The Top Favorite to Win the Championship

France, Paris.

Pierre, the editor of the "Paris Daily," is preparing to write a predictive analysis about the 100-meter sprint showdown in the Olympic Games.

For sports journalists, predicting match results involves not only their own analysis but also an important avenue: the odds provided by major bookmaking companies. No matter how skilled a sports journalist is, they only have one brain, while bookmaking companies employ a team of professional intelligence personnel and data analysts, along with specialized computer systems to calculate odds. Therefore, the odds provided by bookmaking companies can intuitively reflect predictions of match outcomes.

Many so-called senior sports journalists' professional predictions are based on the odds provided by bookmaking companies. They develop a detailed predictive analysis based on the odds set by these companies. This reverse analysis is always much easier than forward analysis.

"I remember a Chinese person made it to the semi-finals, truly unbelievable. It's hard to imagine a yellow-skinned person competing with blacks!" Pierre thought to himself as he clicked the mouse lightly.

"Let me see the odds set by the bookmaking companies for the 100-meter sprint showdown. The top odds are..." Pierre's eyes widened in disbelief as he exclaimed, "Guan-Zhang? That Chinese!"

The computer screen displayed that Zhang Guan's odds of winning were 1:2, followed by defending champion Morris Greene at 1:2.5, and others like Gatlin, Crawford, and Powell ranged from 1:2.5 to 1:3.5. Looking at these odds, it's apparent that the bookmaking companies favor Zhang Guan for the win.

Pierre's initial reaction was that the bookmaking companies had made a mistake. Although a Chinese had performed well in previous matches, showing the potential of a dark horse, how could he possibly become the favorite to win! Pierre immediately visited a British bookmaking company's website and found that Zhang Guan's odds were still 1:2, ranking first among all athletes.

"Oh my God! What's going on? Do all bookmaking companies believe that Chinese guy will win the 100 meters?" After his initial surprise, Pierre immediately realized this was a great news angle.

An athletics sprinter from a country with minimal athletic prowess, a Chinese athlete never considered a favorite before the event, was suddenly regarded by bookmaking companies as the top contender for the 100-meter sprint. What a dramatic turnaround from the underdog to the favorite! It's thrilling, it's melodramatic! And most importantly, it's highly marketable!

Pierre immediately deleted the original headline and typed a new one: "Chinese Athlete Emerges as Top Contender in 100-Meter Sprint Showdown!"

.....

In the American Olympic delegation, hardly anyone resides in the Olympic Village. Although the prices of star-rated hotels in Athens are exorbitant during the Olympics, for wealthy Americans, it's nothing. Take the American basketball team, for example. They are all NBA superstars with annual salaries of tens of millions of dollars, naturally needing to stay in the most luxurious hotels to showcase their status.

Similarly, the American track and field team doesn't need to squeeze into the Olympic Village either. Track and field has always been a major gold-winning event for the United States, and the American track and field team also boasts the world's top sponsors. Therefore, the American track and field team isn't short of money. Since they have the means, they naturally choose to stay in star-rated hotels and enjoy top-notch services.

At this moment, Morris Greene is sitting in the hotel restaurant, occupying a table alone, enjoying the finest lunch in Athens. Not far from him, at another table, is his teammate Justin Gatlin. Gatlin obviously can't stand Greene's arrogant personality and refuses to eat with him at the same table.

Sean Crawford approaches from a distance, still holding a newspaper in his hand. Gatlin sees Crawford and immediately waves to him, gesturing for Crawford to join them. However, Crawford smiles at Gatlin, shakes his head slightly, then walks over to Greene's table.

"Why is Sean going over to Morris's side? Morris will probably bring up yesterday's loss to the Chinese again!" Gatlin quietly worries about Crawford.

"Sean, make sure you eat well today, or you'll lose to the Chinese again later! Hahaha..." Greene taunts Crawford even while having breakfast.

"You still have the mood to laugh!" Crawford throws the newspaper at Greene.

"What's this?" Greene asks impatiently.

"Take a look yourself. It's the second edition of the Olympic special." Crawford says quietly before turning around and joining Gatlin at another table.

Reluctantly, Greene picks up the newspaper and flips to the second edition of the Olympic special. A headline instantly catches Greene's attention.

"Chinese Athlete Emerges as Top Contender for 100-Meter Dash Gold!" Greene's face immediately contorts with anger, and the following content only adds fuel to the fire.

"Damn it!" A string of profanity erupts from Greene's mouth: "What are these bookmaking companies doing? I'm supposed to be the top contender for the 100-meter gold. When did a Chinese person take my place! Are they all blind? Or did shit clog up their brains! These crappy newspapers! No, it's the crappy bookmaking companies..."

Gatlin looks at Greene in confusion, quietly asking Crawford across from him, "What did you show him?"

"Just some odds from bookmaking companies." Crawford whispers, "Major European bookmaking companies quietly adjusted the odds yesterday. Currently, the Chinese athlete has the lowest odds to win the 100-meter sprint, meaning he's now the top contender for the bookmaking companies!"

Gatlin instantly understands Crawford's intent. He's looking for an opportunity to get back at Greene. Knowing Greene's arrogant and impulsive nature, seeing this news will surely enrage him.

According to the schedule, there's only a little over two hours between the semi-finals and the finals of the Olympic 100-meter dash event. If it were an ordinary intensity match, a two-hour gap would have little effect on the athletes' energy levels. But for highly intense matches, two hours are clearly not enough for athletes to recover their stamina.

The three American athletes are all aiming for the gold, so they all seek to conserve energy as much as possible in the semi-finals and then give it their all in the finals two hours later!

The semi-finals are divided into two groups, with Gatlin and Crawford in Group A, while Greene is in Group B, along with Zhang Guan!

Greene is extremely arrogant and has a strong sense of pride. So when he learns that Zhang Guan has become the top contender for the 100-meter gold, he will definitely go all out against Zhang Guan in the evening's semi-finals. He will use this to show the world who the real favorite for the gold is, defending his own dignity. And once Greene does this, regardless of whether he can beat Zhang Guan in the semi-finals, it will undoubtedly consume more of his energy, directly affecting his performance in the finals.

Greene, Gatlin, and Crawford are teammates, but they're also competitors. All three Americans have come to the Olympics aiming for the gold, and in reality, these three are the strongest and most likely contenders for the gold. If Greene, the strongest, consumes too much energy in the semi-finals, the biggest beneficiary will undoubtedly be Gatlin and Crawford.

Gatlin understands Crawford's intentions, but Gatlin is no saint. Since it benefits him, why bother to expose it? Seeing Gatlin and Crawford exchange a smile, although they don't communicate verbally, they've already formed a tacit understanding.

....

In the restaurant of the Olympic Village, Director Guo sat in a position near the door, looking very serious, while Secretary Liu sat beside him, closely watching every Chinese athlete entering and leaving the restaurant.

"Director Guo, the track and field team is here!" Secretary Liu suddenly spoke up. Then, several athletes and coaches led by Coach Sun, who was in charge of the hurdles project, walked into the restaurant with tired faces, having just completed their daily training.

"Excellent, they finally arrived." Director Guo lowered his head again to confirm the document in his hand, revealing a smug smile on his face.

The title of the document was "Decision on Punishing Comrade Zhang Guan for Violating Discipline," and the red official seal on the thin sheet of paper was very conspicuous.

Director Guo wasn't a high-ranking official, and he didn't have the authority to directly punish an athlete. However, he could write a report that distorted facts and exaggerated the situation, then attach a punishment recommendation and submit it to higher authorities. Naturally, the higher-ups wouldn't have time to investigate such matters personally, so they would likely decide on the punishment of the athlete based on Director Guo's report.

As for the fact that the report distorted facts and exaggerated the situation, Director Guo wasn't worried. After all, once the Olympic delegation returned to Beijing, it would be disbanded. According to the unspoken rules of domestic affairs, decisions like transfer, promotion, dissolution of groups, or retirement wouldn't be pursued for personal responsibility even if they were incorrect.

As expected, a few days after the report was submitted, the higher-level leadership issued instructions, agreeing to give Zhang Guan a warning as recommended by Director Guo. However, they did not approve Director Guo's suggestion of a ban on competing, as imposing a ban during the Olympic Games would be inappropriate and would escalate the situation.

Upon receiving this punishment decision, Director Guo became excited. He couldn't wait to go to Zhang Guan and read the punishment decision face to face. He wanted to see Zhang Guan's expression after receiving the punishment. He wanted Zhang Guan to know the consequences of defying him!

As the time for him to step back to the second line approached, Director Guo cherished the power he held even more. Therefore, he wanted to demonstrate his authority.