IBABS Chapter 59 — Post-Race Public Opinion & Analysis & Relay Race is About to Begin

“That’s amazing! It’s really amazing!”

In the Chinese athletes’ section of the stands, Zheng Wensheng was so excited he could barely speak coherently. He enthusiastically patted Lü Fei’s shoulder beside him, feeling almost dizzy with excitement. He had to force himself to take several deep breaths to calm down.

This time, before the World Athletics Championships began, the Track and Field Administration Center had only hoped for the men’s 100m and 110m hurdles athletes to make it to the semi-finals and perform to the best of their abilities.

But day after day, Su Zhe, Zhou Tianjue, Ye Jun… all these athletes kept creating new records and achievements for themselves.

“Su Zhe, Ye Jun, Zhou Tianjue… well done, everyone did so well!” Zheng Wensheng couldn’t help but wave his arms, the surging emotions in his chest still difficult to fully release.

From yesterday to today, the 110m hurdles event had given him too many surprises and emotional ups and downs.

From the three athletes advancing together to the semi-finals in the preliminaries, to Zhou Tianjue unexpectedly missing his chance at the finals while Su Zhe fought through the pressure to advance, this was already enough to surprise him.

He initially watched tonight’s finals with mixed and complicated feelings. Every athlete in the finals had first-class abilities. In such a peak competition, even someone like Lister couldn’t guarantee winning gold.

Could Su Zhe withstand the pressure again in the finals and achieve an even better result?

This question weighed on his mind, but he didn’t dare ask it aloud, afraid of putting extra pressure on Su Zhe.

Before the race, Lü Fei had comforted him, saying that Su Zhe was in excellent condition and that he shouldn’t worry – but how could he not worry?

When he saw the athletes provoking each other before the race, Zheng Wensheng’s heart felt like it was hanging in midair. His blood pressure shot up as he feared Su Zhe might lose his composure and stability due to these pre-race provocations.

Lü Fei laughed at him before the race, saying with his psychological state, if he were competing, he’d definitely lose his balance. Being in such an environment and race atmosphere, he really found it difficult to maintain his composure.

But it didn’t matter!

It was fine if his own mentality wasn’t stable, as long as Su Zhe’s was!

Thinking of this, Zheng Wensheng couldn’t help but ramble again. “Oh, when they were at the fifth hurdle, my heart… when that Percival caught up to Su Zhe, my heart nearly exploded! Thankfully, Su Zhe kept his cool and caught up at the next hurdle and never let Percival overtake him again!”

In response to Zheng Wensheng’s rambling, Lü Fei chuckled. “Lao Zheng, I remember when the Track and Field Administration Center proposed making Su Zhe a key prospect for the 110m hurdles, you voted against it, right?”

Hearing this, Zheng Wensheng froze momentarily, then his face turned red. “Come on, Old Lü, why are you bringing up ancient history? I was just worried about conflicts between training for two events!”

Zheng Wensheng’s initial concerns weren’t wrong, of course. Lü Fei was simply using this to tease his old friend who was currently overwhelmed with excitement.

Near the railing by the athletes’ section, Ye Jun and Zhou Tianjue stood watching Su Zhe at the finish line.

On the track, Su Zhe clearly spotted them too, raising his hand to wave at them with a smile. As Ye Jun lifted his hand to respond, he noticed Zhou Tianjue awkwardly turning his head away, pretending not to see – this kid was probably happy inside but too embarrassed to show it, so he put on this act.

Ye Jun patted Zhou Tianjue’s shoulder with amusement, without saying much.

For Zhou Tianjue, he originally had the chance to stand on this field too, to create his own miracle on the track.

Now he could only watch Su Zhe complete the race, and regardless of Su Zhe’s final result, his feelings must be complicated.

After receiving the comforting gesture from Ye Jun, Zhou Tianjue grunted twice, then stubbornly said, “I’m fine, it was just an accident. Let the little sheep have his moment this time. Next competition, with the great me there, I definitely won’t let him steal all the spotlight!”

Hearing this, Ye Jun nodded repeatedly in agreement. “Haha, that’s right. Next competition, we’ll compete again. With you two kids being so strong, I can’t afford to lose to you!”

In a corner of the athletes’ section, while everyone was celebrating loudly, Shao Xingchen remained quietly hunched behind his camera, focusing through the lens to capture Su Zhe’s every move at the finish line.

This person in his viewfinder looked so similar yet so different from when he first saw him on that talent show.

On the stage back then, Su Zhe’s most dazzling features were his appearance and his persistent attitude of striving upward, which involuntarily drew people’s attention.

Back then, Su Zhe still carried a hint of youthful confusion and stubbornness.

He had once wondered why Su Zhe seemed to have something about him that didn’t quite fit the stage. Now, seeing Su Zhe radiating brilliance from within on the track, he felt a genuine sense of recognition deep in his heart.

Su Zhe was born to belong to the field. Here, he truly emitted his absolute charm, making everyone who watched him feel inspired.

Quietly, through his lens, Shao Xingchen occasionally pressed the shutter, wanting to preserve Su Zhe’s most charismatic moments.

At the commentary booth, Chris and Bills formally announced all the athletes’ rankings and official results.

Spain’s Alcides took the crown with a time of 13.08 seconds (-0.2), while Lister, who had advanced in first place during both preliminaries and semi-finals, lost his throne due to a tiny mistake, securing second place with 13.12 seconds.

Third-place Elano ran an excellent time of 13.15 seconds, while Su Zhe once again broke his personal best with a time of 13.23 seconds.

Percival, who had shown contempt and provocation toward Su Zhe before the race, ultimately ranked sixth with a time of 13.28 seconds.

After seeing the final results, another wave of cheers erupted from the Chinese athletes’ section.

Meanwhile, at the Track and Field Administration Center’s meeting room back in China.

Since the World Athletics Championships began, the staff at the Track and Field Administration Center had developed a habit of gathering to watch the competitions. Now, facing Su Zhe’s outstanding performance once again, the staff present couldn’t help but feel emotional amid their cheers and celebration.

The 110m hurdles…

Was Chinese 110m hurdles finally about to welcome a new golden era?

The staff working at the Track and Field Administration Center all had an extraordinary love for track and field, and in China’s track events, the golden era of 110m hurdles created by Song Chen was a brilliant chapter that no one could erase.

How many people present had watched Song Chen’s 110m hurdles competitions back then, and then plunged into the sports circle, never to leave again?

But even kings aren’t gods, and kings eventually age. No one had imagined that after Song Chen’s retirement, China’s 110m hurdles would decline for so long.

In fact, it wasn’t just in China. The records created by Song Chen’s generation of 110m hurdles champions were world-class. Song Chen and his rivals repeatedly broke the world records for 110m hurdles. After their generation retired, 110m hurdles performances worldwide declined temporarily.

It’s just that the gap between other Chinese athletes and Song Chen was even greater than abroad.

Now, finally, a new generation of talent was emerging…

When they saw Su Zhe standing on the 110m hurdles finals track, many in the meeting room couldn’t help secretly wiping tears from the corners of their eyes.

Sun Zhihai also wiped his eyes, sighing, “These kids, they’re all doing so well! With these athletes fighting on the field generation after generation, even if an event experiences a temporary low, successors will eventually appear to reclaim our former glory!”

Beside Sun Zhihai, Chen Guangzhi nodded earnestly. “Yes, they’re all good kids! Su Zhe, Ye Jun, Zhou Tianjue… and all the members of our national team, each and every one of them is outstanding! We should really be happy for them!”

That night, even though it was already past midnight, the Track and Field Administration Center, the national team, and others immediately posted news about the competition on their official Weibo accounts.

Track and Field Administration Center: [#Country D World Athletics Championships# At 8:10 PM local time in Country D on October 5th, during the 110m hurdles finals, our athlete @Su Zhe once again broke his personal best, achieving fourth place in this World Athletics Championships with a time of 13.23 seconds! This is the glorious moment when a Chinese athlete has made it to the 110m hurdles finals after an 8-year gap! Let’s congratulate Su Zhe on his excellent performance!]

National Track and Field Team: [The 110m hurdles finals! We’re back! @Su Zhe not only broke into this long-awaited competition but also ran his best under the pressure of all eyes watching! Let’s cheer and be proud of him! He deserves all the best praise at this moment!]

The official sports channel uploaded a documentary video shot by Xu Zhi at the scene, which briefly interviewed Chinese spectators who had come to watch, recording their excited comments.

In the video, Chinese spectators, both men and women, had flushed faces as they waved red flags, shouting at the camera, “Zhe-shao is awesome!!!”

Several young women who looked more like fangirls were sobbing while holding Su Zhe’s chibi banners and small flags when they saw the camera.

While wiping away their tears, the girls faced the camera somewhat shyly but sincerely said, “We’re baby’s… ah, no, we’re Su Zhe’s fans, we’re just happy… seeing him shining on the field, we’re really happy. He’s the best! He deserves all the best things!! We’ll support him forever!!!”

At the end, the girls wiped their tears and shouted together, “Baby! Philosophers will love you forever!!”
These scenes were faithfully recorded by Xu Zhi, who captured the noisy, passionate atmosphere of the venue.

This simple documentary-style video, after being posted on the official sports channel’s Weibo, seemed to touch many people’s hearts with the emotions it conveyed. Soon after, the video unexpectedly went viral across the internet.

Sports fans saw the excitement and passion of the live event in the video. For the spectators who loudly shouted “Zhe-shao is awesome,” people not only laughed heartily but also couldn’t help sharing it, adding their own shouts of “Awesome!”

Those who typically preferred entertainment gossip couldn’t help but feel their hearts soften after seeing the interview with the Philosopher girls in the latter half.

This feeling was so familiar and genuine. When fans see their idols achieving remarkable results or doing anything worth being proud of, they all share the same excitement and pride.

Many fans of other celebrities, upon seeing the pride and honor in the eyes of the Philosophers at the competition site, couldn’t help but feel a hint of envy.

Under the world’s attention, on a world-class stage, facing off against other top competitors… such passionate enthusiasm was too distant for most fans.

In Su Zhe’s super topic, from the end of the finals until the next day, the atmosphere remained as festive as a New Year celebration.

Everyone discussed every brilliant moment of Su Zhe, envied the Philosophers who could watch the competition in person, and voiced their agreement with every word the sisters at the venue had said.

When Su Zhe’s 100m sprint and 110m hurdles results, along with Xu Zhi’s documentary video, appeared on the national Channel 1 news broadcast the next day, another wave of excitement erupted in the forum.

[Ahhhhh! awsl¹! I need to go run around the block!!! Baby made it to Channel 1 news broadcast!!!]

[QwQ… crying from excitement. I was eating dinner while the news was playing in the living room, and I screamed when I heard baby’s name. My parents thought I went crazy…]

[Sob, my mom knows I like baby, and she was the one who called me to watch the news first. She even praised our baby for being amazing! My parents and I have agreed to find a chance to watch baby’s competitions in person!]

[Me too! Me too! My dad is also a sports fan, and I just found out he already knew about baby and said our baby is incredibly talented! We’ve already made plans to watch baby’s competitions together!]

A single news broadcast brought out a wave of relatives and friends of the Philosophers in Su Zhe’s super topic. Everyone suddenly realized that beyond the internet, many more people already knew and remembered Su Zhe’s name through news, newspapers, and TV broadcasts.

The Track and Field Kingdom forum was also bustling with excitement.

Technical analysis posts about Su Zhe emerged one after another. Someone managed to find the split times of all competitors from Su Zhe’s 100m finals from a foreign website, analyzing in detail where exactly the gaps were between Su Zhe and the gold, silver, and bronze medalists Gates, Evanson, and Sandy.

This detailed data analysis examined the differences in maximum speed between Su Zhe and Gates in each 10-meter segment. It suggested that Su Zhe’s weakness in the start-to-acceleration phase, possibly due to insufficient explosive power, made it difficult for him to gain enough advantage in the first half.

It was precisely because Su Zhe appeared relatively weak in the first half, with a certain gap in maximum speed in each 10-meter segment compared to Gates and others, that even when Su Zhe entered his stronger acceleration phase in the latter part, it was difficult to make up for the time lost in the first half.

In the first 40 meters, even a difference of just 0.02-0.05 seconds per ten-meter segment between Su Zhe and top athletes like Gates created a devastating disadvantage.

The original post concluded: Zhe-shao has already reached the same level as Gates in the final 40 meters, even having opportunities to surpass Gates. Once he can improve his performance in the first 40 meters, I believe Zhe-shao will have the ability to stand shoulder to shoulder with competitors like Gates, and breaking the 10-second barrier won’t be a problem at all!

This conclusion gained widespread agreement and made everyone look forward to the day when Su Zhe’s performance would advance even further.

Country D, Athletes Village

The evening after the competition, after returning to the Athletes Village, Su Zhe received another set of stunning photos from Shao Xingchen. After expressing his thanks, he uploaded the photos to his Weibo account, recording his feelings from the competition.

After posting the photos, Su Zhe didn’t allow himself much rest time, but instead refocused his attention on the upcoming competitions and training.

Just four days later, on October 10th, the Chinese team would face the challenge of 4×100m relay, where their sprint team would inevitably face pressure from other strong nations.

Thinking of this, after checking the total of 5 free attribute points obtained from the two competition settlements, Su Zhe reviewed his current weaknesses and allocated two more points to explosive power. That same evening, he activated the training space again, preparing to begin the corresponding training to develop explosive power.

Perhaps because he chose to add two attribute points to explosive power at once, Su Zhe discovered that the training program provided by the system had increased in difficulty almost exponentially.

Seeing this training plan, Su Zhe could only shake his head helplessly. In fact, the system’s training plan was quite reasonable. How could improving explosive power ever be simple?

With only four days… there was not enough time to complete even the first phase of the explosive power training plan provided by the system.

Even so, Su Zhe didn’t hesitate. During these four days, he continuously activated the training space, persistently completing the systematic training plan.

Even if there was only a slight possibility of improvement, he wouldn’t miss it at this crucial time.

During these four days, not only did he have to continuously challenge various training exercises provided by the system in the training space every night, but during the day, Su Zhe also needed to complete various light, simple training sessions in the Athletes Village training room to maintain his competitive state.

Meanwhile, during these days, Su Yinsheng and the sprint coaching team continuously monitored the 4×100m relay team members, further breaking down technical details for everyone, ensuring all team members remembered the crucial starting mark lines at specific distances on the track, while also conducting baton exchange coordination training among the four runners.

October 10th, 8:00 AM, Athletes Village Training Room

In the training room of Building 8 in the Athletes Village, the 4×100m sprint team members gathered again for final preparations before departure.

Over the previous days, Su Zhe had practiced several times with Zhao Zhixuan, Wang Ming, Meng Hao and others. From their previous performance, the relay team’s overall condition seemed stable, with their best time already breaking 38.30 seconds.

During these days, besides the limited joint practices, the team’s training had increasingly focused on short-distance baton exchange exercises and similar drills, primarily to further strengthen the trust between all team members, hoping to make a concerted effort to advance to the finals together.

At the same time, during these days, Su Yinsheng repeatedly analyzed the strong competitors they needed to carefully face in this World Championship’s 4×100m event – teams such as UK, France, the United States, Japan, Jamaica, all had powerful capabilities in the 4×100m relay.

These countries’ sprint relay teams either had some members with extraordinarily strong individual abilities, or their team members all reached first-class standards and, after years of coordination, had developed extremely high levels of teamwork.

While besides these countries’ teams, the others couldn’t be underestimated either.

Regardless of which event, for the Chinese relay team that had just been temporarily assembled during the World Championships training camp, it required everyone’s cautious approach.

Looking at the team members before him, Su Yinsheng added, “But don’t feel too much pressure, our strength is already quite good. For the round of 16 to 8, there’s no need to be too nervous.”

In the World Championships, the men’s 4×100m event consisted of 16 participating teams. These 16 teams were divided into two groups for the preliminaries.

The Chinese relay team was placed in the second preliminary group.

From the two preliminary groups, the top three teams would advance directly, while the last two spots would go to the two fastest teams among the remaining teams from both groups.

In the end, Su Yinsheng didn’t say much more and emphasized calmness, accuracy, and smoothness.

“Perform at your usual level, maintain your current teamwork, and advancing to the finals won’t be difficult.”

After hearing Su Yinsheng’s repeated emphasis, Zhao Zhixuan, Wang Ming, Meng Hao, and Su Zhe all seriously expressed their understanding.

Just before setting off, the four smiled and high-fived each other, shouting words of encouragement for their team!

“We won’t have any problems, right?” Su Zhe asked his teammates beside him with a smile.

“Of course!” Zhao Zhixuan and the other two returned Su Zhe’s smile with confidence.

“Then let’s go, Chinese sprint relay team!”

Under the watchful eyes of the coaching staff and workers, the four men left the training room together, making their way to the competition venue.

In just two hours, they would step onto the battlefield of the 4×100m relay!