IBABS Chapter 53

APRIL FOOLS! (NOT!) lol I’m the only one who laughed. Enjoy the double chapter.

“Su Zhe!!! It’s Su Zhe!!!”

In the stands of the Chinese athletes’ section, Zheng Wensheng jumped up excitedly, while the surrounding Chinese athletes also exclaimed loudly.

“Damn, Su Zhe is amazing!!!”

All the Chinese spectators at the venue were celebrating loudly. Zheng Wensheng was so happy he didn’t know what to do with himself, his hands constantly waving or slapping the back of the empty seat in front of him.

Su Yinsheng also found it difficult to maintain his usual calmness. He clenched his fists with reddened eyes, trying to take deep breaths, as if trying to stabilize his emotions.

“Third, third…” Zheng Wensheng turned to Su Yinsheng beside him excitedly yet nervously, “Lao Su, can Ah Zhe’s ranking get him into the finals?!”

Su Yinsheng stared intently, trying to analyze the situation calmly. “This is only the second semifinal group, there’s still the third group! Besides the top two who directly advance to the finals, the next two best performers from all remaining runners also advance. You know these rules, don’t you? We shouldn’t just look at his current ranking. What really matters is whether his final result can rank in the top 2 among all the remaining competitors!”

Being part of the track team, who wouldn’t know these rules?

Zheng Wensheng also tried to breathe deeply, waiting for the final rankings and results from the commentary booth.

At the commentary desk, Chris and Bills were reviewing the exciting moments from the semifinal race.

Chris sighed in admiration. “This really was the ‘group of death’! Besides the battle between Evanson and Gates, the fight for third place between Sandy and China’s Su also made me scream in excitement!”

“Yes! I believe you haven’t carefully looked at China Su’s competition history yet, or your screams would be even crazier!” Bills pointed at the athlete information sheet in his hand. “Do you know that China’s Su was once an idol star? He only officially became an athlete this June… This is absolutely crazy! I believe he must have wings bestowed by the gods on his back, otherwise I cannot explain how his talent could be so astonishing!”

“Oh my God!” After hearing Bills’s words, Chris couldn’t help but look down at Su Zhe’s profile. As he read through it, he could only repeatedly mutter “My God” under his breath.

“He must possess a talent kissed by the gods!” Chris exclaimed loudly. “Oh, he’s not only in the men’s 100-meter sprint, but even the 110-meter hurdles… I can’t help but start looking forward to tomorrow’s 110-meter hurdles preliminaries!”

While the two commentators were talking, the judges had already sent the organized semifinal results to the commentary desk.

“Okay, now let’s look at the results from the men’s 100-meter semifinal Group 2: First place, Evanson (USA): 9.94 seconds (-0.1), directly advances; Second place, Gates (USA): 9.98 seconds (-0.1), directly advances; Third place, Su Zhe (China): 10.03 seconds (-0.1); Fourth place, Sandy (Nigeria): 10.03 seconds (-0.1)…”
When these results were announced, Zheng Wensheng in the Chinese athletes’ section pumped his fist hard.
“There’s hope!” Zheng Wensheng said excitedly, “10.03 seconds… Well done, Ah Zhe!”

As he spoke, Zheng Wensheng also felt some regret. “The second-place runner in Group 1 only ran 10.04 seconds… If Su Zhe had competed in Group 1, he would’ve already qualified for the finals!”

Su Yinsheng didn’t express any opinion about this. He just took a deep breath and said, “Let’s wait! See what kind of results the third group will have!”

At the finish line, Nigerian athlete Sandy, who had crossed almost simultaneously with Su Zhe, patted Su Zhe’s shoulder and gave him a thumbs up.

“Hey, good job, you’re strong!”

Su Zhe shook his hand and likewise expressed sincere admiration for Sandy’s abilities.

Nearby, Evanson and Gates also greeted Su Zhe, clearly showing that this semifinal had made them recognize and acknowledge Su Zhe’s strength.

Japan’s Minamiyama Yuki only managed 10.09 seconds in this race. Although it was still an excellent result, he had obviously missed his chance for the finals. After shaking hands with Su Zhe, he left the track with a hint of regret.

Back in China, on the Track and Field Kingdom forum, a new post was pushed to the top.

[Brothers! The results for Group 2 are out!! In the second semifinal group, Zhe-shao ranked third in his group with a time of 10.03 seconds! Now we just need to see how Group 3 performs!!!]

[Holy shit!! 10.03 seconds!!! Damn, if Zhe-shao had been in Group 1, he would’ve made it to the finals!]

[Screw this group of death… Damn it, my liver hurts from anger…]

[Stay calm, brothers! There’s hope! The third-place finisher in Group 1 had a time of 10.07 seconds, with Zhe-shao and Sandy’s performances, they’re out of contention for the finals. Now we just need to see Group 3’s results. With a time of 10.03 seconds, we’ve got a shot at the finals!]

Those who had earlier declared themselves “jinxes” and were afraid to watch the race now came out.

[Just wait! I’m going to watch Group 3’s livestream now! Let them face my jinx stare!]

[+1, I’m going too… Hahaha, I didn’t dare watch Zhe-shao’s race, but why should I fear Group 3? Let them feel the power of China’s jinx magic!]

As everyone waited anxiously, the athletes from the third semifinal group took to the track one by one.

In Group 3, the strongest competitor was Jamaican athlete Hilm, with a season’s best of 9.96 seconds, followed by British athlete Barrigan, with a season’s best of 9.99 seconds.
After all the athletes in Group 3 had entered and prepared, the spectator stands grew quiet again.

This would be the final group in the men’s 100-meter semifinals, determining which 8 athletes would ultimately advance to the finals.

With everyone’s expectations high, the athletes made their final preparations on the track, and the referee’s ready signal had already sounded.

“On your marks.”

“Set.”

“Bang!”

On the track, 8 figures began sprinting like arrows released from bows!

From the beginning, the one taking the lead wasn’t surprisingly either of the two strongest competitors, but South African athlete Samuel!

This black athlete reacted extremely quickly at the starting gun, taking only 0.128 seconds! This established his advantage in the starting acceleration phase.

In the first 10 meters, neither Hilm nor Barrigan could overtake him!

In the subsequent acceleration phase, at the 2nd and 3rd 10-meter marks, Samuel still maintained his advantage. His acceleration ability and explosive power were no worse than Hilm and Barrigan’s, a performance that astonished everyone present.

At the commentary desk, Chris exclaimed, “The athlete currently leading Group 3 is Samuel from South Africa!”

What would the final result be?!

After entering the mid-race section, Samuel’s speed showed slight signs of decline. Jamaica’s Hilm maintained his strongest speed during this phase without weakening. With just a difference of 0.0-something seconds accumulating every 10 meters, Hilm gradually overtook Samuel who had originally held the lead position in the middle of the track!

After Hilm passed him, neither Samuel nor Barrigan were willing to concede, both sprinting forward with all their might!

In the final 30-meter sprint section, none of the three could pull away enough to secure victory!

Amidst the spectators’ intense cheers, the three crossed the finish line almost side by side, each making an all-out leaning motion at the line. The only one with a visible advantage was Jamaica’s Hilm, who led Samuel and Barrigan by about half a body length.

At the commentary desk, Chris said in an amazed tone, “Unbelievable, both the second and third semifinal groups were so intensely competitive!”

Bills also nodded in admiration. “Every athlete fought for victory, all warriors on the field deserve our respect! Now, let’s look at the finish line video screenshot from the judges… Oh, the second place goes to Samuel from South Africa! He crossed the line a bit faster than Barrigan!”

“So what will the final results be for this group? Let’s wait for the judges’ final decision.”

In the stands of the Chinese athletes’ section, everyone was nervously waiting for the results to be revealed.

Although there were also two athletes crossing the line together in the third semifinal group, there was still a considerable gap between fourth place and the top three. As long as the fourth-place athlete’s time didn’t beat Su Zhe’s, Su Zhe’s spot in the finals would be secured!

Back home, everyone on the Track and Field Kingdom forum was already impatient, all eagerly anticipating the announcement of Group 3’s final results.

With everyone waiting, the final results of Group 3 were finally delivered to the commentary desk. Under everyone’s attention, Chris announced the final results of the men’s 100-meter sprint semifinal Group 3.
“First place, Hilm (Jamaica): 10.02 seconds (-0.2), Second place, Samuel (South Africa): 10.04 seconds (-0.2), Third place, Barrigan (UK): 10.04 seconds (-0.2)…”

The moment these results were announced, all Chinese spectators present erupted in cheers!

Especially from the direction of the Chinese athletes’ section, everyone from the national track team shouted excitedly. Zheng Wensheng stood in his spot, excitedly pounding the back of the chair in front of him, not even noticing that his hands had turned red from the impact.

At the finish line, Barrigan knelt dejectedly on the ground, holding his head in his hands and letting out a long groan of regret.

The third-place Su Zhe and fourth-place Sandy from Group 2 both had times of 10.03 seconds, while he, despite placing third, only managed 10.04 seconds… This meant he had already lost his qualification for the finals.

Just a 0.01-second difference had cost him the opportunity to compete on the highest stage.

Beside him, Samuel patted his shoulder, offering silent comfort. Although they had achieved the same time in this race, a difference of just a few thousandths of a second had determined their completely different fates in the competition.

This was the cruelty of competitive sports.

Back in China, in the conference room of the Track and Field Administration Center

The conference room was now filled with celebration. Everyone showed relief as if they had survived a disaster, with disbelief and excitement alternating in everyone’s minds.

“He made it to the finals?”

“He made it to the finals!!”

Everyone kept asking each other this question, then nodding in confirmation.

Sun Zhihai and Chen Guangzhi were also asking each other the same question, and after answering each other, they both broke into happy smiles and laughed along with everyone else.

“It wasn’t easy, not easy at all!” Sun Zhihai shook his head in admiration. “10.03 seconds, he’s broken his personal best again. both in the preliminaries and the semifinals, he’s run under the Olympic standard twice in a row! He’s really amazing”

Chen Guangzhi nodded along. “Yes, Lao Su must be overjoyed inside, but with that stinky face of his… Hahaha, I really want to see what he looks like right now, whether he can still maintain that usual expression of his!”

“Hahaha, I bet he can’t!” Sun Zhihai also had a deep impression of Su Yinsheng’s perpetually stern face. “Su Yinsheng has been coaching sprinters for decades, first with Chen Zhi, now with Zhao Zhixuan and his son Su Zhe. If it were me, I’d definitely be grinning from ear to ear every day! Come on, Lao Chen, quickly have the media team announce the final results! But don’t overpraise it, making it to the finals is already far beyond our expectations. Just announce the good news about qualifying for the finals!”

Chen Guangzhi immediately agreed to Sun Zhihai’s instructions. He called over the staff responsible for media communications and quickly passed on the task.

On Weibo, melon-eating bystanders and sports enthusiasts who had been following the live broadcast had already announced the good news, while various sports public accounts and self-media were preparing their articles.

The Track and Field Administration Center’s Weibo account also quickly published the latest update.

[#Country D World Athletics Championship# Congratulations to our country’s men’s 100-meter sprinter Su Zhe, who achieved an excellent time of 10.03 seconds in the men’s 100-meter semifinals on October 3rd, breaking his personal best again! At the same time, Su Zhe has successfully advanced to the finals with his 10.03 second result! On October 4th at 02:45 AM (9:45 PM on October 3rd, Country D time), Su Zhe will step onto the world’s top competition stage to participate in the finals of the men’s 100-meter sprint at the World Athletics Championships. May he showcase his talent on the track!]

After the announcement of the “group of death” lineup for the semifinals, the previously quiet gossip channels and sports enthusiasts were now gloriously sharing recordings of the men’s 100-meter semifinals Group 2 broadcast from the sports channel.

This emotional shift from despair to victory made everyone ecstatic.

Apart from fans who were so excited they could only exclaim “Holy shit” and “Zhe-shao is awesome,” many self-media creators and verified accounts were making determined efforts to provide appropriate analysis of the competition.

Lao Bai’s Track & Field Insights: [Before my analysis, let me first shout that Zhe-shao is awesome!! For this semifinal, as everyone saw after the group assignments were announced, this was a terrifying death group. To be honest, before estimating the race results, my greatest expectation for Su Zhe was that he might place fourth in his semifinal group. As for whether he could make it to the finals, I hadn’t thought that far.
As we all know, athletes’ performances are never completely consistent. In official competitions, it’s normal for a competitor’s time to fluctuate within 0.2 seconds from race to race. What’s been most impressive about Su Zhe all this time is that his performance in official competitions has been extremely stable!
Although this is partly related to his limited competition experience and insufficient performance data, one thing is obvious: since beginning his athletic career, he’s likely still in a period of performance breakthrough.
In this World Championship, Su Zhe’s performance has already far exceeded our expectations! As the first Asian to stand on the World Athletics Championship finals stage since Chen Zhi, he is our hero and pride!
Here, I wish him success in the finals two hours from now and hope he can showcase his talents. I also hope he’ll achieve excellent results in tomorrow’s 110-meter hurdles preliminary!
Finally, he deserves all of our cheers and support!]

Su Zhe’s die-hard fan, Teacher Tao Sheng, certainly wouldn’t miss the opportunity to speak up.

[I once thought that although Su Zhe had unlimited potential, to stand on the world’s top stage, he might need to undergo at least one or two years of tempering.
But he didn’t.
In such a short time, he has already stepped onto a stage that, in all of Asia, only his senior Chen Zhi had reached before.
Such an achievement makes people amazed, excited, and inevitably nervous!
Looking at the traces of his growth journey, he has experienced nervousness and brief fluctuations in form. His competition experience isn’t very rich. This is only his second world-class competition. But he has already won himself, and us, achievements worthy of immense pride!
It’s somewhat regrettable that I didn’t choose to go to Country D to watch the competition in person and can only cheer for him online, in front of the livestream.
Su Zhe, go for it! Looking forward to your brilliant moments in the final!]

The statements from Lao Bai, Tao Sheng, and many other sports bloggers touched the common feelings of gossip followers and sports enthusiasts. Among all those currently following Su Zhe’s World Championship situation, many were once participants in the “Get Su Zhe Out of the Sports Circle” topic.

How things change sometimes is truly unpredictable.

In the next two-plus hours, few people who were following the World Championship 100-meter event chose to go offline and rest. Everyone was discussing related topics while waiting for the finals to arrive.

In Country D, at the Celion Sports Complex, Su Zhe and the other finalists had already completed their final check-in and arrived at the waiting area together.

The ultimate battle of the 100 meters was about to unfold between these 8 people on the field.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the waiting area was tense. Everyone was making final preparations for the upcoming race, while in the stands, waves of cheers occasionally erupted for athletes from various countries.

Everyone was anticipating who would claim the final crown of glory on this ultimate battlefield!

When the clock hand reached 9:45 in the evening, the 8 competitors stepped onto the pink track together.

The final battle was about to begin!