Breaking the 20-Second Barrier

The East Asian Games' track and field events officially began on November 1st. The first events to take place were the women's high jump and women's shot put, followed by several portions of the men's decathlon. Among the sprint events, the 100-meter dash was the first to kick off.

Due to the relatively small number of participants in the track and field events at the East Asian Games, there were no preliminary heats for the 100 meters. The final was held directly at 14:40 on the afternoon of November 1st. Hu Kai, the runner-up from the National Games, known as the "glasses man," defeated two Japanese athletes to win the championship in this event.

On November 2nd, two major events were scheduled: the men's 110-meter hurdles final, featuring Liu Feiren (Liu the Flying Man), and the men's 200-meter final, marking Zhang Guan's debut in the 200-meter sprint.

In the 110-meter hurdles final, Liu Feiren's biggest competitor wasn't a foreign athlete but his teammate Da Shi (Big Stone). At the start of the race, Liu Feiren lagged behind Da Shi. However, Liu Feiren adjusted his pace during the race and eventually overtook Da Shi, finishing first with a time of 13.21 seconds, a performance much better than what the coaching team had predicted. With this victory, Liu Feiren completed his competitions for the year.

After a few other events, it was time for the 200-meter race, Zhang Guan's debut in the 200 meters.

...

"Up next is the men's 200-meter sprint, which is also Zhang Guan's debut in the 200-meter sprint!" announced the commentator from the organizing committee. "We have also invited Mr. Lin Guangyi, a renowned sports commentator from Hong Kong, to join us. Mr. Lin, please greet the audience!"

"Hello, everyone!" Mr. Lin greeted.

"Mr. Lin, since this is Zhang Guan's debut in the 200 meters, do you think he has a chance to win the championship?" the commentator asked directly.

"I believe Zhang Guan has a good chance of winning the 200-meter sprint," Mr. Lin replied.

"Is that because Zhang Guan is the world record holder in the 100 meters?" asked the commentator.

"Yes. We know that transitioning from a 200-meter runner to a 100-meter sprinter is relatively easy, while transitioning from 100 meters to 200 meters is more difficult. However, considering Zhang Guan is the world record holder in the 100 meters, even if he's not yet fully adapted to the 200 meters, his speed advantage should make it relatively easy for him to win the championship," Mr. Lin explained.

"Who do you think is Zhang Guan's biggest competitor?" the commentator continued.

"His main competitors are Japan's Gao Ping Shenshi and his teammate Yang Yao. Both are strong 200-meter runners. Gao Ping Shenshi is a rising star from Japan with comprehensive skills, while Yang Yao, the top 200-meter runner in China, has participated in last year's Athens Olympics and advanced to the second round. However, in the 100 meters, Zhang Guan is about 0.5 seconds faster than these two, a gap that's hard to bridge, so I still favor Zhang Guan," Mr. Lin stated.

"Thank you, Mr. Lin, for your analysis. The athletes are about to take the field. We'll go to a commercial break and then head into the competition."

...

"Gao Ping, Zhang Guan has never run a 200-meter race before, meaning his experience in this event is zero! You, on the other hand, have a lot of experience in major 200-meter competitions, so you have an advantage!" Coach Xiaolin Jinghe encouraged Gao Ping Shenshi. "So, believe in yourself! Don't worry about Zhang Guan; you can definitely beat him!"

"Yes, coach, I'll do my best!" Gao Ping Shenshi said and walked onto the field.

Xiaolin Jinghe watched Gao Ping Shenshi's back, secretly sighing. Although he hoped Gao Ping Shenshi could defeat Zhang Guan, he knew the possibility was slim. A 0.5-second gap in the 100 meters meant that unless Zhang Guan made a mistake, Gao Ping Shenshi had little chance of winning.

"Gao Ye Jin, make sure to observe Zhang Guan's curve running technique closely," Xiaolin Jinghe instructed.

"Yes, coach, I'll observe carefully," Gao Ye Jin replied.

Meanwhile, on the track, Zhang Guan was chatting with Yang Yao.

"I didn't expect us to be on the same track again, but this time as opponents. So, how's your 200 meters?" Yang Yao asked.

"Not bad! My speed feels good, thanks to my 100-meter foundation," Zhang Guan replied. "The day after tomorrow is the 4x100-meter relay. I'll be the fourth leg again, receiving the baton from you..."

"Yes, I'm still the third leg! This time, the Japanese team isn't as strong as last time, so I think we should have no problem winning the relay!" Yang Yao said.

"By the way, I don't really know our opponents. Are they any good?" Zhang Guan asked.

"You should have seen Japan's Gao Ping Shenshi before. He ran the 4x100-meter relay at the Asian Athletics Championships two years ago and participated in the Athens Olympics last year, although he only made it through one round. The other strong competitor is Korea's Park Jinxi, the top 200-meter runner in Korea. He's a decent athlete," Yang Yao explained. "If you run like you did in the Athens Olympics, winning should be no problem."

Zhang Guan nodded. The A standard for the 200 meters at the Athens Olympics was 20.59 seconds, and the B standard was 20.75 seconds, neither of which posed a challenge for him.

...

The athletes stood at the starting line. Gao Ping Shenshi glanced at Zhang Guan, feeling a surge of determination.

Gao Ping Shenshi, focused on the 200 meters, had never directly competed against Zhang Guan but knew that defeating Zhang Guan, even just once, would make him a hero in Japan.

"The coach is right. So what if Zhang Guan is fast in the 100 meters? He has no experience in the 200 meters. I have an advantage in that regard, so I have a chance to beat him! I'll be a hero in Japan! Come on!" Gao Ping Shenshi mentally cheered himself on.

The starter raised his gun high, and the tension in the air grew palpable.

Nearby, Coach Yu's face showed slight concern. Although he knew Zhang Guan's 200-meter sprint level was enough to win the championship, this was Zhang Guan's debut in the 200 meters. With the entire nation watching, a mishap would be embarrassing.

"The race is about to start!" The commentator held his breath, and then the clear sound of the starting gun rang out.

"The race has started! A good start." Mr. Lin, the experienced Hong Kong sports commentator, spoke up, momentarily taking over the role of commentator.

"Zhang Guan is accelerating. His speed is remarkable, and his advantage is clear!"

Just as Mr. Lin described, Zhang Guan's advantage was evident, even though it wasn't immediately obvious in the curve. It was clear that Zhang Guan's speed was superior.

Coach Yu, watching from a distance, breathed a sigh of relief. Zhang Guan was performing well, so the 200-meter championship seemed secure.

Coach Xiaolin Jinghe's face grew more somber. He could see that Zhang Guan's curve running technique was just average, without any particular technical prowess. Yet, as he had predicted, Zhang Guan's speed alone was enough to dominate the other athletes on the track.

"Zhang Guan has entered the straightaway first, with a significant lead! He's sprinting! His speed is incredible! Sprint! Go! Go!" Mr. Lin's voice grew louder.

This overwhelming speed advantage left little room for technicalities. When Zhang Guan entered the straightaway first, the outcome of the race was already clear to the spectators. With an advantage in the curve, there was no chance for other athletes to overtake him on the straightaway, and the gap would only widen.

On the track, Zhang Guan eased up a bit. The gap in speed between him and other Asian athletes was so large that he didn't need to go all out to win. He crossed the finish line with ease.

"He crossed the line! Zhang Guan has won the championship! Congratulations to Zhang Guan on his victory in the 200-meter sprint! This is a perfect debut for him!"

Cheers and applause filled the stadium, although the applause slightly outweighed the cheering. The audience had come to see Zhang Guan's debut in the 200 meters, and most had expected him to win without much effort, which somewhat dampened the excitement.

Just then, the big screen displayed Zhang Guan's time and a caption.

"19.98 seconds! New Asian record!"

Instantly, the cheers grew louder than the applause.

"A new Asian record! A new 200-meter sprint Asian record! We predicted that Zhang Guan could win the championship, but we didn't expect him to go further and break the 200-meter Asian record! And he did it under 20 seconds! He's the first Asian to run the 200 meters in under 20 seconds!"

The previous 200-meter Asian record of 20.03 seconds was set by Japanese star Shingo Suetsugu in 2003. Zhang Guan improved on that time by 0.05 seconds. More importantly, he broke the 20-second barrier.

The 20-second barrier in the 200 meters, like the 10-second barrier in the 100 meters, was a significant milestone for Asians. In comparison, breaking the 20-second barrier in the 200 meters was even more challenging. For years, the 200-meter record had been dominated by the Japanese. First by Koji Ito, the first Japanese runner to break 10 seconds in the 100 meters and a mainstay in the 200 meters, and later by Shingo Suetsugu, who continued Japan's dominance in the event.

But today, the landscape of Asian 200-meter sprints had changed. With a time of 19.98 seconds, even Shingo Suetsugu couldn't match Zhang Guan.

Coach Xiaolin Jinghe closed his eyes in disappointment. "It seems we'll have to concede another sprint event to the Chinese."