think achieving this result while performing normally is quite reasonable," Zhang Guan replied.

This time, the reporter was taken aback. Typically, when she asked similar questions to other athletes, they would say they were "very excited" or "very fortunate," but "reasonable" was the first response she had received.

"He's quite confident," the reporter thought to herself. In her impression, Chinese athletes were usually modest and reserved, while some American athletes were often outspoken.

The reporter continued, "So, what are your goals for this Asian Athletics Championships?"

"Of course, it's to win the championship!" Zhang Guan replied directly.