IBABS Chapter 61.1 — Post-Preliminary Interview & 4x100m Final

In China, netizens watching today’s 4x100m relay preliminary race all let out a sigh of relief when the commentators announced Team China’s results.

As a loyal fan of the 4x100m event, Huang Wenye was naturally following today’s competition in real time.

Throughout the preliminary race, his heart was suspended in tension, just like all other sports enthusiasts invested in the match.

When Zhao Zhixuan and Wang Ming completed their baton pass smoothly, he silently exclaimed “Nice!” But when the mistake happened during the handoff between Wang Ming and Meng Hao, he couldn’t help cursing under his breath.

Logically speaking, Meng Hao was a veteran on the relay team, and such mistakes shouldn’t happen, but nobody could predict accidents. Even the Japanese team, long renowned for their baton-passing technique, didn’t they also suffered defeat from last year’s competition due to a handoff error?

The unpredictable nature of competition was precisely what made competitive sports so captivating.

Fortunately, as soon as Meng Hao realized his mistake, he sprinted with everything he had in the third leg, successfully making up for his error. But before anyone could relax, the handoff between him and Su Zhe also showed a slight delay.

In this preliminary race, China’s relay team’s handoffs between the second and third runners, and between the third and fourth runners, had everyone’s hearts racing anxiously.

Thankfully, Team China still managed to advance to the finals.

This brand-new team, formed only during the World Championships, faced their first major test on the world stage. The result they delivered was already reassuring enough.

Many sports commentators took advantage of the wait before the finals to publish their analyses.

[The test isn’t over yet, but the future remains promising.]

This was Tao Sheng’s assessment of Team China’s performance this morning. He objectively described the strengths and weaknesses of each relay team member, naturally mentioning Meng Hao’s mistake and recovery.

“A momentary slip-up isn’t the end of the world. As long as the same mistake isn’t repeated, this team will only grow stronger with time and better coordination.”

Most sports commentators remained optimistic about the relay team’s future. After all, Wang Ming was still the weakest link in the current lineup, yet the team’s overall skill level was already solid.

Many people eagerly anticipated Chen Zhi’s return, hoping that with dual core members, the relay team’s performance would make a breakthrough improvement.

In the media area of Celion Stadium in Country D, domestic reporters were interviewing Su Zhe and his three teammates.

Xu Zhi held the microphone toward the four of them. “Congratulations to all relay team members for making it to the World Championships 4x100m relay finals. For a team that has undergone major personnel changes and position adjustments due to retirements and injuries, what you’ve achieved in today’s preliminary race can already be considered an excellent result.”

As a well-known reporter from the sports channel, Xu Zhi had always maintained good relationships with athletes. His willingness to objectively convey the behind-the-scenes challenges athletes faced during competitions in his interviews was precisely why they regarded him so favorably.

Just like in today’s interview, he first provided context, explaining the current relay team’s difficulties to the audience.

Su Zhe and his teammates understood Xu Zhi’s good intentions and nodded their thanks to him.

Xu Zhi continued, “So how do you all feel about the team’s coordination in today’s race? Did each of you perform up to your personal expectations?”

Zhao Zhixuan and Wang Ming were the first to answer Xu Zhi’s question. Wang Ming handed the microphone to Zhao Zhixuan, letting him answer on his behalf.

After a brief moment of thought, Zhao Zhixuan nodded and said, “Today’s result actually exceeded our usual practice standards. As for me and Wang-ge, we both performed normally and smoothly. Of course, this is partly because we’re both veterans on the team, and Wang-ge has always trained with the relay team as a substitute member. In terms of rapport and coordination, the advantage between me and Wang-ge is probably the strongest, so our performance today was as expected.”

Zhao Zhixuan gave a very measured response, but when he passed the microphone to Meng Hao, the latter dropped a bombshell.

“…I’m extremely dissatisfied with my performance.”

Su Zhe, the other two teammates, and Xu Zhi were all taken aback. Wang Ming, however, understood Meng Hao’s thoughts and patted him on the shoulder in comfort.

“The two baton-passing errors in this preliminary were both due to my personal mistakes. As a veteran of the relay team, I have no excuse to cover up these errors,” Meng Hao said, looking directly at the camera with a frown. “In the preliminary, my individual performance didn’t strengthen the team; instead, I nearly dragged everyone down. That’s something I need to reflect on. If it weren’t for me…”

Wang Ming frowned at Meng Hao’s response and, seeing that he intended to continue, cut him off and took over. “On this team, the two people with the most difficult adjustments are Su Zhe and you. That’s one thing. Another thing is that during a race, no one can guarantee they won’t make any mistakes. Relax your mindset. Focusing on running well in the finals is what we should be thinking about now.”

Su Zhe also earnestly added, “Meng-ge, you’re only talking about your baton-passing errors, but why don’t you mention your performance on the curve? Besides, like Wang-ge said, the preliminary is over. Our goal now is to showcase our abilities in the finals. Tonight is the real battlefield.”

Xu Zhi also smiled and said, “I’m sure our viewers can see the unity and care you all have for each other from these responses. This kind of rapport and friendship between you all is certainly a guarantee of our team’s overall cohesion and strength! So next, I hope everyone rests well this afternoon and recovers their energy. I’ll join all our viewers in looking forward to our relay team’s performance in tonight’s finals!”

After the interview, Wang Ming patted Meng Hao’s shoulder again. “You’re a veteran on the team too. How are you still dwelling on a momentary mistake during the race? Lao Meng, your post-race mental adjustment needs work!”

Meng Hao knocked his own head and shook it, saying, “You’re right. I was overthinking it. Tonight’s finals are what matter.”

Zhao Zhixuan and Su Zhe both gave Meng Hao a hug, comforting him as he fell into excessive self-blame.

“Nobody can avoid mistakes forever,” Su Zhe said. “The preliminary is over. Let’s prove ourselves tonight.”

In the time that followed, after eating, receiving specialized massages from the team’s massage therapists, and resting, everyone gathered again in the training room.

In these final moments before heading to the competition venue, Su Yinsheng didn’t intend to place any additional psychological pressure on the team members. Looking at the members of his squad, he ultimately said just one brief sentence.

“You guys, my only requirement is that you perform above your individual standards, keep your composure, stay steady and smooth, and remember – on the field, anything is possible.”

As Su Zhe and the others took Su Yinsheng’s final words as a positive blessing, they smiled and nodded before boarding the team bus together to head to the competition venue.

By 9:30 PM, Su Zhe and his teammates had completed their individual warm-ups in the preparation area.

Warming up alongside them were the other seven teams they would face on the track.

These included Team USA with their preliminary time of 37.65 seconds, Jamaica at 37.70, UK at 37.72, Japan at 37.89, as well as Brazil at 38.07, France at 38.20, and Trinidad and Tobago, who had underperformed in the preliminaries with just 38.40.

If judging by each team’s normal performance standards, China’s relay team could almost be considered at the bottom among all the teams.

But what did that matter?

On the actual track, everything ultimately depended on how each team performed in the moment. Even a powerhouse like Trinidad and Tobago barely made it into the finals in today’s preliminaries.

Just as Su Yinsheng said, if they maintained stability and smoothness, and if they could handle the baton passes more fluidly, then even with their speed disadvantage, they wouldn’t necessarily finish in last place.

In the Chinese team section, Zheng Wensheng, Su Yinsheng, and other team members who had come to watch were already seated.

The men’s 4x100m final was the last event of the evening. The spectators had been eagerly anticipating it, creating a lively atmosphere in the stadium, with special arrangements made for the athletes’ entrance area.

Just before the competition began, the large screen in the entrance area started displaying introductions of tonight’s competing teams. As the entrance doors opened, the athletes made their appearances one by one amid the commentators’ passionate introductions.

At the commentary desk, Chris and Bills were introducing the Chinese relay team members who were about to appear.

Chris: “Finally, here comes the Chinese relay team! They are first leg Zhao Zhixuan (personal best 10.12 seconds), second leg Wang Ming (personal best 10.22 seconds), third leg Meng Hao (personal best 10.16 seconds), and fourth leg Su Zhe (personal best 10.02 seconds)! Among them, Su Zhe also achieved an impressive fifth place in the men’s 100m event at this World Championships!”

Amid the thunderous cheers and applause from the crowd, Su Zhe and his three teammates entered the track wearing China’s sprint uniforms. Following the staff’s instructions, they waved to the cameras.

As Su Zhe smiled and waved toward the cameras with his teammates, another sudden wave of cheers erupted from the crowd, surprising Zhao Zhixuan and the others, who exchanged glances, impressed by the audience’s enthusiasm.

At the commentary desk, Chris covered his chest and shook his head in admiration. “Oh, Chinese athlete Su! His smile appears even more dazzling on the big screen.”

Beside him, Bills nodded in agreement.

In the media area, besides the Chinese and Japanese media who were already quite familiar with Su Zhe, reporters from other countries were also surprised by the appearance of this Chinese athlete. Many reporters couldn’t resist pointing their cameras at Su Zhe as he made his way alone to the fourth leg position.

In tonight’s race, Team China was positioned in lane nine, the outermost lane. To China’s left was Trinidad and Tobago, who had underperformed in the preliminaries and finished eighth. The strongest teams, the United States and Jamaica, were positioned in lanes four and five respectively.

Once all the athletes had finished measuring and placing their starting marks, the previously lively venue gradually quieted down. The spectators began holding their breath, creating a silent environment for the athletes to hear the starting gun.

In the moment the stadium fell silent, all athletes on the field took a deep breath, entering their most tense and focused competitive state.

“On your marks.”

The referee’s voice echoed through the broadcast system.

At the starting line, the first runners from all eight teams tensed their minds and bodies, waiting for the next command.

“Set.”

“Bang!”

The starting gun’s shot was the final signal for everyone to move!

The first runners from all eight teams pushed off from their starting blocks simultaneously, beginning their sprint forward along the curve!

At the same time, all spectators in the venue let their voices loose, offering the most frenzied cheers for tonight’s final race. In an instant, the previously quiet stadium erupted into a boiling state amid the thunderous roars of the audience.

“Go!!! Go China!!!”

Outside the stadium, in front of livestream screens, Chinese sports fans watching the race also raised their voices, shouting encouragements at their screens.