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Chapter 155: The Miraculous Secret Weapon for Coach
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"A new upgrade! This time I am going to move up to a top-level coach!" Overflowing with happiness, Dai Li began to hum a tune.
Dai Li would now be upgraded from a second-rate coach to a top-level coach. He would now be in the preliminary phase of the top-level coach.
Dai Li had been waiting a very long time for this upgrade. Nearly two years had passed since his last upgrade to the senior phase of the second-rate coach, which was around the time he had just finished helping Feixiang Lin. During this period, Dai Li had accumulated empirical value quietly through instructing athletes' training every day. The growth of his empirical value had been very slow, to the point where sometimes he even forgot the the System existed.
The empirical value gained through training young athletes was extremely limited. If Dai Li had not come to the national team when he did, he would have needed more time before he would have been eligible for an upgrade.
Seeing the title of "Top-level Coach" in the System, Dai Li began to reflect on where he had started from. He still remembered the top-level coach experience card that had been given to him by the System when he was still a newbie, when he had just gotten the Coaching System. He had been so impressed by the miraculous power of a top-level coach back then. Now, he himself had finally become a real top-level coach.
"Bonus! Bonus! My bonus! This is the upgrade from the second-rate coach to the top-level coach. I am supposed to get a bonus package with two rewards inside!" Dai Li said to the System expectedly.
An upgrade package was promptly given to him by the System, as expected. Upon opening the package, Dai Li found two items in it. Dai Li had seen them before—one light ring and one chip.
Dai Li had obtained two similar items before. The light ring had a similar shape to the explosive force halo he already had, but was a slightly different color, meaning it was also a halo. The chip, which had also been obtained by Dai Li before, was an upgrade for the detector.
"A halo! I finally got another halo!" Looking at the tiny halo, Dai Li was overjoyed. He had already learned of the mighty power a halo possessed.
When Dai Li had still been in the Beikou Training Center, Feixiang Lin was able to defeat Teng Dong, whose ability value was higher than his, with the help of the explosive force halo. It had even assisted him in breaking the world record for a second time.
Back during his days with the Youth Track and Field Team, the five athletes, including Jiankang Chen, were able to defeat the powerful opponents from the Nantan Middle School with the assistance of the explosive force halo.
The explosive force halo also played a part in Haiquan Fang's success, when he won the Youth Games by defeating Gang Yang.
The halo also had a consecutive enhancement effect, which was effective on groups of athletes. Instead of applauding or cheering, Dai Li only needed to equip the halos in the System to get the benefits of it, which was more convenient than his other skills, which required hands-on involvement.
"What is this halo?" Dai Li asked.
"The endurance halo. As its name suggest, this halo can enhance an athlete's endurance," the System explained.
Dai Li thought of the middle and long distance running events immediately.
It was obvious that an athlete's endurance was very important in the middle- and long-distance running events. Unlike the quickness of the sprinting events, the winner of the middle- and long-distance running events was often be identified in the last lap, especially in high level contests. The athlete with the more sufficient energy reserve and lower muscle fatigue could have the best chance of being the ultimate winner.
Soccer crossed Dai Li's mind. A soccer game lasted more than ninety minutes accounting for injury time, and could even last 120 minutes in the case of the extra time. The players had to continue running on the field for an extended period of time. Therefore, the team with better endurance would have an advantage on offense, defense, and tactical cooperation.
Dai Li began thinking of some other sports that required running for long periods of time, and demanded a lot of endurance. As he was thinking, he was interrupted by the voice of the System, who said, "You have had the explosive force halo for a while now, and have seen its effects. So, for the endurance halo, I will only emphasize one point—it can enhance not only an athlete's muscular endurance, but their cardiovascular endurance as well!"
"It can enhance their cardiovascular endurance too?!" Now Dai Li was really surprised.
Muscular endurance was the ability to work one's muscles for a long time; in short, it was the ability to fight muscle fatigue. After exercising for a long time, people are bound to get tired, which mainly comes from muscle fatigue. Therefore, people with better muscular endurance are better suited to fight that fatigue, and continue working their muscles for longer periods of time.
Cardiovascular endurance, on the other hand, was the ability to inhale, exhale, and utilize oxygen. The easier someone could perform these processes, the better their cardiovascular endurance was. Cardiovascular endurance could also increase the supply of ATP-CP and glycolysis, which provided energy for physical activities.
Dai Li had assumed the endurance halo could only enhance muscular endurance. Its effects on cardiovascular endurance were something he had not expected. It was common knowledge that muscular and cardiovascular endurance complemented one another. The combination of the two could have an effect far greater than the two would normally have individually.
As I expected, the halo is the best bonus! Dai Li couldn't help but think to himself. Then, Dai Li looked at the chip.
"Is this an upgrade for the detector?" Dai Li asked.
"Yes, this package can upgrade your detector into the advanced detector," the System replied.
"When the primary detector was upgraded to the intermediate detector, I could check for an athlete's specialties. What do I get from the advanced detector?" Dai Li asked immediately.
"With the advanced detector, your detection range will be increased by twenty meters based on your position," the System answered immediately.
"Oh…" Dai Li replied in a blank look. He was not interested in this additional detection range of twenty meters. He had expected something better.
"In addition, the advanced detector can detect the pros and cons of athletes," the System continued to say.
"What does that mean?" Dai Li assumed this was a quite miraculous effect enhancement.
"With just my introduction, you might still be puzzled. I suggest you find an athlete to try it out. The national team is never in short of athletes," the System said.
"That's right," Dai Li nodded. He upgraded his detector using the System's instruction. Then, he went to find an athlete to check the effects of the new detector.
Athletes were abundant in the training base of the national team. Soon, Dai Li found an athlete using the bathroom.
This guy seems like a long-jump athlete. I saw him in the long-jump group. I will choose him. Start the detection! Dai Li detected the athlete.
The next second, the System was filled with a lot of information. The content of the first two rows was the same as it had always been; however, the information in the last two rows made Dai Li excited.
Detection object: Professional Athlete
Event speciaty: pole vault; professional competence: 494; gift: C
Advantages: good body flexibility, strong run-up rhythm, sufficient take up…
Disadvantages: insufficient grip strength, weak pole utilization, the grip strength of the left hand is significantly greater than that of the right hand….
My gosh! Looking at the detection results, Dai Li realized that the advanced detector was indeed a miraculous secret weapon!
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Chapter 156: The Selection Examination
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
For a coach, this advanced detector really is a great secret weapon! Dai Li exclaimed to himself.
Dai Li had been with the national team for some time, so he had realized that the training of first class athletes focused more on well-targeted small detail improvements. The physical qualities of the athletes who were on the national team were definitely impeccable. As a result, there were never any major shortcomings in their techniques. Therefore, besides the difference in ability, details were the dominant factor in the gaps between the athletes.
However, it was extremely difficult to pinpoint these small, specific problems. The techniques of the athletes had been developed over a long period of time. They had stuck with the same training methods for years—some even for over a decade—so it was very difficult for athletes to find these small problems themselves. Usually, only top athletes were able to recognize the small problems in their training.
Top athletes had already received high level training and accumulated plenty of training experience. In addition, their talents were better. Feixiang Lin was a good example of this. He could see the small problems in his own training and fix them accordingly. That was why he was a world record holder. However, athletes like Feixiang Lin were rare. Mediocre athletes did not have this ability.
Because most athletes could not diagnose their own problems, it was the coach's job. This was what the examination paper would be on to check the true ability of a coach.
The job of a coach was nothing more than to help train their athletes and help them during their match. The coaches of physical events, like basketball, soccer, and volleyball had to make a game plan during the games, which was also a test of the coach's skills.
As for non-physical sports, like racing, shooting, gymnastics, diving, etc., there was no game plan during the matches at all. The one who had better strength and performance would win. Because of this, training was the main criteria in these events to test a coach's skills.
As things were now, Dai Li had no chance of participating in the training of physical sports. It was impossible for a young man who was only twenty-five to be the head coach of a professional basketball or soccer team. Even a deputy head coach job was out of his reach. Even if someone as young as Dai Li managed to join a professional sports team, he or she might act as an assistant coach at best.
Because of this, Dai Li's main task was still training. He needed to find the things the athletes were bad at, then help the athletes correct them. The advanced detector truly was a miraculous cheating device that went against the laws of nature.
...
During the next learning and observation period, Dai Li began to understand the benefits of the advanced detector.
The detector indicated that this sprinter's main problem is his insufficient hip movement during running. The coach of the national team asked him to practice leg swinging, which should make the ligament in his hip joint more flexible.
This high-jump athlete's main problem is that his center of gravity fluctuates too much after he takes off. Because of this, his leg recovery makes his hip's center of gravity unstable. He was told to keep practicing on the low bar so that he can master adjusting his center of gravity.
The sprinter's insufficient hip movement and the high-jump athlete's unstable center of gravity could only be regarded as insignificant details that could not decide the final result. On the provincial sports team, these details would definitely be neglected; however, on the national team, they were picked out by coaches, and became the focal point of improvement.
Dai Li had also began finding deficiencies in athletes that had not yet been discovered by the coaches of the national team.
The detector indicates that the breathing capacity of this long-distance runner will be chaotic when he reaches his limit. The coach seems to have overlooked this problem, so there was no specific training arranged for him. Although the coaches of the national team are skilled and have a lot of experience, they are human after all. You cannot compare them to a detector.
With the advanced detector, the advantages and disadvantages of an athlete were easily accessible to a coach. Dai Li had more of an in-depth understanding on the training program of the national team, and suddenly became clear on a lot of issues he had only somewhat understood previously.
The last day of the two-month learning and observation period had arrived. The selection examination that had been mentioned by Li Xue was unveiled.
...
Early in the morning, 30 young coaches arrived at the meeting room. With paper and pens in hand, everyone was waiting for the examination to begin.
Just after 8 o'clock, Li Xue entered the meeting room.
"We will have the selection examination today. The person who passes the examination can stay and join our Youth Training Program. What I want to emphasize is that there is no 'passing' score for this examination. You do not have to get a certain score to earn the right to stay. In addition, there is no limit on the number of people who can pass the exam. It is possible that all of you will be able to stay, or that none of you will be able to"
Li Xue's stern expression and his grisly look immediately made several coaches lower their heads in an effort to avoid eye contact with him.
"Now, let's hand out the 'examination paper' and prepare for the examination!" As soon as Li Xue finished speaking, his assistant came up beside him with notepads in hand.
Coaches were also regarded as outdoor workers. During training, they always needed to record something, like data, key points to focus on, etc. Therefore, a notepad and pen was the standard equipment for a coach. All the coaches in the meeting room were very familiar with the notepads.
Dai Li thought the examination paper would be clipped to the notepad. However, when the notepad was handed to him, he found just over ten pieces of blank paper attached to the notepad. Dai Li checked each piece of paper, but he could not find a single word.
Just blank paper? Where is the examination paper? Dai Li looked around and saw that the rest of the coaches had also only gotten blank paper with their notepads.
Could it be that the questions will be given on the spot? Dai Li said to himself.
As he had guessed, upon seeing that everyone had been handed a notepad, Li Xue said, "During this examination, I will give you the questions on the spot. When you hear my question, just write down your answer on the paper. Now everybody go outside. Let's go to the training ground."
"To the training ground? That's quite an examination!"
"I thought the examination would be held in the meeting room."
"Is it possible that Coach Xue didn't prepare any questions? Maybe he will give questions about whatever he sees on the training ground. "
Although everyone was whispering, they still went to the training ground in a single-file line.
"I used to be a sprinter, so let's start with the sprinting group!" Li Xue led the coaches to the No. 1 Sprinting Team. The sprinters were training determinedly.
After a minute of observation, Li Xue pointed at a sprinter who was performing push-off exercises using weights and asked, "Why is this sprinter performing push-off exercises using weights? If you know the answer, just write it down on your paper."
Some coaches were deep in thought, while other coaches were writing vigorously.
Instead of starting writing immediately, Dai Li thought hard about what he was seeing.
Push-off exercises using weights aims to enhance the explosive force of a sprinter's legs. This is so obvious that even the most mediocre coaches could not neglect it. The questions given by Coach Li Xue should not be so easy!
As he thought this, Dai Li checked the sprinter with the detector. The advantages and disadvantages of the sprinter were shown to Dai Li immediately.
So that's it! The weakness of this athlete is unbalanced leg swinging during his running start. The push-off exercise using weights should help improve the balance of his leg swinging during his running start.
As Dai Li thought of this, he began writing down the answer on his notepad.
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Chapter 157: I Should Keep a Low Profile
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Li Xue led the coaches to the training ground of different events. At every section, he would give the coaches a question on the spot. When they arrived at No. 2, the long-jump team, pole vault training was taking place.
Li Xue pointed at one of the pole-vaulters and said, "First, please make an observation on the movement of this athlete."
Everyone knew that the next question must be related to him, so they began watching the athlete carefully. After taking a closer look, Dai Li realized it was the same pole-vaulter he had detected with the advanced detector outside the bathroom.
A moment later, Li Xue asked his question. "For the next question, describe the deficiencies in this athlete's techniques."
Dai Li gave a wee smile, then immediately wrote down his answer on the paper.
Insufficient grip strength, weak pole utilization, the grip strength of the left hand is significantly greater than that of the right hand….
However, Dai Li's quick reaction was noticed by Li Xue.
Dai Li had gotten a full score of 400 points during the police training. That alone had put him on top of Li Xue's priority list. Li Xue continued watching Dai Li's behavior silently during the examination.
He writes down his answers so quickly. It seems that he is quite confident. Does he really know the answer? Maybe he is just writing down some nonsense! Li Xue frowned, suddenly feeling that the questions were too easy.
Maybe I should make the next few questions more difficult, Li Xue said to himself.
When they arrived at the No. 1 long-distance running team, Li Xue pointed at an athlete who was training and said, "Assume you are his head coach. Please formulate a training plan for this athlete for the next week. The basis of your training plan should be detailed concretely."
This question was more difficult than the previous ones. The formulation of a weekly training plan for an athlete was truly a test of a coach's comprehensive capabilities.
Dai Li looked at the athlete. What a coincidence! This was the athlete whose breathing capacity would be chaotic when he reached his limit. His weakness had even been neglected by the coach of the national team.
Dai Li lowered his head and thought for a while. He decided to work out a draft first. He listed all the disadvantages of the athlete, then wrote down all his solutions, which were sorted according to the actual situation. Then he began formulating a training plan.
Generally speaking, this examination with random questions was really quite challenging for the coaches. Even the examiner, Li Xue, didn't know what question he would give to the coaches, and just asked random questions based on what he saw in front of him.
This was quite similar to the English listening test. With very little time to think, the examinees had to make accurate judgments as quickly as possible. Even if the examinee failed to come up with an answer for the question, he or she had to make a mental adjustment immediately and prepare for the next question. The sense of urgency went far beyond the pressure of multiple choice, filling in the blanks, and reading comprehension.
All these young coaches had participated in the training of all the sports groups during the two-month observation and learning period on the national team. They should have had a preliminary understanding of the training status of all groups, as well as the status of each athlete. However, the degree to which they understood it depended on their inidividual abilities.
This had also been the purpose of the two-month learning and observation period. Li Xue had reminded the coaches to watch, think, and learn more actively. Everyone was on an even playing field. What the coaches were able to learn in the two months would be the deciding factor. The more they learned, the greater their chances of passing the selection examination would be.
...
The examination lasted all morning, and ended before lunch. After handing in their examination papers, the young coaches gathered in the canteen to have lunch. For many of them, this would be their last lunch with the national team; they could be knocked out as early as this afternoon.
The atmosphere in the canteen was a bit grim. Recalling the questions from the morning, everyone began to question their chances of staying. The questions had been given randomly. Some questions, such as the training plan formulation, did not have a standard answer. Similar to the composition of the university entrance exam, once someone received their composition topic, nobody could guarantee that it would resonate with the examination grader.
More importantly, the questions of the selection examination had covered almost all training groups and events of the national team. Li Xue had showed the examinees all around the training ground except for the all-round event, and had given questions for each of them. This included sprinting, middle-distance running, long-distance running, hurdles, the long jump, the high jump, and race walking.
The young coaches could not be good at the training of all the track and field events. They were too young to have the time and energy to have participated in the training of all track and field events. Even old coaches who had thirty years of coaching experience did not boast that they were proficient in the training of all 20 events.
For example, a shot put coach had to be good at shot put training. When it came to the training of discus, javelin, and the hammer throw, he could probably still make do. However, if the same coach was asked to train sprinters or hurdlers, his specialized knowledge would be insufficient. Similarly, a middle-distance running coach might be able to handle the training of sprinting, long-distance running, and even hurdles; but race walking training might be beyond his capabilities.
Was the knowledge reserve of the young coaches still too low? Of course. Their limited knowledge was not good enough to coach at a high level on the national team, which was composed of high level athletes. These athletes had superb strength and great ability, and needed the best training, which could only be provided by the best coaches. PE teachers in middle school or elementary school, on the other hand, had to have know about all track and field events, and even had to provide training for basketball, soccer, and table tennis.
It was possible that one might have become a master in his own field. The coaches who had managed to get to the national team were experts, and could even be considered the elites in their respective events. However, because they had been given questions that covered all track and field events, everyone was uncertain about their examination scores.
But Dai Li was exceptional! He was sure about his results.
The advanced detector could display the strengths and weaknesses of an athlete for him, which helped him figure out the answers to the questions given by Li Xue immediately. He was able to work out the answers easily. More importantly, different events were no longer a barrier for Dai Li. With the advanced detector, Dai Li knew the weaknesses of the athletes, even if they practiced in events he had limited knowledge about. The improvement plan was also an easy job for him, as he could find the answers from the textbooks and sports training papers.
It was quite similar to a diagnosis given to patients by a doctor. Every doctor knew about the therapies and medication for diseases very well, as they could be found in the textbooks easily. The most difficult part was the diagnosis itself. A disease could have several symptoms, and a symptom could apply to several diseases. Therefore, diagnosing patients was the real test of a doctor's ability.
At this moment, Dai Li suddenly felt that the advanced detector really was a cheating device that went against the laws of nature. It could virtually assist him in passing the examination effortlessly.
However, seeing a different look in everyone else's face, Dai Li had to bury his self-confidence in his heart. Last time, the full score of 400 points had made him very well-known. He did not want to draw attention because of his good performance. Although results were the cornerstone of sports, where the strong were worshiped, a villain like Xuexi Zhuang who played dirty tricks could cause a lot of trouble for Dai Li.
I should lay low and keep a low profile! As he thought of it, Dai Li desperately pretended to be anxiety-ridden like the rest of the coaches.
"Alas!" Dai Li let out a long sigh and put down his chopsticks, then said, "I lost my appetite."
"Yes, indeed. Me too. How could I be in the mood to eat now?" somebody beside him added.
Dai Li looked at the fried pork with cucumber in the dish reluctantly. Before they had been cooked, the cucumbers had been cored and pickled with salt. It had to be tasty, which made Dai Li's mouth water. But now he had to pretend that he had no appetite, and refrain from eating the cucumbers in the dish.
My poor fried cucumber! I cannot enjoy you. What a pity! Dai Li said to himself.
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Chapter 158: Examination Paper Marking
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Li Xue skipped his lunch break. He returned to his office and began grading the examination papers eagerly.
I really want to know what kind of answers these young guys gave me, Li Xue muttered to himself. He was almost sixty, so these coaches in their twenties were definitely young compared to him.
Li Xue put on his reading glasses, took out the first examination paper, and began to read it from the beginning.
The purpose of the push-off exercises using weights is to enhance the explosive force of the athlete's legs… No need to tell me that! This is the most elementary training knowledge. Don't you think the coaches on the national team know that? If I wanted an easy answer like this, why would I bother asking you?
Li Xue put a large red cross on the paper, then continued to read the rest of the answers.
The purpose of high knees training is to improve push-off strength and continuously work the lower limbs anaerobically. Another superfluous answer straight out of a textbook. I participated in the making of those textbooks. Giving me an answer like this is like trying to teach a fish how to swim. Li Xue made another large red cross.
This pole-vaulter's weaknesses are: 1. premature take-off; 2. insufficient pole angle… His judgments are too superficial. Some of these problems could occur if the athlete was on a new court, was too nervous, or was trying to get the best score possible by pushing his physical limits. The points this person mentioned could be overcome by making adjustments during the match. These points cannot be considered actual weaknesses.
Li Xue shook his head constantly as he marked the examination papers.
The answers for the questions for the throwing events are actually pretty good, but his answers for the long jump, high jump, and track event questions are really terrible. This guy should be a coach for one of the throwing events he has specialized in. He could be a candidate for an assistant coaching position on one of these groups in the future.
Li Xue began marking the next examination paper.
This person could be a long-distance running coach who has knowledge on middle-distance running and hurdles as well, but all his answers miss the point. His observation ability and comprehension are poor. He isn't a natural. He could be a coach on the provincial training team. He is too mediocre for the national team.
This coach's answers for the race-walking questions are quite good, and his observation ability in the middle- and long-distance running events is also OK; but his answers for the sprinting questions are unsatisfactory. As for the long jump, high jump, and throwing events, he knows close to nothing. This guy could be considered a talent if you only looked at his race walking expertise. It is a pity that we have plenty of race walking coaches on the national team already. Our race-walkers could win gold medals in the Olympic Games. On his current level, he may need another ten years of experience before he has a chance of being a coach on the national team.
Gee! The answers for this examination paper are quite good. Besides the questions for race walking, hurdles, and long-distance running, the answers for the rest of the questions are satisfactory. Who is this young guy? The name is Guanglei Huang. I am vaguely familiar with this name. Oh, that's it. According to his resume, this guy is a decathlon coach. That's why he was able to give decent answers to most of the questions. It is quite a remarkable achievement for him to be a decathlon coach at such a young age.
Li Xue shook his head as he muttered to himself. The national team had not attached importance to the all-around event in a long time. The decathlon athletes were basically athletes who had chosen this event because they had failed to accomplish anything in the specialized events. Normally, decathlon coaches were seen as underachievers.
If a coach was proficient in a certain event, how could he switch over to the all-around event?
High level sports training was very meticulous when it came to professionalism. Because of this, the all-around event often implied that the athlete was mediocre in all the events. The national team would rather choose a coach who could master the training techniques of one event, and know nothing about other events, than choose a coach who had only a decent understanding of all the events.
Finally, Li Xue began to mark Dai Li's examination paper.
First question: The leg swinging of this athlete is unbalanced during his running start. The purpose of the push-off exercises is to enhance his ability to distribute force evenly between both of his legs, so that his coordination can improve effectively. Through this, the unbalanced leg swinging during his running start can be corrected. This is a pretty good answer that grasped the main points of the question!
The overall coordination of the athlete's lower limbs, including his hip joint, knee joint, and ankle joint, are imperfect. The flexibility of his ankle joint is poor. Through high knees training, the athlete can improve the overall coordination of his lower limbs, hip joint, knee joint, and ankle joint, as well as enhance the flexibility of his ankle joint. Perfect! Only a few of the other coaches know about the overall coordination of the lower limbs; yet Dai Li was even able to notice the flexibility problems in the athlete's ankle joint. This answer is definitely a flawless one. Li Xue couldn't help but compliment Dai Li in his mind.
…Insufficient grip strength, weak pole utilization, the grip strength of the left hand is significantly greater than that of the right hand…. He found a ton of shortcomings and gave a detailed description. It is impossible to draw so many conclusions just by watching a training session for a few minutes.
After mulling it over for a while, Li Xue said to himself, I suppose it is similar to his learning and observation skills with the No. 2 long-jump team. This coach is pretty good. It seems like he did a lot of work during this two-month learning and observation period. The observation ability and comprehension of this young guy is quite impressive. Being gifted and hardworking, this young guy is truly talented. What is his name? Hm, Dai Li?
Dai Li's face immediately popped into Li Xue's mind. He could still remember when he had hardly asked the question that Dai Li began to quickly write down his answer, which had made him feel like his questions were too easy.
So these answers came from the coach who got the full score of 400 points! This guy really knows his stuff. All his answers grasped the main concepts. Now let me check his training plan. Li Xue continued to read the rest of Dai Li's answers.
Hmm, impressive. This training plan is well-targeted. He has found the detailed weaknesses of this athlete. Wait, what's this? The breathing capacity of this athlete will be chaotic when he reaches his limit? Why did I not know that? Li Xue's frowned immediately.
HLi Xue's intuition told him that Dai Li had not made it up. This long-distance runner really would have trouble breathing when he reached his physical limit. However, the coach who was responsible for the athlete had not arranged specific training for this weakness in the training plan. In other words, the coach had made a mistake due to negligence.
Being the quick-tempered person he was, Li Xue stopped grading the examination papers and went to the video room right away.
On the national team, all training activities were recorded, so that the coaches could improve their training using the videos. There was a special video room for the national team that was responsible for the storage and collation of the training and match videos of the athletes.
"Show me the training videos for the No. 1 long-distance running team," Li Xue requested directly.
Seeing Li Xue enter the room, the clerk in the video room found the video immediately without any hesitation.
"Fast forward, fast forward, stop! Rewind. OK, now play the video at normal speed." Li Xue watched the video and gasped.
Once he came close to reaching his limit, he began to have trouble breathing, just as Dai Li mentioned! What a shame! This detail neglected by the coach of the national team was found by a young guy who is here for further study!
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Chapter 159: A Full Score Examination Paper
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Li Xue returned to his office and sat back down at his desk. Dai Li's examination paper was in front of him.
The problems neglected by the coaches of the national team were found by this Dai Li. His observation ability is really good; together with his accurate judgment, I will give a full score to his training plan!
Again, Li Xue gave a full score to another question.
The next second, Li Xue suddenly found that Dai Li's examination paper was full of perfect scores. All the questions had gotten the full score!
Li Xue had given one question for each event. All these full scores meant that Dai Li gotten a full score in each event, which also meant that he was good at coaching all track and field events!
He got a full score in sprinting, middle-distance running, long-distance running, the high jump, the pole vault, the long jump, the triple jump, the 110m hurdle, the steeplechase, and even race walking! It is impossible. How could he be so knowledgeable? I can't believe it! How could he know so much at his age?
Li Xue reviewed the questions he had given full scores to, and was amazed to find that the answers were indeed flawless.
What the hell? How could there be such a talented young coach like him? Right, I still have questions for the throwing events to grade. I don't believe he can still get full score. That's it; most coaches who are good at racing and jumping events must know nothing about the throwing events!
The next question was related to the javelin event. Li Xue began to read the answer eagerly.
As a "speed" javelin player, after the athlete finishes the "whipping" motion, the contraction of his upper psoas and abdominal muscles are premature, and the activation of his lower limbs is too slow. The coordination of the upper psoas and abdominal muscles, as well as the lower limbs, is imperfect, which is resulting in an unsatisfactory delivery speed…. He got the correct answer! He really knows the javelin!
Javelin players could be divided into "speed" players and "strength" players. "Speed" players achieved good results by having great acceleration prior to throwing the javelin. This acceleration was obtained through a fast run-up, quick javelin drawing, fast crossover step, and swift delivery.
"Strength" javelin players threw the javelin with tremendous force. They were not as flexible as "speed" athletes; they also did not have as many skilled movements. But they could still achieve good results solely with their strength.
Between the two, the technical difficulty of the speed player was surely higher.
The javelin throwing process was divided into three main stages: the "full bow," the "whip," and the delivery. The first two phrases were technical terms; "Whipping" was an important technical feature of the javelin throw, and acted as a connecting link between the first and last movements. So, if the "whip" was weak, the final result was bound to be unsatisfactory.
Athletes on the national team definitely did not have significant weaknesses in their technical movements; otherwise, they would never have been admitted into the national team.
The premature contraction of the upper psoas and abdominal muscles was indeed a tiny weakness. Had the athlete trained without a shirt on, the coach might have noticed the change in the contraction of the upper psoas and abdominal muscles; however, the athletes always wore training suits, or at least a training vest during training. Their abdomens were covered by clothes, so it was very difficult for the coaches to find a weakness like this given the circumstances.
At this moment, Li Xue was greatly shocked.
The contraction of the upper psoas and abdominal muscle is premature, and the activation of the lower limbs is too slow. The coordination of the upper psoas and abdominal muscles, as well as the lower limbs, is imperfect… this conclusion was drawn during the seminar held yesterday. That means we modified the training plan of the athlete temporarily. Besides the coaches of the javelin group, nobody could have known that. How could Dai Li have figured it out?
After several seconds of hesitation, Li Xue had to give another full score to Dai Li.
The lifting angle is not high enough during the rotation of the upper body… correct! He knows the shot put!
The torso muscles are not active enough… correct! He knows the discus!
Lack of concentration, susceptible to external interference… Perfect! He was even able to figure this one out!
Watching this examination paper receive a full score, Li Xue felt an extreme shock in his heart.
How could this be possible? He got a full score for each question! He even grasped the key point of each question. His answers were absolutely flawless! Could it be that he is good at all track and field events? This idea popped into Li Xue's mind, which made him even more amazed.
Maybe someone would believe that a coach who was Li Xue's age, that had been involved in the training of track and field events for over forty years, was proficient in all the events. On the contrary, however, this belief was a myth. As the deputy head coach of the national team, Li Xue could be considered experienced and knowledgeable; however, he still would not dare say he was good at training all of the track and field events.
But today, Li Xue had seemingly found a master of all the events, and they were only just over the age of twenty. Had it not been an on-the-spot exam with questions given by Li Xue randomly, Li Xue could have believed that Dai Li had gotten the questions beforehand.
This Dai Li found problems that had been neglected even by the coaches of the national team. His observation ability and judgment are impeccable, which makes him deserving of the title "genius." He is definitely talented; I will not let him go.
In the same way there were geniuses among athletes, there were also geniuses among coaches. While some had only been average athletes, they could achieve remarkable things as coaches. Vice versa, some people could be extremely successful athletes, yet have below average coaching careers.
There were geniuses in all industries. They would always make their way to the top, just like this Dai Li's examination paper had, which had given Li Xue the impression that Dai Li was indeed a "genius" coach.
At this moment, Li Xue had the sudden urge to cherish this talent himself. He wanted to instruct Dai Li himself, so that Dai Li could become his successor.
But the idea left his head just as quickly as it had entered. Had Li Xue been a few years younger, or had he met Dai Li earlier, or had Dai Li been a few years older, Li Xue surely would have combed Dai Li to be his successor. Unfortunately, however, Li Xue was almost sixty, and would retire soon; Dai Li was only twenty-five, which was still too young. Li Xue had no time to develop and pave the way for his future successor.
Gold will glitter forever! If you are really competent, I believe that in the future you will definitely have more accomplishments than me. Li Xue's eyes were shining.
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Chapter 160: Another Career Change
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
An A4 paper was posted to the notice board on the wall of the meeting room. The results of the selection examination had been announced. Dai Li saw his name on the paper and immediately revealed a relieved expression.
The examination papers had not been given back, mostly because most of the questions did not have standard answers. Because of this, the rest of the coaches were still uncertain about their performances on the examination.
What Dai Li did not know was that his full score had not only shocked himself, but Li Xue!
Dai Li had felt that the lucky coaches who could stay should be about as good as him, even if their answers had been no match for his. But in fact, Dai Li's answers were better than the answers of the other accepted coaches by a good amount!
Dai Li looked around. He found that while some people were excited about the results, others were depressed. He counted the number of coaches who had passed the examination. There were only ten names, which meant that the other twenty coaches had been knocked out.
The program had started out with sixty people; thirty had been knocked out from that original group. Now, only ten people were left. The rejection rate was very high. Dai Li remembered the "fundraising" theory Zhongyi Xu had told him about.
Zhongyi Xu had said that besides the talent selection, the purpose of the Youth Training Program organized by the national team was also to help get funds from the government. This "fundraising" program would last five consecutive years. The less candidates there were, the less the development cost would be. The cost for sixty people had to be different than it was for thirty people. Only ten people had been selected, so the extra funds the national team had saved could be used as disposable public funds for the national team, which could be put towards other areas.
As Dai Li was pondering to himself quietly, Li Xue entered the meeting room. Everyone immediately quieted down.
"The results have been announced. Congratulations to those who will be staying. As for those who have failed the exam, don't be discouraged; you are also an outstanding group. In the future, if you manage to develop elite athletes and achieve good results, you will still have a chance to be admitted to the national team. The gates of the national team are always open for excellent talents!"
After saying a few comforting and encouraging words, Li Xue continued, "The national team has prepared little souvenirs for those who will be leaving. The souvenirs have been placed outside the meeting room. You can collect your souvenirs now."
The smarter people in the room knew that this was an eviction order. Getting a souvenir to commemorate the experience was putting it nicely; what the national team was really trying to say was, "get lost with your souvenir."
The coaches who had not been selected left the room soon after. The remaining ten coaches, including Dai Li, stayed in the meeting room.
The meeting room suddenly felt much more empty. Looking at Li Xue, who was standing in the front, Dai Li felt Li Xue seemed more authoritative than before.
Then, Li Xue began to say, "As I said before, this Youth Training Program is composed of three stages—the selection, the training, and the examination. You have passed the selection. You will now enter the training stage.
"I have read your resumes. You all have you specialties, which I discovered while grading your exams. Therefore, the national team will assign you to the training groups of different events, taking your specialties into consideration."
Many people let out a sigh of relief. Nobody wanted to engage in the training of events he or she was unfamiliar with. A long-distance running coach would know nothing about the training of the discus.
Dai Li was also preparing his own plan. So the grouping is according to the coaches' specialties. The specialty written on my resume is the long jump. Looks like I will be assigned to the long jump group. In the future, if I get the chance to go to the Beikou Training Center, maybe I can see Haiquan Fang. Haiquan Fang... I wonder how things are going for him. When I return to Qingcheng, I will definitely ask him to treat me to a big dinner in the Home of Champions Restaurant.
As Dai Li was recalling the menu of the Home of Champions Restaurant, Li Xue began to read the grouping of the coaches.
"Guang Chen, No. 2 long jump team… Coach Yousheng Qin will be your instructor."
"Jun Wu, No. 3 throwing team... Coach Hao Huang will be your instructor."
"Chenglong Zhu, No. 1 long-distance running team….. Coach Hua Cai will be your instructor."
"Dai Li..." Finally, Li Xue shouted out Dai Li's name. Dai Li pricked up his ears immediately.
"No. 1 sprinting team!" Li Xue said.
What? The No. 1 sprinting team? It's not the long jump group! Dai Li was surprised.
On Dai Li had submitted to the national team, he had put the long jump as his specialty. He had also noted on the resume that he had been the head coach of Haiquan Fang. Because of this, Dai Li had been ninety percent sure that he would be assigned to the long jump group. However, to his surprise, the words that had come out of Li Xue's mouth were "No. 1 sprinting team."
The No. 1 sprinting team should be responsible for the 100m and 200m sprint. I already changed my specialty from the shot put to the long jump; now I have to change it again to sprinting. Now I really want to know who will be my instructor…
Just as the thought crossed Dai Li's mind, Li Xue gave him an answer.
"Coach Li Xue will be your instructor!"
Who? Li Xue? Dai Li looked at Li Xue with a shocked face. He had not expected Li Xue to instruct him personally.
At the same time, Li Xue also gave a glance to Dai Li, as if to say, "You heard that right. It's me!"
...
"Oh, Coach Li, how I envy you! You will be instructed by Coach Li Xue!"
"Envy me? I honestly wish I could switch with you. Just the look of Coach Li Xue is scary enough for me!" Dai Li was thinking about the grisly look of Li Xue—a bald head with a ferocious looking face, just like a bandit…
"Coach Xue is a bit scary, but he is actually quite a nice person. Moreover, as the deputy head coach of the national team, he is responsible for the daily training of the national team. Coach Xue used to be a sprinter, so the No. 1 sprinting team has more training resources than the other training groups!"
Dai Li nodded to express his understanding. Indeed, the No. 1 sprinting team had more training resources than the other groups, which could be attributed to Li Xue.
This rule was applicable to all industries. The boss would usually take extra care of the department he or she had worked at themselves. This rule was more subtle in industries like science, education, culture, health, and sports.
In a university, if the president had been a professor in a department, that department would get more resources for sure, such as financial support and preferential treatments in scientific research. In a hospital, if the director had once been a doctor in a certain department, that department would certainly be superior to other departments, and would always get preferential treatment when it came to things like equipment introduction and talent development.
Because Li Xue had been a sprinter and was responsible for the training of the No. 1 sprinting team, more training resources would naturally be allocated to the No. 1 sprinting team.
"As the second chief of the national team, Li Xue will definitely have more opportunities to take part in events. As his trainee, maybe you can also take part in matches all over the country by following him," a coach beside Dai Li said with the expression of admiration.
I could have the chance to take part in the matches! Dai Li's face lit up. Now he felt that it might be a good thing to be the Li Xue's trainee.
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Read Almighty Coach - Chapter 161: New Sprinting Technique online free - Light Novel Full
Chapter 161: New Sprinting Technique
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
On the training ground of the No. 1 sprinting team.
Fixing his eyes on the training ground, Li Xue said, "I have read your resume. You graduated only three years ago and your major was sports training. You should have acquired some knowledge about sprint training, right?"
Dai Li nodded, "A little bit, but the knowledge we learned was very superficial."
"I know. I have participated in the compilation of many teaching materials about sprinting for universities. Honestly, those materials are now obsolete. We are now in the information era. All kinds of new technologies are emerging endlessly in various industries. The same can be said of the sports industry. As the saying goes, records are meant to be broken. Athletes, also, are becoming faster and stronger," Li Xue said.
Dai Li did not know what Li Xue meant by his words, so he kept nodding quietly and listened carefully.
Then Li Xue asked, "According to the knowledge you learned in university, sprinting puts a large emphasis on the push-off, right?"
"Yes. According to the textbook, the sprinter should stretch their hip, knee, and ankle joints as much as possible during their push-off to generate more force, which can give them more speed," Dai Li replied.
"Yes, I also believed that years ago. We believed that the best knee angle of the driving leg was 180, so we included that in the textbooks as well. However, we no longer ask the athletes to stretch their legs out. The technique we aim for now is called the 'bent driving leg' technique," Li Xue explained.
"The bent driving leg technique? Does that mean the driving leg is not stretched out completely?" Dai Li asked.
"Exactly. We used to believe that the backward leg-drive was the only driving force of the sprint; however, that theory overemphasized the resistance of the front leg; however, the driving effect of the back leg was even more overemphasized. The emergence of Gittell changed our opinion," Li Xue said.
This Gittell Li Xue spoke of was from Jamaica, which was the kingdom of sprinting. They had raised many world-class sprinting champions. Among those champions, Gittell was undoubtedly the best. Including the hurdles, he had already won nine gold medals in three Olympic Games. He had broken the world records for the 100m and 200m sprint many times. The world records he had set were unbreakable. Even without seeing Gittell in person, Da Li had already confirmed that the Gittell's gifts had to be the highest level, S. He was ruling this era of sprinting.
Li Xue continued, "The technique adopted by Gittell is the 'bent driving leg' technique. The variation of the angle of his driving leg's knee compared to his starting position of 90 is very small; moreover, his center of gravity is very stable, which we have not even begun to understand. It is almost impossible to keep a stable center of gravity during violent push-off movements.
"Later, we found that we had overemphasized certain factors of the sprint, which should have actually been thought of as a whole. We overemphasized the resistance of the front leg, and the driving effect of the back leg, which resulted in disproportionate force between the anterior and posterior thigh muscles of the athlete. The force of the posterior muscles severely lags behind the force of the anterior muscles, so the application of force has to come closer to the projected center of gravity, which can ensure that the body's center of gravity can be moved to the secondary position rapidly. However, it can also result in a longer secondary position and smaller strides."
Li Xue's explanation would absolutely confuse the average person. But for Dai Li, it was like an enlightenment. Dai Li felt like his understanding of the sprint had been improved to a new level after just a simple explanation by Li Xue.
Li Xue continued his introduction, saying, "At the same time, our research also showed that the driving force of Gittell was not only the push-off, but also the front leg-swing of the legs. Our previous understanding had been that the push-off was the driving force and could create speed, and that the buffering was resistance, and could cause speed loss. Because of this, we kept emphasizing the importance of push-off strength, as well as the degree, direction, and speed of the stretch.
"When the 'bent driving leg' technique was used in sprinting, the previous stretch theory vanished. Now, the only way to increase speed is to attach importance to the front leg-swing technique and enhance the combination of the front leg-swing and push-off. Therefore, the latest sprint technique the national team has been using is the coordination of the front leg-swing and push-off by prioritizing the front leg-swing, which is used to help the push-off.
"You should know that an athlete in a standing position can only perform the push-off. While the propulsive force is straight up, they cannot move their body forward. If the athlete bends their knee and swings their leg forward and upward, their center of gravity will move forward as well, which results in the forward inclination of the body. It is at that moment that the body's balance can be maintained just by the back leg. Meanwhile, the front leg will generate a force on the ground in the downward and backward direction, which will push the body forward again to finish their stride. This is the basic principle of promoting the push-off with the front leg swing."
Dai Li nodded his head, "I got it. Basically, in our old training theories, the push-off was the driving force, while the front leg-swing was used only to control the direction of the forward motion. But now, we know that both the front leg-swing and the push-off are driving forces. The two of them are working together like a four-wheel drive vehicle, instead of a rear wheel drive vehicle."
"Well said! Your vehicle example is very fitting." Li Xue looked at Dai Li admiringly. His eyes had not deceived him; Dai Li was indeed a gifted coach.
Dai Li did not only have the Coaching System; he also had a gift, and was good at learning. He had always been hard-working. After his toughening experiences these last couple years, he had even acquired the ability to apply knowledge quickly, and not just recite the contents of a textbook like other college graduates.
Li Xue had not finished. He continued his introduction with a teacher-like tone, saying, "Sprinting is a complicated biomechanical activity composed of multiple actions. Humans are standing animals. Moving a relatively static object is easier than moving a relatively dynamic object; therefore, for sprinters, accelerating during the running start is fairly easy. Coupled with the increasing speed, because the acceleration time is much shorter, it is more difficult for people to keep enhancing the push-off effect. Meanwhile, as the speed is increased, athletes face greater air and brake resistance.
"The human body cannot be streamlined, so it is very difficult to tackle the problem of air resistance. With new technology, the Americans made some innovations to racing suits to lower the air resistance, such as tight-fitting sportswear made from nano-materials, which has been pursued and imitated around the world.
"However, ever since the emergence of Gittell, the Americans have realized that their little tricks are dwarfed compared to his absolute power. Wearing an ordinary vest and shorts, Gittell can still run faster than the Americans. So, a strong body and excellent technique are key points when it comes to improving performance.
"As for the brake resistance, the essence of reducing brake resistance is to lower the landing foot's speed relative to the ground; the moment the landing foot touches the ground, the closer the person is to a speed of zero, which makes the effect stronger. The landing speed of athletes in our country is about 1.35m/s, which is 17% quicker than the speed of the American athletes. Because of this, it still needs our help for further improvement."
Once he finished, Li Xue pointed at the athlete who had just run over and asked, "Look at him; can you describe the advantages and disadvantages in the landing movement of his feet?"
Dai Li knew this would be the first question given by Li Xue, so he immediately began his observation carefully.
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Chapter 162: This Could Even Be Found By You!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Equipped with an advanced detector that went against the law of nature, Da Li did not want to depend on the cheating device entirely. Therefore, he performed an analysis with the knowledge he had acquired himself, then drew a conclusion. After that, he performed detection on the sprinter with the advanced detector. He used the detection results to verify his conclusion, so that the factors he had neglected could be found.
This was quite similar to working on a difficult problem. You could solve it by yourself and get a result, then compare your result with the correct answer. This way, whether your original result was correct or not, you would always find your weaknesses and acquire new knowledge.
The advanced detector indeed detected several things Dai Li had missed.
My analysis grasped all the points, but it's still not as comprehensive as the detector's result. It seems that there is still a gap between me and the high level coaches in observation and judgment, so I will keep learning in future.
Dai Li took a deep breath, then started to give his response according to the "correct answer" the detector had given. "His landing technique has a sufficient push-off, high leg folding, fast hip movement, and accurate forward leg-swing direction; as for his weaknesses, the forward movement of his center of gravity is not fast enough, which results in uncoordinated stride movement; when his heels touch the ground, his leg is stretched out too far, and the results are high stress in the knee and insufficient buffering…"
"Very good!" Li Xue couldn't help but compliment him. The advantages and disadvantages mentioned by Dai Li were flawless yet again. However, to Li Xue's surprise, Dai Li had not finished giving his answer. He still had one sentence left to say.
"The high stress in the knee is caused by his sprained ankle ligament, which is still not recovered. "
The strained ankle ligament was the answer given by the advanced detector, which could not have been found by Dai Li with just his observation ability. Even Li Xue had not noticed the injury.
For an athlete, injuries during training or contests were inevitable. Normally, athletes would report their physical problems to the coaches, so that the coaches could be informed of their injuries. The coach could not read their athletes' minds; without an active report from the athletes, the coach would never know of any minor injuries to the athlete like an ankle sprain or bruise.
But Dai Li had said the athlete was suffering from a sprained ankle ligament.
He sprained his ankle ligament? You even discovered that! Are you kidding me? Li Xue's eyes widened with surprise
"What did you say? An ankle ligament sprain?" Li Xue asked.
Dai Li nodded his head seriously. He firmly believed that the detector could not have made a mistake.
An injury to the ankle ligament could be anywhere from minor to serious. Li Xue had no time to check the authenticity of Dai Li's words, so he summoned the coach of the athlete to him immediately.
"Wang, did Xiong Chu sprain his ankle? Why didn't you report to me?" Li Xue asked directly.
"Ankle sprain? No, Xiong Chu didn't mention that to me." Coach Wang was greatly surprised. Li Xue gave Dai Li an angry stare as if he was blaming Dai Li for his groundless words.
Coach Wang wanted to make sure Li Xue believed him. He was afraid Li Xue would misunderstand him; after all, Li Xue was not only his boss, but also the second chief coach of the national team. So Coach Wang waved his hand and called over Xiong Chen, the athlete.
"Xiong Chu, did you hurt anything during training?" Coach Wang asked, hoping to get an answer from Xiong Chu. He wanted to prove to Li Xue that he was telling the truth.
However, Xiong Chu's facial expression changed quickly.
"Coach, I, I am sorry. I didn't tell you. Last night I tripped on my sink when I was on my way to the washroom and sprained my ankle. After stretching it several times, I didn't think it would be a big problem, so I didn't tell you," Xiong Chu said.
"You really sprained your ankle! Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Coach Wang was shocked, and a little bit embarrassed. The athlete was injured, but his own coach didn't know, which could be considered delinquency. More importantly, he had been caught by Li Xue red-handed.
Coach Wang began perspiring immediately, then turned around and tried to explain himself to Li Xue.
However, Coach Wang had not expected Li Xue to look more surprised than him.
He really sprained his ankle? What kind of person is this Dai Li? Does he have X-ray eyes that can detect injuries? If Li Xue had not seen it himself, he would have never believed what had just happened.
"OK, you go ahead. Just have him checked by the team doctor in the infirmary." Li Xue sent Coach Wang and Xiong Chu away, then asked Dai Li, "How did you notice Xiong Chu's ankle sprain?"
At this moment, Dai Li realized he had said too much. A coach could never find minor injuries like an ankle sprain unless the athlete had showed signs of it deliberately.
But by this point in his career, Dai Li had already acquired thick skin, which made him unflappable. He chuckled and changed the subject with an irrelevant answer. "I learned a bit of rehabilitative massage. I was the rehabilitative massage therapist for several teams many times."
"You can even do that? Rehabilitative massage cannot be done recklessly. It requires expertise," Li Xue said.
"I learned it in university. The teacher said I was gifted in massage, so he taught me more skills," Dai Li said, maintaining his excuse.
But Li Xue wanted to verify Dai Li's skill. He shouted to Xiong Chu who had left, "Xiong Chu, come back!"
Xiong Chu thought Li Xue was going to punish him, so he ran back with his head lowered and a depressed look on his face, then looked at Li Xue pathetically.
"Dai Li, give Xiong Chu massage therapy," Li Xue requested.
"OK!" Dai Li had Xiong Chu sit on the ground and take off his running shoes. Then, Dai Li began to perform the rehabilitative massage on Xiong Chu's sprained ankle.
Soon, the training ground was filled with the howl of Xiong Chu.
"It hurts! It hurts so much, Coach Li, please do it gently!" Xiong Chu was sweating because of the sharp pain. Later, however, he seemed to be very comfortable, almost as if he was enjoying the massage.
Standing beside them, Li Xue watched the massage therapy carefully.
His massage manipulations are quite professional! He must have received specialized training! According to Xiong Chu's reaction, his massage seems to be quite effective. This Dai Li continues to surprise me. It looks like I should talk to Shuren Zhao about keeping this Dai Li on the national team!"
...
Xiong Chu stood up and wiggled his ankle, then jumped several times.
"How does it feel?" Li Xue asked eagerly.
"Fully recovered! It doesn't hurt anymore," Xiong Chu answered in amazement.
Li Xue turned to Dai Li and said, "Wow, you are really somebody! I saw your manipulations, they are quite professional. You must have received specialized training before!"
Dai Li smiled modestly. Li Xue continued, "That's quite good! I was wondering whether I should take you to broaden your horizon on the playing fields of the National Track and Field Championship match next month. Now I see that I have to take you with me, for you can act as the massage therapist."
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Chapter 163: New Task
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
After that, Dai Li's life took a very substantial turn. Besides the training of athletes on the training base of the national team, Dai Li also took part in several state-level track and field matches by following Li Xue.
It was no wonder Li Xue was the top track and field coach in the country. His theoretical knowledge, practical training, and coaching experience were the best among all the coaches Dai Li had ever met. Dai Li could clearly feel himself making rapid progress everyday under the instruction of Li Xue.
Two years ago, when Dai Li had been temporarily transferred to the Beikou Training Center, he had participated in the training of Feixiang Lin by following Coach Jihai Ding. At that time, Coach Jihai Ding had not actively imparted his training knowledge and skills to Dai Li, who had to learn and observe on his own. Because Dai Li had temporarily transferred to do odd jobs, the opportunities for him to ask questions had been very few and far between.
In contrast, Li Xue was more of a teacher. He imparted all the knowledge and training skills he had mastered to Dai Li, and even shared the experience he had accumulated over the years with Dai Li without any reservations.
Li Xue was almost sixty. He had been in the sprinting world for over forty years, and had accumulated thirty years of coaching experience. He had also been acting as the deputy head coach of the national team for almost ten years. Li Xue had witnessed the development of the domestic track and field sports. His expertise and experience absolutely made him a great teacher.
Compared to self-teaching, instruction from a teacher was far more efficient. Under the instruction of Li Xue, Dai Li was making amazing progress in sprint training.
The resources of the national team were far better than that of the provincial team. The national team had a specialized data room that subscribed to all the newspapers and magazines related to sports training in the world. The newspapers and magazines would then be stored and summarized. The coaches of the national team could look up the most advanced training concepts and know state-of-the-art techniques for the track and field events here.
Although not every coach could read English newspapers, professionals could understand the data analysis in them. Just like scientific papers, professionals did not care about the end result; it was the lab data they were interested in. The scientists could get what they want from a data table.
Dai Li's English was OK. Although his oral English was poor, he could read some words in English. For Dai Li, the Data Room of the national team was like a big treasury. Almost every day he would spend one or two hours in it, and each time he would learn something new. Because of this, Dai Li entered a crazy learning period. He felt like he was back in his college days.
It was quite often for people to ignore the importance of learning in college. It was very normal to occasionally cut classes. Many people led lazy lives, and only began studying when exams were near.
However, as soon as these people got a job, they began to realize the importance of knowledge and learning. Then they would begin learning to develop themselves. That was also the reason on-job postgraduates and adult education had been popular in recent years.
Dai Li was like that. Over the years since his graduation from university, experiencing new things, meeting various coaches and athletes, and especially the confrontation with Xuexi Zhuang had all given Dai Li a growing sense of the importance of developing himself. Knowledge could be entirely possessed by him. The more knowledge he had, the further he could go as a coach.
Because of this, Dai Li cherished this opportunity very much. He worked very hard, which also gained recognition from Li Xue.
...
"Dai Li, I plan to send you to Tsinghua University next month." Li Xue paused, then continued, "You will go to Tsinghua University and represent the national team."
"What will I do there? Does Tsinghua University also need coaches like us?" Dai Li asked, puzzled.
Tsinghua University was the highest place of learning in China. Dai Li had an impression that Tsinghua University was a place for scientific research, with a lot of professors wearing lab coats and wire-rimmed glasses who were immersed in laboratories. As a physical laborer, a coach should have nothing to do with a lab coat and laboratories.
"The Sports Department of Tsinghua University. You don't know it, do you?" Li Xue asked.
"The Sports Department of Tsinghua University? I always thought Tsinghua University was a place to for scientists." Dai Li felt like he was out of the loop.
The university that Dai Li had been admitted to was neither included in "Project 985" (a project to promote the development and reputation of the Chinese higher education system by founding world-class universities in the 21st century, and eponymous after the date of the announcement, May 1998), nor in "Project 211" (a project of National Key Universities and colleges initiated in 1995 by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, with the intent of raising the research standards of high-level universities and cultivating strategies for socio-economic development. The name for the project comes from an abbreviation of the slogan "For the 21st century, to manage 100 universities successfully."). His university was only a second-tier school, and was not a quarter as good as Tsinghua University, which was an untouchable university for Dai Li. Therefore, it was impossible for Dai Li to have known about a sports department in Tsinghua University.
"Tsinghua University does indeed have a sports department that is very competent. They have even achieved outstanding results in some world-class matches." Li Xue continued, "In the Sports Department of Tsinghua University, there are twenty-six events and thirty-six teams. They not only have the traditional events like track and field, basketball, and soccer, but also have a Go team, a chess team, a rock climbing team, etc."
"It should only be a club in the university, then. I thought it was a specialized department for sports!" Dai Li realized he had misunderstood Li Xue's introduction. He thought it was a specialized department of PE in Tsinghua University.
"A student club? It is n ordinary student club. Among their athletes, there are many first-class talents, some of whom even make the national team jealous! More to the point, the Sports Department of Tsinghua University has established the Sport and Health Research Center and the Sports Human Body Science Laboratory. Several professors, and dozens of associate professors, were assigned to these institutions, which also have over ten doctoral supervisors and master supervisors. More importantly, these institutions are research bases chosen by the General Administration of Sport of China!" Li Xue explained.
"Awesome!" Dai Li was surprised by the teaching resources they had at their disposal. They were sufficient for a first-tier subject in universities included in Project 985 and Project 211.
No wonder it is Tsinghua University. It sounds awesome! Dai Li said to himself. He then asked, "So what is my task in Tsinghua University? There are so many professors and doctoral supervisors whose academic levels are much higher than mine. I can do nothing for their research. Am I the thing being researched?"
After hearing Dai Li's joke, Li Xue laughed. "There are so many athletes in Tsinghua University. Even if they did want someone to research, you wouldn't stand a chance. You are definitely being sent there to train athletes. As a coach, what else would you do?"
Could this be considered providing assistance or training for real? I hope this time will be different than my experience as a handyman at the Beikou Training Center! Dai Li couldn't help but remember his days at the Beikou Training Center two years ago.
"Here is the thing: the national team has established a partnership with Tsinghua University. Tsinghua University also has a small number of coaches, whose main duties are still teaching, not coaching; in addition, the coaching level of their coaches is not as good as ours, so they always 'borrow' coaches from us."
Saying this, Li Xue sighed with a little bit of embarrassment. "Actually, the cooperation between us and Tsinghua University is mutually beneficial. You should know of the middle school attached to Tsinghua University, right? It is also a famous school. The coaches of the national team also want to send their children to this school for education. Each year, Tsinghua University offers several spots to the children of the coaches of the national team in its middle school. We owe Tsinghua University a favor for this. Therefore, when they are short-handed, we always send our people over to help them."
After the explanation, Li Xue continued sternly, "Normally I always send official coaches of the national team to Tsinghua University. However, you have been following me for several months. I'm betting you have learned a lot during this period, so I decided to send you there for some practical work, which could also be considered an examination of what you've learned so far.
"Remember, you are representing the national team. Also, I have bragged about you to Tsinghua University, saying that you are the last disciple who has acquired my coaching essence. So just achieve some good things in Tsinghua University. Don't embarrass me!"
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Chapter 164: The Useless A-Level Gift
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
At 10 o'clock the next morning, Dai Li arrived at the Sports Department of Tsinghua University, right on time. He was welcomed by a PhD candidate whose last name was Mao.
Dr. Mao had been informed that the coach sent by the national team was very young, so he had already mentally prepared himself. However, he was still surprised when he saw Dai Li, who seemed to be only a few years older than the seniors in the school. As a PhD candidate, even Dr. Mao was older than Dai Li.
"Coach Li, we don't have a physical education major in Tsinghua University. Our athletes come from other majors, and spend most of their time and energy in their professional curriculum. Right now all of them are in class. Our sports training can only be held in the afternoon. Some athletes even have to finish their first two classes in the afternoon before they can come for training," Dr. Mao said.
"Oh, that's ok. I will first look through some materials and get familiar with the environment here, then," Dai Li said.
Once the afternoon came, Dr. Mao finally led Dai Li to the training ground.
"Coach Li, this is our track and field team. We have a total of eight athletes, so now they are all yours." Once he finished, Dr. Mao summoned all the athletes to Dai Li so they could introduce themselves.
Dai Li introduced himself with a smile. After that, roll call was done as usual, but this time Dai Li performed detection on the athletes at the same time.
The guy whose name is Liang Du is quite good. He has a C level sprinting gift, which should be top-notch talent among the athletes in the university. He could have a chance at being admitted to the national team if he is willing to work hard during training.
Whoops, this guy's sprinting ability is at a B- level! This level could even be above average for the national team; but his ability value is not satisfactory. He should train harder! Dai Li checked the name list. The name of this athlete is Xiaotian Xin. What a name!
The guy whose name is Guohong Niu has B-level ability. Among all the sprinters on the national team, the best sprinter's gift is also of a B-level. Moreover, his ability value is almost 500. He has reached the level of sprinters of the national team, and could absolutely take part in state-level matches.
As Dai Li detected the athletes, he said to himself that Tsinghua University was indeed awesome.
Among all the athletes detected by Dai Li, there was only one with C-level ability; the rest all had a C or higher. There were even two athletes with B- ability. According to the description of the System, the B-level ability could help the athlete win the national championship.
Dai Li had worked in the Sports University of the Hanbei Province for some time. At that time, he was also training university athletes. When he had performed detection upon those athletes, the best athlete's ability had only been a C level. They had not even have one athlete with C ability. Among them, there were even some athletes whose ability was only of a D level.
All of them had been sprinters, but the athletes of Tsinghua University were far better than those of the Sports University of the Hanbei Province. The worst athletes of Tsinghua University were better than the best athletes of the Sports University of the Hanbei Province. Dai Li couldn't help but acknowledge the powerful magnetism of Tsinghua University.
Of course, however, the athletes in regular universities could not be compared to athletes on professional training teams. Some universities would attach a so-called Olympic championship list in an eye-catching place on campus as the honor of the school. As a matter of fact, the top-notch athletes wouldn't train in those universities, for their training level was too low for them. The training base of the national team was the place where they belonged.
That's why Coach Li Xue said the Sports Department of Tsinghua University is even better than the specialized departments of some sports universities. That really is the case; it is impossible to find two sprinters with B-level ability on the sprinting teams of those ordinary sports universities.
As Dai Li thought about this, he performed detection on the next athlete. When the results came up, Dai Li couldn't help but change his expression.
A! His ability is A-level! This athlete, whose name is Sijie Yang, has A-level ability! Dai Li remembered when he had first met Haiquan Fang.
Another A-level ability! Does that mean we will have another world-class athlete? He could be a world-class sprinter! It was very difficult for Dai Li to contain his excitement. He continued to read the detection results, but found a lot of unsatisfactory factors in this athlete.
His professional ability value for sprinting is only 303. How could it be so low? Even the athlete of C-level ability has a higher ability value than him. Let me check his strengths and weaknesses. Strengths: super-gifted; weaknesses: What the hell, he has so many disadvantages, I think I will need one or two minutes to finish reading all of them.
Dai Li continued to check the athlete's weaknesses one by one. His explosive force is not completely developed, his acceleration is too low, his stride length is too short, his push-off is powerless, his swing is inactive, his stride rate is low, his movement is not flexible enough, he has poor forward movement, an unstable center of gravity, an insufficient torso angle, insufficient arm swing strength, his arm swing is inactive, he has poor running linearity, he takes too long to push off from his supporting leg, he has a short flight time, slow reactions…
Dai Li was greatly depressed by all the weaknesses shown in the System compared to the one advantage, which was "super-gifted." This Sijie Yang was virtually useless outside of his good gift.
What the hell? How could they have an athlete like him? He is really gifted, but his technique is so poor. It seems as if he is just a regular person who has never received any formal training before. Dai Li checked the table in his hand again.
Sijie Yang, nineteen, has been sprint training since the age of fourteen, and has joined the track and field team of Tsinghua University for one year. With his A-level ability and three to five months of training, his performance should not be so poor. Haiquan Fang had A-level ability, too, yet after following my training for just two months his ability value had reached 370. He was only sixteen, three years younger than Sijie Yang, whose ability value is only 303.
Dai Li was more and more amazed. He had had the experience of training the athlete with A-level ability, so he knew how powerful an athlete with A-level ability could be after receiving professional training. It was for this reason that the detection results for Sijie Yang were so confusing to him.
He began sprint training at fourteen, and is now nineteen. That means he has received 5 years of professional training. Even if his coach was really incompetent, his explosive force could have been developed through basic training, which would make it less likely for him to have insufficient acceleration.
In addition, for the traditional sprinting technique, the push-off is still the main driving force. Therefore, for every sprinter, the push-off is always the most elementary training subject. The evaluation given by the System about his push-off is "powerless," which is even worse than "insufficient." This is a very obvious technique defect, which should not have been neglected by his previous coaches.
Dai Li looked through all the weaknesses, many of which were elementary problems. The mistakes amateur athletes would not make should have been completely avoided by a professional athlete.
Something must be wrong. I cannot find the reason right now, but I should be able to through more observation during training.
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Chapter 165: I Have to Put on an Act Again
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The first day of training had ended; or, more specifically, the four hour afternoon training session had ended.
Exhausted, the athletes walked towards the canteen, talking about Dai Li on their way.
"This Coach Li sent by the national team is so young. I think he is only a few years older than me!"
"It does not look like Coach Li was ever an athlete. I really cannot figure out since why the national team has coaches as young as him."
"Maybe he got this position through a connection!" Xiaotian Xin said.
"That goes without saying. A coach on the national team who is under thirty must have gotten his position through connections!" Guohong Niu curled his lip disdainfully, then said, "You saw today's training. It was even less than we usually do. I am afraid that this Coach Li is just a mediocre coach on the national team who was only sent here because of his poor performance."
The athletes did not trust Dai Li. Age was indeed Dai Li's biggest shortcoming. It had been fine when he was still training youth team athletes; however, at his age, Dai Li would definitely be looked down upon by adult athletes.
This was quite common in careers that required a lot of experience. For example, if a guy wanted to find more information about his antique vase, and he found two appraisers—a young guy who was just over twenty and an old man over sixty—the guy would definitely believe the older man's appraisal. He might think that the young man could make mistake because of his lack of experience, which would make his appraisal inaccurate.
Another example would be the doctors. If a young doctor who was only twenty-four or twenty-five was sitting in the consulting room, most of the patients would think he was just an intern.
However, if an old doctor with grey hair and reading glasses was sitting there, people might think he was a specialist, even if he was not. In television shows with doctors, there was always the cliché that young doctors had been refused by the patients because they were considered inexperienced.
Another example was a group named the "Four Miraculous Doctors," who had deceived people in over ten different provinces. Each day they sold medicine on TV programs by pretending to be medical specialists. Sometimes they were doctors of Miao Nationality (an ethnic group belonging to South China, and is recognized by the government of China as one of the 55 official minority groups.) Medicine, who could perform things like "acupuncture, prescriptions, sputum removal, and asthma treatment"; the next day, they would be doctors of Traditional Mongolian Medicine, shouting claims of their ancestral "Heart Brain Prescription from Traditional Mongolian Medicine." Their cover would constantly change.
Even though everything was a lie, there were still many people who chose to believe and got deceived by them. Almost all the swindlers had grey hair and wore wire-framed glasses. Had they been young guys who were in their twenties, nobody would have believed they were miraculous doctors, no matter how professional they pretended to be.
This rule was applicable to coaches as well. It was very difficult for young coaches to gain the trust of their athletes. If the coach was younger than the athletes, more trouble would be caused. If the athletes thought they were more experienced and competent than the coach, why would they obey his or her orders!
Those who were admitted to Tsinghua University were elites among the students. Most of them were arrogant, and would not be completely convinced unless a coach came and showed some real skills, even if they were experienced.
Dai Li was young. He was only a few years older than them. Furthermore, in the first afternoon of training, Dai Li had arranged some basic training instead of some specific training aimed at the weaknesses of each athlete. Dai Li had planned to make an observation first, then formulate different training plans for each athlete. However, to Dai Li's surprise, his training arrangement for the first afternoon had been despised by the athletes.
The scornful mood of the athletes was shown during the second afternoon of training.
Whether the coach was respected by the athletes or not could easily be seen in how the athletes trained. For tough coaches who were very authoritative, athletes would do their best to finish all of their training, even if they were completely exhausted. If the coach was unpopular, on the other hand, the simplest training tasks would be performed by the athletes carelessly.
Dai Li could sense the contempt of the athletes immediately.
Dai Li had experienced the same feeling when he had been on the national team. During the two-month observation and learning period, he wasn't accepted by the athletes, even though he had participated in the training as a coach. The athletes knew that the young coaches were only here to observe and learn, and that they would not stay on the national team for a long time. Therefore, they looked at the young coaches as outsiders, naturally, and just ignored their presence during training.
Only later, when Dai Li had successfully passed the examination and was chosen by Li Xue as his favorite pupil, did the athletes' attitude towards Dai Li change. This was because Dai Li was hard-working, as well as the fact that he was respected by Coach Li Xue.
Now Dai Li was despised by the athletes again. However, Dai Li was no longer a rowdy brat. He knew being tough would not be enough to tame these athletes. He would have to show some real ability to prove to the athletes that he was somebody, and to make them obey his instructions.
Alas, I have to put on act again. I really hate that! Dai Li took a deep breath and clapped his hands to summon everyone.
...
"Because of the afternoon training session yesterday, I have discovered a lot of problems in your sprinting techniques. So, I will now emphasize how to solve your technique deficiencies over the next few training sessions," Dai Li said slowly.
Upon hearing Dai Li's words, the athletes had different ideas in their mind.
As a coach who is only a few years older than us, it is unlikely that he has more sprinting knowledge. How could he solve our technique deficiencies?"
He is bragging. As a young coach, how many athletes could he have trained? Even our post-graduate assistant coaches from the Sports Department might be better than him!
Alas, I hope this young coach has some real skills, and can at least arrange the training reasonably. Otherwise, our technique will only get worse, not improve.
Although the athletes did not show any unhappiness in their faces, their hearts were filled with negative feelings towards Dai Li.
Dai Li began to call roll directly. "Liang Du, step forward!"
Liang Du stepped out of the line. Then Dai Li said, "Your major problem is landing. When you land, the hip thrusting of your leg and the active push back of your feet are problematic. The contraction of your hip and ankle muscles happens too early. Because of this, your strength cannot be transferred to the ground rapidly and sufficiently.
"Your premature contraction of your hip and ankle muscles not only influences the instant push back speed and force exertion during the rear support stage of your hip joint, but also the high tension in your knee joint before landing.
Dai Li tried his best to speak slowly and clearly. He wanted Liang Du to understand him. His slow pace could also give Liang Du more time to think about whether Dai Li's words were accurate or not. Another important reason was to have all the athletes hear him, that way he could show off his knowledge.
As Dai Li spoke, he watched Liang Du. Liang Du's expression was becoming more and more serious. When Dai Li finished speaking, Liang Du was completely shocked.
What he said is completely correct! He really discovered all my technique deficiencies!
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Chapter 166: What Coach Li Said Makes Sense!
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Apparently Liang Du already knew about his deficiencies. As a brilliant student who had been admitted to Tsinghua University, Liang Du was not just a dumb athlete. On the contrary, his IQ was very high, and he was very good at discovering and thinking about problems.
There was no Physical Education Department in Tsinghua University. Therefore, if talented athletes wanted to be admitted into Tsinghua University, they had to take the national college entrance examination and be admitted as sports-specialty students after lowering the minimum passing score. This score reduction was not very large, however; normally a reduction of 30-50 points for a passing grade was satisfactory. Sports-specialty students whose score on the national college entrance examination was just over 100 points would never be admitted by Tsinghua University. A full score for the national college entrance examination was 750 points; as one of the best universities in China, the admission score for Tsinghua University was always around 670 points or higher.
Of course, the admission scores differed depending on province. Sometimes the difference was quite large. But it was undeniable that the students who wanted to be admitted by Tsinghua University must be elite in their respective province.
So, because the Sports Department of Tsinghua University was filled with a number of elite students, Dai Li did not need to say too much. By commenting on the key points, Dai Li knew the athletes would understand what he meant.
Liang Du had been greatly shocked by Dai Li's words.
He noticed all of my deficiencies. How could he have known that? He just got here yesterday, and we only had some regular training yesterday afternoon. Did he see my weaknesses during yesterday afternoon's training? Premature contraction of the hip and ankle muscles are really small defects. I knew of these problems already from sending my training video to the Sports Human Body Science Laboratory and having them analyzed by Professor Zhang by computer systems; this Coach Li was able to discover these problems just by watching me!
As he realized this, Liang Du no longer felt that Dai Li was incompetent. He asked sincerely, "Coach Li, how can I solve these problems?"
"I have already prepared a short-term training plan for you, just have a look!" Dai Li handed an A4 paper to Liang Du.
Liang Du took the paper with both of his hands and began to read carefully.
"Is this exercise a trot with half high-knees?" Liang Du asked.
"Exactly! Have you done this training before?" Dai Li asked.
"No, but I have read about it once in a article," Liang Du replied.
"For your problems, you would be asked to perform a trot exercise according to the traditional training method. However, the regular trot exercise is effective for beginners; for someone like you who has already mastered some sprinting techniques, the trot exercise will not be very effective," Dai Li explained.
"Right, I have been using the trot exercise to solve my premature contraction of the hip and ankle muscles, but it is almost completely ineffective," Liang Du nodded immediately. He found Dai Li's words to be very pertinent.
Dai Li continued, "So, I chose training that involved a trot with half high-knees, which puts more emphasis on the movement and speed of ankle landing. Using the basis of the traditional trotting movement, your thighs must be raised. The angle between the swinging height of your swing leg and the central horizontal line is about 30-45 degrees. When your foot lands on the ground, your hip should be extended rapidly. Through hip extension and pushing, the foot landing will be accelerated. Later I will give you personal instruction on the training of this technique movement."
"Thank you, Coach Li!" Liang Du said sincerely. He was completely convinced by Dai Li.
Discovering problems was only the first step; solving those problems was what mattered. Liang Du knew his weaknesses and had tried to solve them through training, but he had been unsuccessful. Now, Dai Li had brought forth the solution, which had given him more leverage to convince Liang Du.
Watching the exchange take place in front of them, the rest of the athletes had various thoughts and ideas.
Although Coach Li is very young, it seems he has some real skills. He was able to figure out the Liang Du's weak points and provide solutions to them. I underestimated Coach Li.
What Coach Li said is quite helpful. It seems like I don't need to worry about my training plan.
Is this Coach Li really competent or is this just a coincidence? Let me see if he can do it again.
At this moment, Dai Li shouted out a second name. "Xiaotian Xin, step forward!"
Xiaotian Xin stepped forward immediately. He looked at Dai Li with great interest, as if he wanted to know what other correct and astute perspectives Dai Li could offer.
"Xiaotian Xin, you problems are as follows: you focus on raising your legs while you run, but you ignore the hip movements. Your hip extension adaptability is inactive, which results in a lower push distance," Dai Li said.
Xiaotian Xin smiled disdainfully and retorted, "My technique accelerates the backward driving of my swing leg before landing, so that a greater push-off force can be obtained. You said my hip extension is inactive, but the reason for that is that my front swing is high enough when I'm sprinting! My technique can lower the push resistance."
Ordinary athletes would not snap back at a coach like that. However, as an elite student who had been admitted into Tsinghua University, Xiaotian Xin had high academic standing, and his sprinting performance ranked 2nd on the Tsinghua University's sprint team. The only one better than him was Guohong Niu. He had grown up always experiencing success, so naturally he was arrogant, and had the guts to defy Dai Li.
Ha, Xiaotian Xin snapped back at Coach Li. This should be a lot of fun!
It seems like Xiaotian Xin has learned a lot from sports training courses by himself in his spare time, so he has a lot of theoretical knowledge about sports training. Even postgraduate assistant coaches are unable to win arguments with Xiaotian Xin sometimes."
Let's see how Coach Li will respond. He should show off his real ability. If he cannot defeat Xiaotian Xin, it will be such a shame for Coach Li."
With different ideas in mind, the rest of the athletes were prepared to enjoy the fun.
Without hurrying, Dai Li said slowly in a calm voice, "When you are running, your front swing is not high enough; it is too high! I bet you do a lot of high-knees exercise in your daily training, right?"
"How did you know that?" Xiaotian Xin's expression changed a little bit. What Dai Li had said was right.
"High-knees training has obvious positive and negative influences on sprinting technique. It indeed can correct an insufficient front swing; however, for sprinters, leg swing height is limited when hip flection swing movement finishes. The higher the leg swing doesn't mean the better the effect, which can be accomplished through a farther leg swing."
As Dai Li said this, he began to make gestures with his hands. "When you are sprinting, your hip joint has an obvious torsion. Your current technique calls for you to lower the resistance by sacrificing necessary and reasonable push distance. As a result, you may take the lead in the beginning stages of a race, but your stride length towards the middle will be impaired. You also focus on the landing angle, which can result in stiffness in your hip, knee, and ankle joints, as well as tension in your knee joint."
Dai Li paused. He could tell Xiaotian Xin had listened to what he had said and was thinking about it.
"The most important point is that this technique can cause some physiological effects, such as the contraction of the hip joints and a downward shift of the pelvis. These effects will further influence your stride length and running speed." Dai Li paused again, then continued, "Therefore, you have to change the characteristics of your technique!"
As Dai Li said the four words "you have to change," the resentfulness and arrogance of Xiaotian Xin had vanished. He was now just as surprised as Liang Du had been.
What Coach Li said really makes sense! Xiaotian Xin had been convinced by Dai Li.
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Chapter 167: Convincing the "Ringleader"
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Before that, Xiaotian Xin had been quite confident in his sprinting technique. He had thought his retort could make Dai Li speechless.
However, after Dai Li's explanation, he knew Dai Li was right. Dai Li's understanding of sprint training was several levels higher than his.
The concluding words of Dai Li had been especially convincing. They had indicated that Xiaotian Xin's training method might cause a contraction of his hip joints, as well as a downward shift of his pelvis, which could give Xiaotian Xin some nasty surprises. These athletic injuries would slightly influence his professional life, and could even cause illness and agony throughout his life.
Before now, Xiaotian Xin had ignored this completely. However, after thinking about Dai Li's words, as well as his actual physical condition, Xiaotian Xin was fully convinced by Dai Li. He even wanted to thank Dai Li for reminding him of such an important problem.
Dai Li had completely convinced Xiaotian Xin by showing off his skills. The next second, Xiaotian Xin was suddenly very humble, and said in a tone of consultation and compliance, "Coach Li, I will obey your instruction. I must correct my mistakes!"
Dai Li nodded his head, then handed an A4 paper to Xiaotian Xin, who took it eagerly.
"This is the training plan I made for you. Before, you kept doing high knees, which had been the foundation of your sprinting technique. It obviously is not practical to abandon and replace all your sprinting techniques with new ones, as it can result in an awkward situation where you lose all your current strengths, but fail to acquire anything new.
"Therefore, I made some modifications to your original training plan. The new training plan focuses on the downstroke high knees exercise. In contrast to the traditional exercise you were doing before, this training method requires the rapid downward pressing of the thigh, which can develop the quick front swing of the thigh, braking and fast landing ability, and enhance both the swing switching speed and rapid downward pressing of the thigh during the middle of your sprints."
As Dai Li explained this, Xiaotian Xin kept nodding his head. He was eager to begin this downstroke high knees exercise.
"Thank you, Coach Li! I will definitely work hard during training!" Xiaotian Xin looked at Dai Li worshipfully.
Seeing the change in Xiaotian Xin, no one resented Dai Li any longer.
Xiaotian Xin's performance was ranked 2nd on the Tsinghua University sprinting team. Now, Xiaotian Xin had been totally convinced by Dai Li. Those who were worse than Xiaotian Xin really had no excuse to defy Dai Li now.
Coach Li is really awesome! It seems he has grasped the technique deficiencies of Xiaotian Xin, and the training plan he formulated for Xiaotian Xin should be very effective. Otherwise, Xiaotian Xin's attitude could not have changed so fast.
It would appear that all coaches from the national team are competent. Coach Li is young, but he does have some real skills.
When is it going to be my turn? I am so eager to be instructed by Coach Li. I really want to correct the weak points in my technique, but I don't know what to do. Later I shall ask Coach Li to give me proper instruction."
Everybody was becoming more and more serious. Their careless and casual moods were now gone with the wind. All of them fixed their eyes on Dai Li, awaiting his instruction.
Dai Li had not wastes his time during his stay with the national team. He had made every effort to learn. Now his effort was paying off. With the help of the advanced detector, the knowledge he had acquired, as well as the skills and experience he had gotten from Li Xue, Dai Li could handle these athletes skillfully and easily.
My attempt to "show off" has been successful! Actually, no—it should be over 50% success. I still have to deal with the highest level athlete. Dai Li scanned the team and relaxed a bit. The next moment, Dai Li looked at the name list in his hand and said, "Guohong Niu, step forward!"
Dai Li had finally called Guohong Niu's name, who had B-level talent,and an ability value of nearly 500 points. Meanwhile, as the team leader of the Tsinghua University sprinting team, Guohong Niu was the most competent athlete on the team, and the ace athlete of the Tsinghua University Sports Department. His performance was far better than Xiaotian Xin's who ranked 2nd on the team.
As it stood right now, Guohong Niu could be admitted to the national team. If he received professional training from the national team, he would absolutely be a top-notch sprinter in China.
In fact, the national team had already taken notice of Guohong Niu, and had even sent him an invitation. But Guohong Niu had refused the invitation, choosing to stay in Tsinghua University. Admission to the national team might be exceedingly welcome for ordinary athletes; but for those in Tsinghua University, the national team did not seem that important.
The admission to the national team meant that training would be done continuously. Part-time athletes were not allowed on the national team. Therefore, Guohong Niu would have had to abandon his studies if he were to join the national team, which was unacceptable to him. However, Guohong Niu might consider the national team after he graduated.
Furthermore, athletes of the national team would be restricted by certain regulations in some domestic university contests. After all, the universities were under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, while the national team fell under the General Administration of Sports. The boundary between the two departments was quite clear.
...
Dai Li knew that it would not be enough to only convince Xiaotian Xin. He had to convince the "ringleader" first in order to get all the athletes to follow him. His prestige on the Tsinghua University sprinting team would be established through convincing the leader of the team, who was also the most talented athlete—Guohong Niu. If Guohong Niu obeyed his instruction, the other athletes on the team would naturally follow their leader.
After hearing his name, Guohong Niu stepped forward. He was very calm, his arrogance hidden perfectly. Deep in his heart, he did not believe that Dai Li could point out his disadvantages, simply because Guohong Niu thought his technique did not have any significant weak points.
My technique is almost perfect. All I have to do in the matches is just pay attention to some small details. I don't believe you can point out my technique deficiencies! As Guohong Niu thought this, he stared at Dai Li determinedly, as if he were a predator staring at his prey.
Dai Li sensed Guohong Niu's confidence, which further ignited his fighting will. Guohong Niu was the leader of the sprinting team. The obedience of Guohong Niu would mean he had tamed the Tsinghua University sprinting team.
"Guohong Niu, through yesterday's observation, I found that your major weakness is that your push-off force is too big."
After hearing Dai Li's words, Guohong Niu's eyes shined even more confidently.
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Chapter 168: Convincing
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"Guohong Niu, through yesterday's observation, I found that your major problem is that you have too much of a push-off force," Dai Li said, highlighting Guohong Niu's weakness. Guohong Niu sneered in response.
"I have too much of a push-off force?" Guohong Niu asked arrogantly, "Coach Li, shouldn't a large push-off force be an advantage? The greater the push-off force is, the more sufficient the driving force will be, hence the more acceleration the athlete will obtain. Coaches always comment on the low push-off force of the athletes. This is the first time I've heard a coach complain about a large push-off force. Coach Li, why do you consider this advantage a disadvantage?"
Dai Li still had a smile on his face. Yesterday, during the detection of Guohong Niu with the advanced detector, when he had found "too much of a push-off force" in the disadvantage area, he had also thought the detector had mixed up the advantages and disadvantages. A large push-off force was supposed to be an advantage.
But later, after performing a careful analysis applying the knowledge he had acquired on the national team, Dai Li finally realized that too much of a push-off force, which Guohong Niu had, was indeed a sprinting technique deficiency.
Without sounding flustered, Dai Li began his explanation, saying, "The traditional sprinting technique states the knee joint of the supporting leg should be stretched sufficiently during push-off; therefore, a good push-off technique has always been essential for athletes, who were also requested to enhance the push-off strength and ability of their lower limbs. This should be the technique you have practiced before, right?"
Guohong Niu nodded his head. "This is indeed the technique I used when I was in junior and senior middle school. However, when I was admitted to Tsinghua University, I changed my technique to swing-style running, which should be the most common sprinting technique on the national team, right?"
"The national team is using swing-style running technique, yes. However, when athletes are running quickly, according to this technique, they don't need to stretch their knee joints to the point of lockout," Dai Li said.
"My knee joint is not stretched all the way," Guohong Niu immediately retorted.
"Take it easy, I haven't finished my explanation. When you are running, although your knee joint is not stretched completely, you exert too much strength during your push-off movement. Your technique for swing-style running is still imperfect. You subconsciously bend your knee intentionally during your push-off, which results in the relatively slow transition to the front swing that follows. Because of this, the time you spend on your supporting leg is prolonged. I don't think you need my explanation of what spending too much time on your supporting leg does to your speed, right?"
In sprinting, having a supporting leg meant contact between the human body and the ground. All kinds of contact between objects will generate resistance; therefore, the longer one spends on their supporting leg, the longer they will be facing resistance, which in turn affects how much forward resistance there will be. Sprinters try their best to shorten the time spent on their supporting leg, which reduces the amount of resistance they encounter whilst sprinting. Of course, the time spent on the supporting leg can never be zero; otherwise, the sprinter would be flying, and sprinting would become a flying competition.
As a first-class sprinter, Guohong Niu certainly knew about these theories. He was also an academic superstar, so he was good at thinking. After careful consideration, he knew that what Dai Li was saying was correct.
However, Guohong Niu still did not want to improve his technique. He was a proud person, and had gotten used to being treated as a revered leader by his peers since childhood. His self-esteem prevented him from admitting he had made a mistake.
"What you said made some sense. My push-off force could indeed prolong the time spent on my supporting leg, which could slow me down a little bit. But don't forget that a large push-off force can also generate more of a driving force and increase speed. This speed increase is large enough to offset the loss caused by more time spent on the supporting leg," Guohong Niu said calmly. He knew that if he wanted to prove his point, he should bring out the facts and reason with Dai Li calmly.
"It is true that I cannot find out which of the two had a greater impact, the driving force generated from the push-off or the resistance caused by the prolonged time spent on your supporting leg. However, what I am sure about is that your technique has to be improved," Dai Li said, spreading his hands.
"Why? If the driving force generated from the push-off is greater than the resistance caused by the time spent on my supporting leg, the technique modification will result in a decrease in my performance," Guohong Niu said arrogantly.
Dai Li continued to explain slowly, "I certainly have a basis for thinking this. Do you often experience a loose bending of your front knee, as well as a low center of gravity?"
"How did you know that?" Guohong Niu's expression was changed.
"These are also things that are caused by your extra-large push-off force, which not only prolongs the amount of time spent on your supporting leg, but also prevents the muscles from relaxing, which further impacts the transition and connecting speed of the hip flection swing. Sometimes it can even cause drawbacks, like a loose bending of the knee, as well as low center of gravity of body. This is inconsistent with the characteristics of swing-type running, which are a high center of gravity, front swing of the quad, pushing the front leg down, and rapid switching and tight bending of the knee!" Dai Li explained.
Guohong Niu was amazed. The disadvantages Dai Li had mentioned were things he had not known; nobody had told him these things before.
Technically speaking, what Dai Li had said was absolutely correct. However, a theory that sounded perfect was not enough to convince Guohong Niu. He was, however, completely impressed by the two drawbacks Dai Li had just mentioned. Guohong Niu had indeed experienced a loose bending of the knee, as well as the low center of gravity, in his daily training.
These effects did not occur all the time, but they did occasionally, especially when there was a large training volume. Guohong Niu had thought the occurrence of these drawbacks had been caused by failure to fully complete the movements of the technique when he was exhausted.
But now, the true reason for these effects should have been as Dai Li had said. His push-off force was extending the time spent on his supporting leg, and prevented the muscles from relaxing, which further influenced the transition and connecting speed of the hip flection swing.
At this moment, Guohong Niu finally realized what Dai Li had said was correct. His push-off force was indeed his weakness!
I am convinced. I am completely convinced, Guohong Li whispered to himself. He immediately lowered his guard and said sincerely, "Coach Li, please help me correct this shortcoming!"
Dai Li smiled and nodded his head. He had finally tamed Guohong Niu, who was the team leader of the Tsinghua University sprinting team. His prestige as a coach here had also now been established.
He handed an A4 paper to Guohong Niu and said, "This is the training plan I arranged for you, just have a look!"
"Thank you, Coach Li. I will perform the training seriously according to your plan." Guohong Niu took the training plan with both of his hands, expressing determination without even looking at the plan.
"Good. Later I will give you instruction on the essentials of the related technique movements personally," Dai Li smiled. The team leader, Guohong Niu, had been tamed. Now, his coaching would be free of obstacles.
Dai Li could not help but look at Sijie Yang, who was standing at the end of the line.
Only Sijie Yang is left. As a guy with A-level ability, he should be the most troublesome one!"
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Chapter 169: "Walking Dead" on the Training Ground
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Dai Li couldn't help but be anxious at the thought of Sijie Yang. Technically speaking, Sijie Yang could not even reach the professional level. It was fair to say he had virtually nothing going for him except for his A-level ability.
However, on second thought, Dai Li felt this might be a good thing. The lousy technique of Sijie Yang meant his technique movements had not yet been fixed. Just like a piece of blank paper, Dai Li could do whatever he wanted with it.
The more disadvantages an athlete had, the more improvements could be made, and the larger room for improvement the athlete would have. This also meant there was a longer way the athlete could go before they reached their limit.
This Sijie Yang hasn't even fully reached his top speed, strength, and explosive force. He should have more elementary trainings.
"Sijie Yang, step forward!" Dai Li shouted. Sijie Yang stepped out of the line immediately.
"You have a lot of disadvantages. For example, your explosive force hasn't been completely realized; your acceleration is not good enough; your stride length is too short; your push-off force is too small; your leg swing is not active enough; your stride frequency is low; your movements are not flexible; your forward motion is poor; the time you take to push away from your supporting leg is too long; your flight time is short, and your reaction is slow…"
As Dai Li pointed out the disadvantages, he kept watching to see if there was a change in expression in Sijie Yang's face. Dai Li had expected that Sijie Yang would be shocked like the others after his instruction, or at least slightly surprised. However, Sijie Yang did not change his expression whatsoever.
Dai Li could feel that Sijie Yang was listening carefully and pondering the things he had mentioned. However, Dai Li had a weird feeling about Sijie Yang that he could not put his finger on.
"This is the training plan I prepared for you, just have a look." Dai Li handed the training plan to Sijie Yang.
After taking the training plan with both of his hands and saying "Thank you," Sijie Yang returned to the line. He stood there quietly, not communicating with his teammates at all.
This Sijie Yang is very introverted! Dai Li said to himself quietly. He looked at Sijie Yang, his heart filled with a weird feeling.
...
In the following days, Dai Li's training went on smoothly. Nothing got in the way of his coaching.
All the athletes on the sprinting team were completely convinced by Dai Li, so they really had no excuse to contradict the training arrangements he had made. Moreover, all of them were quite cooperative with the training plans Dai Li had made.
The athletes obviously hoped that their performance would get better and better. The students of Tsinghua University were virtuous and talented, and had always been the best among their peers. All of them were quite ambitious, and naturally would not be satisfied with their current states. They were constantly trying to perform better, and always tried to outdo themselves.
Along with the implementation of different types of training, the athletes felt the improvement in their performance. Dai Li helped them correct the deficiencies in their technique, which helped facilitate their improvement in performance. Meanwhile, the training effects of being a top-level coach yielded twice the results with half the effort.
For instance, if the athletes were asked to perform a leapfrog exercise 100 times, the Coaching System could help the athletes improve their explosive force. Of course, this effect was invisible during training. Performing the leapfrog exercise 100 times could not give the athletes immediate results. However, after days of training, the improvement could be seen clearly.
The improvements in performance made the athletes trust Dai Li more. They carried out the training plans formulated by Dai Li much more strictly, and would work even harder during training. This, in turn, increased performance improvement. A virtuous cycle had been formed.
Dai Li was quite satisfied with his disciples. These athletes were very gifted, and were not inferior to the athletes of the national team. These athletes were also very smart and had understood things quite well. Most of the time, Dai Li did not need to give them a very detailed instruction, and they could understand Dai Li's meaning. Their IQ was high, and their feeling for the sport was also very high. They knew how to do the right thing at the right time.
Although Dai Li was responsible for the daily training of eight athletes on the sprinting team, it did not require much attention. His job was quite easy. The only athlete that gave Dai Li headaches was Sijie Yang, who had A-level ability.
On the training ground, Dai Li was standing in front of Sijie Yang. Dai Li said, "Your leg swing should be faster!"
Sijie Yang said, "Oh."
Dai Li said, "Try to control the fluctuation of your center of gravity!"
Sijie Yang said, "Oh."
Dai Li said, "Relax, don't stiffen your muscles too much. You technique movements are too deliberate. Try to do them naturally."
Sijie Yang said, "Oh."
Sijie Yang accepted and carried out all the instructions given by Dai Li. However, Dai Li was very disappointed with Sijie Yang's effort. Dai Li got the feeling that Sijie Yang's training was problematic. But he could not figure out the reason behind it. When observing Sijie Yang's training, Dai Li always felt that something was missing.
What is actually missing? Dai Li thought for a moment with furrowed brows. He looked at other athletes, then looked back at Sijie Yang, finally finding his answer.
Passion! What he is missing is passion! Sijie Yang's training completely lacks passion. It seems like it is not him who is training, but a robot finishing its programmed actions!
But how could an athlete lack passion?
The training of Sijie Yang indeed lacked passion. Sijie Yang was like the walking dead on the training ground. You could not feel his joy, sadness, or any mood change at all. Sijie Yang was simply completing the training subjects robotically, going through the motions.
Is he slacking off? No. Is he checking the time? No. Dai Li shook his head silently. Sijie Yang was training inactively; however, his inactive training was vastly different than how inactive training usually looked.
When Dai Li had been in the Beikou Training Base, Feixiang Lin had also been inactive during training. He played fast and loose in his training, through which he wanted to tell everyone that he was clearly not training seriously. However, Sijie Yang was quite different.
Later when Dai Li had been in the shot put group, Jiankang Chen and the other athletes had also contradicted the training by slacking off during training. Sijie Yang was not like this either.
Sijie Yang did not slack off and mark time. He had no late arrivals or early departures. He finished all the training Dai Li had assigned him. However, during training, Sijie Yang seemed to be completely absent-minded. He didn't apply himself to the training at all, and seemed like he was not himself when he trained.
This should be an attitude problem. Dai Li formed his judgment immediately.
Sijie Yang's sprinting ability is of an A-level. I haven't even found an athlete on the national team whose ability is an A. He should at least be the best sprinter among his peers. He should not be like Jiankang Chen, who lost his self-confidence after not achieving anything for a while.
Sijie Yang is only nineteen. His current training can only be considered quasi-professional level training. That means he should not be like Feixiang Lin, either, who gave up on himself because of prolonged illness and injuries.
Resting his hands on his hips, Dai Li felt quite helpless. He knew Sijie Yang was much more troublesome than those who slacked off or checked the time during training.
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Chapter 170: I Don't Want to Be an Athlete
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
During the training breaks, the athletes would get together to drink water and chat. Except Sijie Yang would sit beside them quietly. With a large glass of water in hand, Sijie Yang did not talk to anyone. He did not even make eye contact with the rest of the athletes.
He is truly introverted! He seldom talks to his teammates. Dai Li watched him silently.
Being introverted was not a big issue for athletes. They were not correspondents or hosts; they did not need outgoing personalities to assist their careers. The most important thing for them was improving their performance.
However, it seemed like Sijie Yang was too introverted. He did not even speak to his own teammates.
Dai Li continued observing, and found that the rest of the athletes did not speak to Sijie Yang, either. It seemed as if they had got used to the situation by just ignoring the Sijie Yang's existence altogether.
When the training was over, the athletes left in groups of three and four. Sijie Yang was still a "lone ranger." He walked behind the rest of the athletes, not communicating with them at all.
Does he have autism? Dai Li murmured to himself.
Although sprinting was an individual sporting event and did not require cooperation between teammates, the track and field athletes gathered on different teams according to the current system requirements of China. The training team of the highest level should be the national team, followed by provincial teams, city-level teams, and school teams. Training teams of different levels were small groups. The athletes had to stay in their groups before their retirement.
However, Sijie Yang was like a weirdo who had left his group. He never spoke to others, and vice versa.
Dai Li remembered that the most frequent word Sijie Yang had used was "Oh." He had replied to everything Dai Li had said with "Oh." Suddenly, the word "isolation" popped into Dai Li's brain, which he thought was the most accurate word to describe Sijie Yang.
Dai Li was now curious about Sijie Yang's experience, and what had led him to where he was now.
...
On the training ground.
"Xiaotian Xin, well done; but try to make your center of gravity more stabilized. Have you noticed that the landing time of your supporting leg is a bit uneven? This is the result of an unstable center of gravity. Don't try to push off by exerting force intentionally; you should do it naturally, and treat each stride as a whole, and in turn treat the complete running process as a whole…"
Along with Dai Li's voluble instruction, Xiaotian Xin kept nodding his head, taking note of all Dai Li's instructions. Dai Li was always able to point out Xiaotian Xin's deficiencies right away. Xiaotian Xin had long gotten used to his instruction, so his admiration for Dai Li only increased.
After finishing technique instruction, Dai Li changed the topic suddenly and asked, "It seems like you aren't fond of Sijie Yang. I have never seen communication between you and him. Have you ever had any conflict with him?"
"You mean him?" Xiaotian Xin snorted grimly, "Sijie Yang was admitted to the sprinting team through the 'backdoor.' When he arrived, we thought his performance was only so-so; we were wondering how such a lousy guy could make it on our team. Later, we heard that his father was very accomplished, and even knew a lot of big shots. The university admitted him only because of his father's relationships."
Backdoor? Dai Li was quite amazed. He thought an athlete with A-level ability could get on the national team easily. Why would he need connections to help him be admitted to the Tsinghua University sprinting team? However, thinking about Sijie Yang's low ability, Dai Li began to believe what Xiaotian Xin had said.
"Even if Sijie Yang came here through the 'backdoor,' you shouldn't isolate him, right? I have seldom seen you communicate with him," Dai Li continued.
"It's not that we don't talk to him, it's that he doesn't want to talk with us," Xiaotian Xin shook his head. "When he arrived, we wanted to communicate with him. But he always ignored our greetings and didn't want to answer our questions. Eventually we just left him alone. Being a 'backdoor' user, he was just too distant. I even got the feeling that he was in a different world than us."
Xiaotian Xin's last sentence really resonated with Dai Li, who also got the feeling that Sijie Yang was an outsider. Although Sijie Yang could finish all the training, he was like a square peg in a round hole. Dai Li even got the feeling that the person on the training ground was not Sijie Yang, but someone else in his place.
Dai Li had never had a coaching experience with an athlete like Sijie Yang, who had no passion and was calm as water. He could finish all the training, but it always seemed like he did not care about it one way or another.
Dai Li felt he should have a serious conversation with Sijie Yang.
...
After finishing a day's training, the athletes went to leave the training ground. However, Dai Li stopped Sijie Yang.
"Sijie Yang, please wait a moment." Dai Li called Sijie Yang over to him.
"Sijie Yang, how had your recent training been?" Dai Li asked.
With his head lowered, Sijie Yang didn't reply, continuing to show his introverted attitude.
Dai Li continued, "I feel your training attitude is quite problematic."
"I have finished all training tasks you assigned!" Sijie Yang said immediately.
"Yes, you finished the tasks; but you only finished them, nothing more. What is the purpose of our training? We train so we can improve your performance, not to 'finish' the task." Dai Li paused, then continued, "You are really gifted, and your current performance does not match up with your ability."
Sijie Yang lowered his head and remained silent again.
"I think there is something wrong with your training attitude. Do you think training is something you don't need? Or do you just not like the training?" Dai Li continued asking.
Sijie Yang still had his head lowered, remaining silent.
"Sijie Yang, I don't want to scold you; I just want to communicate with you. Now that I have expressed what I'm feeling, I'm waiting for your opinion," Dai Li finished. He stared at Sijie Yang.
Sijie Yang was trying to avoid eye contact with Dai Li. He wanted to escape.
"Problems cannot be solved by keeping silent. Language is the basic communication tool used by mankind. You should tell me first so I can know what's going on in your head." Dai Li paused, then continued in a sincere tone, "I don't know what worries you, but if you tell me you're thinking, maybe I can understand what's going on."
Finally, after building up the courage for several seconds, Sijie Yang looked up and said, "Coach, I hate sprinting, and I don't want to be an athlete!"
A flash of amazement appeared in Dai Li's eyes. He had never expected an answer like that.
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Chapter 171: Shoot Oneself in the Foot
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Sijie Yang had A-level ability in sprinting. He had the potential to win several national championships easily as long as he tried a bit harder. If he did, he would have the chance to compete against the top sprinters in the world; and, if he was lucky enough, he could probably become a world champion. It surprised Dai Li that such a talented star was saying that he hated sprinting, and that he did not want to be an athlete.
People always said that your interests were your best teacher. If Da Vinci had not been interested in drawing, he could not have become a great painter; Had Shakespeare hated writing, he could not have been a master in literature.
Of course, not everyone liked their job, but most would not say they hated it either.
If a person hated what they were doing, they would never achieve anything, no matter how long they stayed in their field. Take a businessman; if he hated making money, he would definitely be poor his entire life. If someone in the personnel system did not want to be a leader, then chances are they would be stuck in the office doing chores for the rest of their life.
This applied to athletes as well. Many athletes began training at a very young age, and really loved what they were doing. They practiced with the dream of becoming a champion. If an athlete had no desire to get medals and felt comfortable just going with the flow, they would never achieve anything.
Sijie Yang said he hated sprinting and did not want to be an athlete, and that he practiced with that in mind every day. Even if he finished the training from today, he would not achieve much. This way of thinking would also prevent him from communicating with his teammates, since no one wants to talk about things they hate.
It was like reading a book. Suppose a guy liked the book he was reading; he would feel something after he finished reading it, and would talk about the details of the book, remembering the content vividly. However, if he was not interested in the book, he would criticize it as he read, and even once he finished reading it, he would hate recalling the details, and would even forget the main characters' names.
Sijie Yang truly hated sprinting, which was why he always acted passively, and was never motivated to train. The effects of being active and passive were totally different. Had he been an average athlete, he would definitely have been dismissed and kicked off the field by now.
Sijie Yang, however, was really talented. Having A-level ability meant you were good enough to be a world class athlete. Even on the national sprinting team there were not any other A-level athletes. Sijie Yang didn't even like his gift, yet he could still beat a bunch of people with just his raw talent.
He could be worldwide phenomenon with such great talents, but he said he hates sprinting and doesn't want to be a athlete. What a waste!
Dai Li knew that he could not force people to do things. If Sijie Yang really had no interest in sprinting, nothing would change, even if he kept practicing.
From Sijie Yang's CV we can tell that he began training professionally at 14-years-old, which means he has had five years of sprint training! Since he doesn't want to be an athlete, why doesn't he just give up? Thinking of this, Dai Li changed the topic to keep the conversation going.
"If you don't want to be an athlete, what do you want to do then? I've seen your CV; you studied economics and management, and want to get another MBA degree later. Do you want become a company manager?" Dai Li asked.
"I want to be a photographer," said Sijie Yang as he lowered his head. He looked embarrassed.
"That is nothing to be embarrassed about. When I graduated I didn't want to be a coach. I wanted to become a middle school PE teacher. Summer and winter vacation, who doesn't want that? But I failed the entrance exam, and ended up as a coach." Dai Li smiled, then continued, "Tell me, how did you become an athlete?"
"When I was fourteen, all the students were asked to stay an extra hour to study after school. I didn't want to study because I already knew everything the teacher had taught us, so I joined the track and field team in our school so I wouldn't have to study," Sijie Yang answered.
"You joined the track and field team so that you wouldn't have to study?" Dai Li thought this was really dramatic.
Sijie Yang nodded. "After a few months, I joined a city-level track and field competition, and became a champion with a 11.72 second record, which impressed the coach in the sports school. At that point, my dad told me to do sports, and said I had the potential to become a top athlete. So I went to school to study in the morning and practice in the afternoon."
Dai Li was impressed. An 11.72-second record at fourteen. That is really something. A B-level athlete can only run an 11.74! Many sprinters are still trying to meet the standard of 11.74 seconds to get onto the national team, but he did it with a better record at just fourteen.
Sijie Yang continued, "Later, I went to college. I was going to give up on being an athlete, but my dad got me onto the sports team, and asked me to keep practicing as a sprinter."
Sijie Yang was mentioning his father a lot. This reminded Dai Li of what Xiaotian Xin had said; Sijie Yang's father was an influential man, who even had connections in Tsinghua University.
Dai Li asked, "It sounds like your father wants you to become an athlete, not you. Why don't you tell him that you don't want to be an athlete?"
"Because he has a point. He says I am gifted in sprinting and can be an excellent athlete. I should do what he asked me to do and become an athlete," Sijie Yang said as he lowered his head.
"Your father is right, you are really gifted." Dai Li suddenly remembered Sijie Yang was an A-level athlete, so he asked, "Is your dad a retired athlete?"
Sijie Yang shook his head.
"Then he must be a coach!" Dai Li said.
Sijie Yang shook his head again and responded, "He is a scientist."
"Scientist? Like sports science?" Dai Li was a bit shocked.
"Biology. My dad studies biology," Sijie Yang said.
"Oh!" Dai Li nodded. Biology was something he knew nothing about. He did not want to attempt to discuss it and embarrass himself.
"So you're saying that you didn't choose to be an athlete, your dad did?" Dai Li looked at Sijie Yang. Sijie Yang didn't reply, but nodded his head in silence.
"You don't like the idea of sprinting or being an athlete. Did you tell your dad about this?" Dai Li asked.
Sijie Yang shook his head. "No."
"Why not?" Dai Li asked anxiously.
"It is not necessary. He is always right. He makes decisions for me all the time. I just need to do what he tells me." Sijie Yang sounded calm, but also a bit sad.
"No one is always right," Dai Li argued.
Sijie Yang lowered his head. He seemed like he didn't want to argue with Dai Li about this.
Dai Li could tell Sijie Yang's dad was an aggressive guy who got pleasure out of controlling others. His father had arranged everything for him, and Sijie Yang was used to arrangements being made by his father.
Suddenly Dai Li felt sympathetic for Sijie Yang. Maybe his father was right, and Sijie Yang could become a successful athlete by just doing what he was told. But he had lost himself. You could say he was a good son who did as he was tod, but you could also say he was a toy controlled by his father!
Dai Li inhaled deeply, then changed his tone and told Sijie Yang, "Sijie Yang, look at me. Listen carefully."
Sijie Yang raised his head and looked at him in the eyes.
"Sijie Yang, you are nineteen now. You are an adult. You have to make your own decisions. You can't depend on your father all the time; you have to think and act independently. Maybe your father is was right, but that doesn't mean you are wrong."
"If you have your own dream, you need to fight for it! Dreams should not be buried deep inside you; they should be put in front of you to remind yourself to chase it with your actions!
"This is your dream, and your life. Your dad might be able to help you find a shortcut in your life, but he cannot determine your fate! You have to understand, you are a person, not a toy. You have to make things happen on your own. You have to walk by yourself and control your own life."
Sijie Yang opened his mouth. There was an excitement in his eyes for a second, but it disappeared quickly. He said sadly, "I completely understand what you're saying. But if I listen to you and do what I want—become a photographer—the first thing I need to do is stop practicing sprinting and quit the track and field team, right?"
"Well…" Dai Li suddenly hesitated. He realized he had made a huge mistake and shot himself in the foot.
He had been talking about dreams, but it had sounded like he was trying to persuade Sijie Yang to quit the track and field team.
What have I done? I wanted to ask him to give it his all in practice. How did it end up like this?
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Chapter 172: You are The Owner of Your Youth
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Dai Li felt embarrassed. He had wanted to encourage Sijie Yang to be positive, which was why he had given him a passionate lecture about dreams. However, Sijie Yang's dream was not to become an excellent athlete, but a photographer. Dai Li had encouraged him to pursue his dream, which would mean giving up his athletic career.
I am a coach, I can't believe I just persuaded a super talented athlete to change his career path! Dai Li was regretful. He wanted to take back what he had said. But when Dai Li looked at Sijie Yang, he had different thoughts.
Your twenties are a time when a person is passionate about making their dreams come true. This is an age full of passion, but also irrationality. Young people tend to do what they want without second thought. This is a time when men can actually chase their dreams.
When you reach my age and have a stable job, you will have to work hard to survive, and in some cases even leave your dream behind. And when you get older and have family to raise, you will be responsible for more things. You might have to give up all your dreams. When you have a thirty-year loan on a house, you will never talk about your dreams anymore!
A man who doesn't try to make his dreams come true when he is young will be full of regret when he is older. Thinking of this, Dai Li looked at Sijie Yang with a complex look.
As a coach, Dai Li surely didn't want to let Sijie Yang give up his sprinting career. It was a coach's responsibility to train his or her athletes. Sijie Yang was born to be a sprinter. It would be a pity if he gave it up.
But at the same time, Dai Li knew it would be suck to be asked to do things you hate. Even though Sijie Yang could achieve something in the future and become a champion, he might not feel happy about it at all.
He shouldn't waste his youth on something he is not interested in at all! After all, you can only be young once… Dai Li sighed. He didn't want Sijie Yang to live in regret the rest of his life.
Finally, Dai Li said, "Sijie Yang, it's your life. You have to walk your own path. You have to make your own choice."
Dai Li stopped, then continued, "If you don't want to continue practicing sprinting, you can leave; but if you want to stay, I hope you will practice hard just like the others, and treat this as your career, not just something your dad told you to do.
"You are only nineteen; you are still young. But youth goes by quickly. You should make the most of it, not do something you hate everyday." Dai Li stopped, then smiled and said, "You are the owner of your youth."
…
The next day, Sijie Yang didn't show up to the training ground. Dai Li asked the others about it, only to find out that Sijie Yang had sent a leave application form to the team.
Dai Li felt remorseful, and even a bit hurt. He had a feeling that he had lost the jackpot because Sijie Yang was truly too talented for him to have given up.
Dai Li didn't know whether he was making the right decision or not. Maybe Sijie Yang would feel regret if he failed to become a good photographer. He might even think that had he continued pursuing being an athlete, he would have become one of the top sprinters in the world.
This is your own choice. The road ahead of you, whether it is good or bad, is a path you must walk yourself. All I can do is make a wish and hope that you find success no matter what road you choose. Dai Li calmed down and went back to work.
…
As Dai Li was training athletes on the training ground, Doctor Mao walked towards them.
Doctor Mao greeted Dai Li, then asked, "Coach Li, can I talk to you for a minute?"
"What is it?" Dai Li asked.
"Professor Fang would like to see you in his office and discuss the training issues lately," Doctor Mao replied.
The Professor Fang Doctor Mao spoke of was the boss of the Sports Department in Tsinghua University. He had made a great contribution to sports, and was a well-known person.
"Sure, just let me get changed." Dai Li pointed to his soaked training t-shirt. He couldn't take a shower at the moment, so changing his shirt was the least he could do.
Dai Li changed shirts and followed Doctor Mao to Professor Fang's office. To his surprise, there were two people sitting in the room.
One of them was Professor Fang. Dai Li had seen what he looked like when he had been looking at information about the Tsinghua Sports Department. He recognized him immediately.
Next to Professor Fang sat a man in his fifties. He had grey hair and big shiny eyes. He looked very wise. You could tell that he paid attention to his skincare; despite his wrinkles, there was a shade of healthy pink on his face.
An attractive old guy! Dai Li was impressed by his appearance. He was comparable to one of those middle-aged celebrities. In Tsinghua University, there were more scholars than dogs. Dai Li had seen numerous guys who looked smart, but none of them could be compared to this old man.
He looks so familiar! I think I have seen him before. He might be another professor here, Dai Li thought.
As Dai Li was glancing at them, they were glancing at him as well. They were surprised, as Dai Li was much younger than they had thought he would be.
Doctor Mao was the first one to speak. "Professor Fang, Academician Yang, this is Coach Dai Li."
Oh my God! That guy is an academician! How impressive is that! Dai Li thought. He greeted them, saying, "Professor Fang, Academician Yang, how are you?"
"Good," Professor Fang nodded. "Coach Li, I know this is the first time we have met, but I assume you have heard of me?"
Dai Li smiled and nodded, "Of course. You are the first one I knew when I came here."
Professor Fang looked satisfied. He pointed at Academician Yang and introduced him, saying, "Academician Yang is the father of Sijie Yang."
This handsome old guy is Sijie Yang's father? No wonder Sijie Yang is handsome. Gosh, what kind of genes run in their family? I assume his father looked better at Sijie Yang's age. Anyhow, why is Sijie Yang's father here? His father asked him to practice sprinting, but now he has quit. Oh shoot. His father might be mad at me…
Dai Li suddenly understood what was going on. He stared at Doctor Mao.
Discuss the training issues lately? That was just an excuse! You should have told me the truth! Why are you giving me a hard time? Dai Li thought.
Doctor Mao stared right back at Dai Li back. The look on his face made it seem like he was blaming Dai Li for the trouble he had brought to their team.
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Chapter 173: You Are The One To Blame
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Dai Li suddenly got tense when he found out that Academician Yang was Sijie Yang's father. He is here to blame me, Dai Li thought to himself. He was nervous, but he got himself to relax and play it cool.
Dai Li did not say anything, deciding to wait for them to make the first move. But to his surprise, Academician Yang began the conversation, saying, "Coach Li, nice to meet you. I am Lin Yang."
This was a unique introduction. Usually when two strangers met each other for the first time, they would introduce themselves by saying, "My name is …" Academician Yang had instead said "I am…" Only well-known people used this to introduce themselves.
But Dai Li did not notice this. When he heard the name "Lin Yang," he became shocked, so much so that he even shook a bit.
"Lin Yang? The scientist? The one who won the Nobel Prize?" Dai Li asked in surprise.
Lin Yang nodded. He got that surprised look a lot.
This is the actual Lin Yang. No wonder I thought he looked familiar. I saw his photo several years ago. He is older, that's why I didn't recognize him right away, Dai Li thought.
Lin Yang was a topnotch scientist who studied biology. He was so talented that he became a professor and had his own lab before he was thirty. When he was thirty-five, his achievements in his field made him eligible to be nominated for a Nobel Prize. To no one's surprise, he won the Nobel Prize in physiology and medicine at the age of forty-two. It had been a very significant accomplishment when it had happened.
Lin Yang was involved in several important science programs, such as the Human Genome Project. His experimental results had saved millions of people's lives; he was considered a god by pharmaceuticals companies. Some companies even wanted to offer funding to Lin Yang, but it was impossible to find him.
Dai Li still remembered that when he had been in primary school, Lin Yang was in the Chinese textbook, and was admired by all the students. Not every scientist was written about in textbooks. Lin Yang's work had become a bible to people, meaning he did not need to do interviews to stay relevant.
Sijie Yang's father is Lin Yang! Dai Li suddenly remembered that Sijie Yang had said that his father was always right. Before, Dai Li had thought Sijie Yang had said that because he was afraid of his father; now he completely understood what Sijie Yang had meant. It made so much sense. Sijie Yang's father was Lin Yang, the famous scientist!
Ten years ago, when Lin Yang had just won the Nobel Prize, he had been regarded as a legend. At the time, the economic development of the country had just entered the fast lane, and people were moving up in lifestyle. On the other hand, people's spiritual lives were not satisfactory, which made people bored. The academic world desperately needed to catch up.
It was during this time that Lin Yang won his Nobel Prize. Naturally, he became an idol. People were so convinced by him and his work, that no matter what he said, people would assume it was the truth. If Lin Yang had said, "Sweet tofu tastes better than savoury tofu," millions of people would have come out in agreement. Cooks, gourmets, folklorists, critics, and even other scientists would stand with Lin Yang in an attempt to prove he was right.
People believed in scientists' theories and decisions, especially a scientist who had received a Nobel Prize at such a young age. People thought highly of him and assumed he was always right. This was common for people back then.
Dai Li had still been a child when Lin Yang had received the Nobel Prize, yet even he had been able to tell how great Lin Yang was, as there had been plenty of news about him in the newspaper and on television everyday. He would be even more famous had all this had happened now, with the internet being as big as it is. Even if Lin Yang made a live show for his pet dog online now, it would, without a doubt, have millions of views, and attract dozens of fans.
Great scientists are always right; that sounds correct. Lin Yang wants his son to be a sprinter, and the fact is that Sijie Yang does have a gift for sprinting. He is so good at it. The only problem is that this is not what Sijie Yang is interested in, Dai Li thought silently.
As he was thinking about all this, Lin Yang said, "Coach Li, relax. I am not here to blame you. I just want to know more about Sijie Yang."
Lin Yang spoke in a calm manner, while Professor Fang was much more straightforward. He said, "Sijie Yang had been practicing sprinting all these years, yet he signed an application sheet to quit the team the day before yesterday."
Professor Fang looked at Dai Li with a serious look, then continued, "I overheard that the day Sijie Yang decided to quit was exactly the fifth day you had been here. Am I right?"
Professor Fang was questioning Dai Li. Sijie Yang had been trained every day. Why would he want to quit as soon as Dai Li arrived? Obviously Professor Fang had determined that Dai Li was the one to blame.
Dai Li thought about it, and figured it was best to just explain the situation, so he said, "Sijie Yang is talented and I have faith in him. I thought he was going to be a great sprinter and I had intended to help him do that, but that was not what he wanted."
"He doesn't like sprinting?" Lin Yang interrupted suddenly.
Dai Li looked at Lin Yang in surprise. He suddenly realized that Lin Yang probably knew nothing about his son's dream of being a photographer.
"Sijie Yang said he hates sprinting, and doesn't want to be an athlete." Dai Li spread his hands and added, "That's what he said to me."
"This is not possible!" Lin Yang shook his head. He looked calm. "As his father, I am pretty sure he enjoys sports."
"I didn't see that in our daily training," Dai Li responded immediately, "Sijie Yang never practices energetically. To be honest, he was passive, and never had a goal when he was practicing. He was doing it without trying his best, as if he were a robot."
Dai Li turned around and said to Lin Yang, "Academician Yang, you must have a lot of teaching experience and know a lot about active and passive learning. They are completely different. Nobody can become a successful scientist if they study passively. This applies to sports training as well. If the athlete is not motivated, there will be no results, and they will not become an excellent athlete."
Lin Yang was thinking about what Dai Li had just said. He frowned as he thought.
Professor Fang asked, "Maybe there is something wrong with your coaching, and Sijie Yang found it difficult to adjust to? That's probably why the training didn't go well."
Dai Li did not want to be blamed for what was happening, so he refuted Professor Yang, saying, "That is not true. I make plans carefully and scientifically. Everyone else can adapt to that."
"I think it depends," Professor Fang said, "Other athletes can adapt to your plan, but Sijie Yang can't. As a consequence, he would definitely doubt himself, and think he was not capable of being an athlete. That was probably why he quit."
Dai Li's face turned green. It was obvious that Professor Fang wanted to put the responsibility on him, and blame him for the situation.
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Chapter 174: Misunderstanding
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Professor Fang was a well-known professor, but compared to Lin Yang he was a nobody. As a Nobel Prize winner, Lin Yang was considered a god by all of Tsinghua University. Professor Fang was afraid of upsetting Lin Yang, otherwise the whole sports department could get in trouble. Therefore, when Lin Yang had come to him, his first reaction had been to blame Dai Li.
Dai Li was not from Tsinghua, but from national team. If he took responsibility for what had happened, Professor Fang and the Tsinghua University sports team would not be blamed. That was why Professor Fang was giving Dai Li a hard time.
Although Dai Li understood why this was happening, he was not happy about it.
If that's how you want to do this, then there is no need for me to try and maintain your reputation.
Thinking of this, Dai Li said, "According to what I've seen, Sijie Yang is not qualified to be a professional athlete so far; he still has many flaws. For example, his explosive force hasn't fully developed, he isn't fast enough, and his stride and push-off power are not good enough either…"
Dai Li talked about Sijie Yang's weaknesses nonstop. It seemed like he was saying that Sijie Yang was not even qualified to attend Tsinghua University to receive training.
Professor Fang understood what Dai Li meant and felt embarrassed. Lin Yang also looked embarrassed, as he had not expected his son to have so many shortcomings.
But Dai Li didn't care about their feelings. He continued, "I scheduled Sijie Yang to do hop-step and split-leap sessions to help him develop his explosive force…" Dai Li told them his training plan, explaining the intention and effect of every step.
Lin Yang specialized in biology, but knew nothing about sports training, so he stared at Professor Fang to see his reaction. Although Professor Fang was not a professional coach, he was still an expert in exercise science. He quickly realized that Dai Li's training plan was perfect.
Sensing Lin Yang was waiting for confirmation, Professor Fang nodded to indicate that Dai Li's training plan was spot-on. Lin Yang looked serious. He grabbed his cup of tea and sipped from it. It looked like he was thinking deeply about something.
Lin Yang put down his tea cup slowly and said, "Coach Li, you said before that Sijie Yang doesn't like sports. I still doubt that. I am sure that he enjoys sports. He started liking them when he was in junior high school."
Lin Yang recalled, "I still remember that when he was in junior high school, he signed up for the track and field team. He was happy every afternoon when he went to his training sessions."
Dai Li remembered that Sijie Yang had told him that he had joined the track and field team so that he could skip school.
The reason Sijie Yang was happy was not because he got to play sports, but because he was able to skip his classes.
Thinking of this, Dai Li interrupted Lin Yang and asked, "Academician Yang, are you sure he was happy because of the training? Have you ever thought that maybe he was happy because he could skip things he hated, like classes?"
Lin Yang looked at Dai Li, confused.
"Academician Yang, do you know that Sijie Yang wants to be a photographer?" Dai Li asked.
"A photographer?" Lin Yang seemed shocked. Suddenly, he remembered that the day before yesterday he had gotten a text saying his credit card had been charged around 20,000 yuan. Later, his wife had told him that Sijie Yang wanted a camera, so she used his card and bought it.
Now that Lin Yang thought of the camera, everything made sense. He began to believe the photographer idea. Dai Li could tell from Lin Yang's facial expression that he knew nothing about Sijie Yang's dream.
Dai Li sighed. "Academician Yang, I understand you are busy at work; but I think you should spend some time with Sijie Yang. Talk to him, and try to understand him. You are father and son, after all; you should communicate more."
Both Dai Li and Professor Fang had mistaken Lin Yang. He had not come here to blame anyone, but to figure out why Sijie Yang would suddenly give up his sprinting career. Lin Yang was such a big figure, however, that his presence easily made people nervous.
Professor Fang was afraid of taking responsibility, and tended to look at things in a negative way, which explained why he wanted Dai Li to shoulder all the blame. His reaction had made Dai Li worried as well.
Lin Yang had always thought that Sijie Yang loved sprinting. Lin Yang had asked some experienced coaches for their opinions and they had all agreed that Sijie Yang was gifted in sprinting. Because of this, Li Yang had planned to raise Sijie Yang as an athlete. Lin Yang thought it was a privilege to have your hobby and your job be the same thing. However, after today's conversation with Dai Li, Lin Yang realized he did not know his son as well as he thought he had.
Lin Yang had always considered himself a great father, as he had raised a great son in Sijie Yang, who was not only good academically, but good at sports as well. You could say he was skilled with both the pen and the sword.
Lin Yang had always been capable of providing the best for his son as he acquired money and resources. When Sijie Yang had first arrived at Tsinghua University, in order to make him continue sprinting, Lin Yang had had to pull some strings to get him into the sports department.
However, Lin Yang had not known that Sijie Yang did not actually want to be an athlete. He had simply accepted his father's arrangement, burying his true wish inside himself.
It has been a long time since we sat down and talked to each other. Lin Yang sighed, looking sad.
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Chapter 175: Father and Son
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The next day, when Dai Li was on his lunch break in the dining hall, his phone suddenly rang. It was an unknown number.
Is it from a delivery service? I haven't bought anything recently, Dai Li thought to himself as he picked up the phone.
"Hi, is this Coach Li? This is Lin Yang."
"Academician Yang, hi." Dai Li was a bit shocked. He had not expected a call from Lin Yang.
"I got your number from Professor Mao," Lin Yang said. "Coach Li, I wanted to call you to say thanks. I had a long conversation with Sijie Yang last night."
"Is everything settled?" Dai Li asked.
"Yeah, Sijie told me how he really felt. I support him!" Lin Yang said proudly. "It was my fault for pushing him so hard. When I was young, I paid too much attention to my work. I had him when I was 35 years old—kind of late, you might say. I cherish him, and kind of spoiled him. I want to make sure he gets everything he wants.
"People like us who spend a lot of time in the laboratory sometimes don't come home for months. I neglected communicating with my son. He is a grown-up now, and he has his own ideas and plans. I was neglecting this. I am not a good father."
Lin Yang paused, then continued, "Coach Li, thank you for your kind reminder. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known that Sijie Yang and I had such a gap between us."
A gap! Dai Li felt that was the perfect word for it.
The relationship between parents and their children was the most intimate relationship in the world, but the two could find it hard to understand each other from time to time; sometimes they might even misunderstand each other because of the different social backgrounds they were born in. Not many parents would sit down quietly and listen to their children to see what was on their minds.
In traditional Confucianism, responsibility and obedience were valued more than communication. Parents were expected to shoulder the responsibility, while the children were expected to obey. As the old Chinese saying went—"If a child misbehaves, his/her parents are to blame." Ideally, parents were supposed to take on the responsibility to take care of their children. If their children failed their exams, the parents would blame themselves; if they didn't find a decent job, the parents would blame themselves; if they broke up with someone, the parents would blame themselves. This was a lifelong responsibility, and even if the children were middle-aged men, their parents would still worry about them; it was their responsibility.
Children, on the other hand, had to obey their parents' word. Before they became adults, it was natural to listen to their parents; however, once they got older, they were still expected to obey their parents' demands. If a child didn't listen to their parents, they were considered to be going against the filial piety, which was unacceptable. Children who broke this rule would seem as if they had no morals. As a child, you had to listen to your parents and do whatever they told you to do.
If you wanted to make the connection healthy, however, you had to communicate with each other. Orders and obedience would not be useful when it came to parenting. Even if you were family, if you did not communicate with one another, you would eventually lose your loved ones.
Dai Li thought about Haiquan Fang at this moment.
Dai Li felt there were many similarities between Haiquan Fang and Sijie Yang. They both had pushy fathers who loved them so much and had arranged their futures; yet, at the same time, both of them lacked communication with their fathers. The difference between them was that Haiquan Fang had fought back against his father, while Sijie Yang had chosen to do what he was told.
The next minute, Dai Li suddenly remembered his own father.
Dai Li had not lived at home since he had graduated from college. It had been a long time since the two of them had last sat and spoken to each other.
I haven't been home for ages. I wonder if my old man alright.
Dai Li grabbed his phone. He hesitated for a second, then dialed his father's number.
After a few rings, his father picked up the phone.
"Son, what happened? Is everything alright? What made you call?"
"Dad, I'm alright. I just thought about you, and…I wanted to hear your voice." Dai Li's eyes turned red as he realized he was getting emotional.
…
Sijie Yang held his new camera, smiling happily.
He had just had a sincere conversation with his father not too long ago. This time, he had finally built up the courage to tell his father about his real dream—being a photographer. He thought his father was going to be furious, but to his surprise, he had gotten support from his father.
Sijie Yang had been excited for days. He was so in love with his new camera that he could not stop playing with it. When weekends came, he would run outside with his camera and take numerous photos to practice his photography skills.
Huajing was a historic place with a lot of tourist attractions, many of them photo-worthy. They attracted many famous photographers, which meant a new photographer like Sijie Yang could not stop capturing all the moments that could be seen in every corner.
By the time it was noon, Sijie Yang's camera storage was almost full.
Not enough space, this memory card is almost full. Sijie Yang sighed as he read the alert. He hadn't brought another memory card with him, so he would have to stop shooting and put his camera away.
It's lunch time. I guess I'll eat something before I go home. Thinking of this, Sijie Yang took out his phone and searched on his map to see if there was anything good to eat in the neighborhood.
As he was doing this, Sijie Yang could hear someone shouting behind him.
"Freeze! Don't run! Police! Stop running!"
Sijie Yang turned around. Suddenly, there was a young man dressed in black that quickly ran past him. Two men were chasing him, one dressed in street clothes, and the other in a police uniform.
The next second, almost unconsciously, Sijie Yang took off and started running. It took him ten seconds to catch up to the young man. Finally, he grabbed the young man with his hands and dragged him down.
The young man fell to the ground. He got up immediately and tried to keep running. Before he could, however, the two policemen caught up them and put him on the ground. The undercover policeman took out his handcuffs and cuffed the young man.
"Try running again! I have been waiting to catch you for three days, and I finally got you!" the undercover policeman said. Then, the undercover policeman looked at Sijie Yang.
"Thank you so much, young man. There aren't many people like you nowadays. I really appreciate your help. I can't catch criminals without your help."
"You're welcome, it was my pleasure." Sijie Yang breathed heavily. He was still catching his breath.
Next to them, another policeman in uniform said, "Young man, you are such an amazing runner! We had run almost three blocks, but we still wouldn't have caught him unless you showed up! You ran so fast! Are you an athlete?"
Sijie Yang said subconsciously, "Yeah, I am an athlete. I'm a sprinter! I run for…"
Sijie Yang suddenly stopped talking. He touched his camera bag.
I almost forgot; I am no longer an athlete!
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Chapter 176: I Am An Athlete
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Helping people in need was a good thing, but for some reason Sijie Yang felt sad. He was deep in thought by the time he returned home. He felt like he had lost someone he loved.
A feeling of losing someone I love… Sijie Yang laughed at himself. He had never been in a relationship before, so how could he know what it felt like to break up with someone?
Sijie Yang shook the feeling, opened his computer, then transferred the photos to his computer and started looking at them.
Bad; deleted!
This one isn't good either; deleted.
And this one too, ugh. Deleted!
Sijie Yang looked at the photos he had taken this morning, deleting two-thirds of them. He then began going through them a second time. By the time he was done there were only about ten photos left. But the longer he stared at the photos, the more he wanted to delete them all.
Sijie Yang suddenly came to the realization that he was really bad at taking pictures. The pictures taken by college students in the photography festival were much better than his.
Sijie Yang was bummed out. He had always been the best at almost everything he did; this was something he had inherited from his father. Every time he wanted to do something, he could always do it well.
But today, he had to admit that he was bad at taking photos.
Sijie Yang sighed. He opened his computer and went on a few photographers' blogs to see their latest photos. The more time he spent appreciating their works, the worse he felt about his own.
I need to practice more. As they say, practice makes perfect!
Sijie Yang looked outside the window as he thought this. The weather was really nice today; the sun was about to set. Sijie Yang took his camera out again to capture the moment.
…
Two hours later, Sijie Yang returned home. He looked at the photos he had just taken, still looking bummed.
This is not the effect I was going for! Sijie Yang thought to himself silently, sighing.
Ding-dong! It was his WeChat. Sijie Yang checked his phone. He had received a group message from the Tsinghua University shutterbugs. One of the group members had just posted some pictures of the sunset.
This is so much better than my photos. It was said that the only way to avoid getting your feelings hurt was to not compare yourself to anyone. Now, Sijie Yang suddenly felt bitter.
At this moment, Sijie Yang felt like although he had wanted to be a photographer, once he had actually started doing it, it didn't bring him the satisfaction or joy he had expected. He used to get excited when he thought of his so-called "photography skills," and was eager to try and test those skills. However, he did not feel excited at all this time.
Sijie Yang felt weird. He picked up his brand new camera again and put it down on the chair.
He had dreamt of this camera for a long time, and had been over the moon when he had gotten it. However, Sijie Yang could no longer feel the happiness and excitement he had felt when he had first gotten it. He felt like a child who had craved a toy and tried everything to get his parents buy it for him. Now that he had finally gotten it, he felt nothing.
At this moment, Sijie Yang suddenly realized that his enthusiasm for photography was declining.
A three-minute passion! Sijie Yang thought of the Chinese saying. Though he did not want to admit it, he was now a vivid example of the phrase.
I want to be a photographer! Sijie Yang murmured, trying to convince himself. However, in his heart, there was a voice saying, No, I am an athlete!
All of a sudden, Sijie Yang thought back to when the policeman had asked him if he was an athlete and he had said yes right right away. Sijie Yang knew it had been out of instinct. He had answered it without a second thought.
Why is this happening? I am supposed to hate sprinting. I am supposed to hate being an athlete! Sijie Yang was confused. The more deeply he thought about this, the more he wanted to go back to being a sprinter. All of a sudden, Sijie Yang was beginning to realize that after five years of sprint training, he had already become a sprinter in his own mind.
But I don't want to be an athlete, I want to be a photographer! Sijie Yang was annoyed by this thought. He grabbed his camera, trying to convince himself that his real dream was becoming a photographer.
As he held the camera in his hands, it became heavier. It now felt like more than a camera; it had become a burden for Sijie Yang! And the root of this burden was the thought of being a photographer!
Sijie Yang felt more anxious. He thought photography was his hobby and interest. He was supposed to feel happy doing the things he liked, not consider it a burden.
Maybe I don't really like photography, Sijie Yang thought to himself. What if, my dad hadn't asked me to become an athlete, but a photographer instead; what would have happened? Would I still hate the idea of being a sprinter? Would I have hated becoming a photographer?
Sijie Yang was confused. He closed his eyes and forced himself to stop thinking.
If my dad had forced me to become a photographer, I probably would have hated that as well.
As this idea popped into Sijie Yang's mind, it terrified him. He had just realized something—he didn't hate sprinting or being an athlete. What he disliked was his father's arrangement for him!
He had always wanted to be given the opportunity to make his own decisions, but he had never had the chance. He wanted to fight against his father's wishes, but had this unhappiness buried in his mind.
Sijie Yang suddenly stood up, astonished.
I don't actually want to be a photographer!
Sijie Yang finally realized that being a photographer was not his real dream. The thought of being a photographer had only been a reflection of his desire to be independent; it had only been a placeholder. In actuality, he could now be whatever he wanted to be, regardless of whether it was a photographer, a painter, a musician, or a writer.
It was not about the career path he chose; it was about him being independent and beginning to listen to himself, and making his own decisions, instead of being in his father's shadow!
Sijie Yang felt hurt and confused. He had realized that being a photographer was not what he really wanted. He had lost his goal in an instant, and now didn't know what to do.
What Sijie Yang had wanted was the freedom to make his own choices. He now had that. His father respected his choice, but Sijie Yang did not know what was next.
You are the owner of your own youth!
Dai Li's words kept appearing in his mind.
Sijie Yang looked toward the corner of the room subconsciously. He had left his training clothes there. He walked towards them, picked the tracksuit up, and looked at it quietly.
Suddenly, the memory of him winning the championship as a middle school student for the first time when he was 14 years old popped into his mind. He still remembered that he had tried his best, and had run the fastest when the starting gun sounded. It had been five years, but the scene was still fresh in his mind, almost as if it had just happened.
He turned around and looked at his shelf, where a gold trophy was sitting. It was his first trophy. There was some dust on it; it was no longer shiny.
Sijie Yang couldn't help walking towards the trophy and grabbing it. He suddenly felt like he was not just holding a trophy, but something he should never let go.
Five years! I've been training for five years! Sijie Yang lowered his head. Tears started flowing from his eyes nonstop. Sijie Yang had finally realized what he had given up and lost.
After five years of training, Sijie Yang had become an athlete. There were still athlete juices in his body. The word "athlete" almost felt as if it was embedded in his body; it could not be erased.
I am an athlete!
Sijie Yang finally understood what he truly wanted.
…
On the training field.
Dai Li turned to Guohong Wang and said, "To make this movement work, you have to put down your leg as fast as you can when you reach the highest position. While you're doing this, you also have to lower your front leg so it can support your hip more easily…"
Dai Li demonstrated the position as he spoke, but noticed that Guohong Niu was not looking at him; instead, he was looking at the entrance to their training space. Dai Li turned around and saw a familiar figure.
Sijie Yang? Didn't he quit? Why is he back? And why is he wearing training clothes? Dai Li found the situation odd at first, but the next second he realized what was happening.
Sijie Yang walked towards Dai Li quickly, looking at him with a determined look on his face.
"Coach, I've made up my mind; I am an athlete! I want to be a real athlete!"
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Chapter 177: University Games
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Sijie Yang was back. This news had not only surprised Dai Li, but had also made him super excited!
Sijie Yang was, after all, an athlete with A-level talent, who had the potential to become a world champion. It would be such a shame if he gave up his athletic career. As a coach, Dai Li wanted to train a world champion, as it would not only bring him money and fame, but would also make him feel satisfied spiritually.
Sijie Yang returned to his daily training routine, but he did not practice like he had used to. Instead of hanging around and thinking about other things, he put all his attention towards training diligently.
Once Sijie Yang began training, his A-level talent was made apparent. He made amazing progress, and performed better and better each day.
It took about ten seconds for a sprinter to run 100 meters. World-level athletes could run 100 meters around or under ten seconds, so for sprinters, being one second faster was a big deal, and meant a lot.
Sijie Yang did have a lot of drawbacks, just as Dai Li had predicted. However, more drawbacks meant more room for improvement, and more opportunities to progress. Every time Sijie Yang corrected his shortcomings, he improved a bit. And the more mistakes he corrected, the more improvements he made.
Sijie Yang was the special one in the athlete group. He had gotten to where he was purely because of his talent. If he had been a less gifted athlete, he surely would have been replaced if he didn't work harder. However, Sijie Yang could beat his opponents easily just by using his natural ability. This was probably why he had never been motivated to improve his sprinting skills.
Now, however, Sijie Yang had began to improve, which made him even better. It was like a great warrior who could beat armed opponents with his bare hands, but when armed could beat them faster and easier.
Dai Li had also played a big part in helping him be successful. There was always a great coach behind every great athlete. For Sijie Yang, Dai Li was the best coach he could have had for this period of time. The fancy detector Dai Li had could also find Sijie Yang's weaknesses, which allowed Dai Li to attack them as soon as possible.
Within two short months, Sijie Yang made huge progress. He had been the worst one on the sprinting team, but after two months he was now third behind Guohong Niu and Xiaotian Xin. It was only a matter of time before he surpassed them.
Sijie Yang's improvement had put pressure on Guohong Niu and Xiaotian Xin. Tsinghua students were all ambitious, and no one wanted to be left behind, so Guohong Niu and Xiaotian Xin worked even harder.
Seeing Guohong Niu and Xiaotian Xin working harder than ever, other athletes on the team got inspired and began working harder as well.
…
Just as Dai Li assigned the training plan for the afternoon, he saw Doctor Mao walking towards him from far away.
Dai Li didn't really know this Doctor Mao, and the experience he had had two months ago had given Dai Li a bad first impression. Therefore, they were only on nodding terms, and never bothered to smile or say "hi" when they saw each other.
There was no way that Doctor Mao had come here today to share good news.
Doctor Mao walked over to Dai Li and nodded. Then he opened his mouth and said, "Coach Li, it has been over two months since you got to Tsinghua University, right? Are you getting used to everything here?"
"Of course. The environment here is much more relaxed than what I'm used to. I even gained weight." Dai Li was trying to be nice. Then he asked, "Doctor Mao, did you come here for anything about work?"
"Well, you know the University Games will be held in Wanzhou in the middle of next month. Our school will surely attend. I heard that you had experience in big sporting events when you were with the national team, so I would like you to go on a business trip to Wanzhou as the leader, as well as the coach, of the sprinting team next month," Doctor Mao answered.
"Sure, no problem," Dai Li nodded without hesitation. As a coach, it was completely normal to travel with his team for competitions. The better the coach was, the more competitions he would be involved in. Top coaches like Jihai Ding had to travel around the world at least two or three times.
Dai Li continued, "We are not just going to send sprinters to the game, are we? I'll just go with the group and won't have to worry about meals and accommodations, right?"
"Yes, there will be someone in charge of meals and accommodations; you don't have to worry about it. Coach Li, you just focus on the games and training." Doctor Mao continued, "We paid for the living space and the meals, so the host will make sure everything goes as planned. As for transportation, the athletes will be divided into three groups and go to Wanzhou by bullet train. You will have to give me your ID card later so I can buy and get the tickets together."
"I have my ID card with me. You can come meet me whenever you want it," Dai Li said.
For average people, it was a troublesome thing to order train tickets. Now that Tsinghua University had promised to help them do that, it would be dumb to say no.
Dai Li continued asking, "The number is restricted, right? I have eight athletes altogether, but not everyone is going to Wanzhou for the University Games. How many athletes can I take to the game this time?"
"Three!" Doctor Mao said as he raised three fingers. "Although it is called the University Games, we will join this game under the provincial name. They gave us three positions because we are Tsinghua."
"Then we must send the best three athletes!" Dai Li said, turning around to look at the athletes who were practicing.
Doctor Mao smiled weirdly. "Actually, we have decided to send Guohong Niu, Xiaotian Xin, and Sijie Yang. I wanted to tell you the news first so you could prepare for their specialized training."
Dai Li was surprised. He didn't know that Doctor Mao knew so much about his team.
Doctor Mao really knows everything. He even knows that Sijie Yang has made a lot of progress in the last two months. Sijie Yang is behind Guohong Niu and Xiaotian Xin at the moment, but he may surpass them in the next month! How could Doctor Mao know about this? Dai Li began wondering about Doctor Mao.
His look sent Doctor Mao the wrong message. Doctor Mao lowered his voice and said, "I know Sijie Yang isn't the best on your team, but his father is Academician Yang. You know that. We have to impress Academician Yang. Therefore, although Sijie Yang is only an ordinary athlete, we have to send him to the game! I hope you understand."
Dai Li was speechless He wasn't sure if he should laugh or cry.
So it is all because of Lin Yang! I almost thought highly of you. Never mind. You will be surprised when Sijie Yang wins the game!
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Chapter 178: Old Friends
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The National University Games were a comprehensive sporting event. The competition scale was no less than any of the other games, but had competitions less often. It worked the same way for the World University Games and the National University Games.
The National University Games, for example, although the competitions were slightly tweaked each year, the total number of events was always around ten.
Excluding performances, the Olympics Games had about thirty official competitions and over 300 small programs all together. The Asian Games had more events than Olympics. Compared to them, the University Games had less than one-third of the competitions than the Asian Games.
There were no events that required expensive equipment such as shooting or archery, nor difficult sports like gymnastics or diving. For the average undergraduate, there weren't many opportunities to use firearms and arrows, nor practice gymnastics and diving.
The competitions in the University Games were popular sports such as track and field, swimming, basketball, ping pong, etc. These games involved many university students. Meanwhile, there were also some non-Olympic events, such as martial arts, aerobics, and orienteering. There were also activities like Contract Bridge.
There were about eleven competitions in the University Games, and events like martial arts, aerobics, and orienteering made up about half of them. There were only six or seven real sports-related programs.
Although there weren't many programs, there were still many candidates. There were over 6,000 students signed up. In comparison, the Olympics only had around 10,000 candidates. It was truly a large amount of people considering it was only a university competition.
A smaller program with more people meant that every sport would have more participants. This was why the University Games didn't restrict enrollment.
In the Olympic Games, the maximum number of group members for each team was three. However, in the University Games, more athletes were allowed for each competition. Take sprinting, for example; the Tsinghua University sprinting team could send three athletes to take part in the contest.
…
A few days prior, Dai Li had gone to several big track and field competitions with Li Xue. As a result, Dai Li had gained some experience in guiding teams.
Dai Li didn't have to worry about food and accommodations since the sponsor was in charge of planning everything. All he needed to do was make sure the games went well.
"The stadium in Wanzhou is so spacious. I bet it's top ten in our country. No wonder it's confident it can hold the national games!"
Dai Li looked around and saw that a lot of people were already sitting on the bench. Some of them were holding signs with slogans saying, "Go for it,"followed by the name of a university. There were also cheerleaders in the stands.
So this is the University Games. I have attended some national track and field games, but I have never seen an audience like this. Young people are truly full of passion!"
Someone familiar suddenly walked entered Dai Li's line of sight as he was thinking.
It's Yuejin Chen! So Hanbei Sports College has also joined the game. Dai Li stepped forward. It was the same Yuejin Chen who had brought Dai Li from Yuzhou to Hanbei Sports College, where Dai Li had met Feifei Yu and Zhongyi Xu. It had been two or three years since the last time Dai Li had seen Yuejin Chen.
Dai Li sighed. He had once seen Yuejin Chen as a legend, since Chen had gone to the training camp as a coach. Dai Li used to think it was something that he could never be doing, but now he was on the national team, and was favored by Li Xue.
"Coach Chen!" Dai Li yelled from a distance.
"Dai Li!" Yuejin Chen was surprised. "You're here too! Aren't you working for the provincial team now?"
"I am working for Tsinghua University temporarily," Dai Li explained briefly.
"Tsinghua University!" Yuejin Chen was shocked. He was still confused why Dai Li had gone to Tsinghua, as there seemed to be no relationship between their group and Tsinghua University. But he believed what Dai Li said.
"The Department of Sports in Tsinghua University is much better than our Hanbei Sports College. I am sure you will get dozens of golden medals. Dai Li, What program are you in?"Yuejin Chen asked.
"The sprinting team," Dai Li answered.
"Sprinting! That's the top program in Tsinghua University. I heard there is an athlete on the track and field team in Tsinghua University who is so good that the national team asked him to join them multiple times, but still couldn't get him to say "yes." He is here for the games, isn't he?" Yuejin Chen asked.
Dai Li nodded with a smile. He knew Yuejin Chen was talking about Guohong Niu.
"It's going to be an exciting match. A fight between two tigers!" Yuejin Chen laughed.
"A fight between two tigers?" Dai Li looked at Yuejin Chen, confused.
"You don't know?" Yuejin Chen sighed, then continued, "You have a tough opponent this time. There is a really excellent athlete from Jiangdong who is qualified to play for the national team. He may even be better than your athlete!"
Dai Li frowned. He couldn't believe what Yuejin Chen had just said.
The level of the university athletes varied. But one thing was certain—there couldn't be candidates who were too good due to the enrollment rule.
There was only one enrollment rule—athletes who joined the national competitions before were not allowed to attend University Games.
For all sports, national competitions included the national track and field championships and the Grand Prix; the swimming national championships, the Youth Championships, as well as the national professional swimming league; the National Basketball League, the national championships, the Grand Prix, the professional league, and the tour; the Super Soccer League, the first and second league, and the football team games; and finally, the FA Cup, the Table Tennis Super League, League A, and other regional professional competitions.
Anyone who had been to the games mentioned were not allowed to participate in the National University Games. This had ruled out a lot of top athletes from the National University Games because top athletes would not stay in the college and give up great opportunities just to join the games.
Many top athletes would go to college and finish their undergraduate studies, but when they were given the opportunity to be in the games, they would definitely skip school for it. They needed the experience and opportunity toget exposure.
Once you were involved in national contests, you couldn't go to the National University Games. Because of this, athletes in the University Games were usually not top athletes. They were not capable of being in other national contests, which meant the University Games were their only shot.
Guohong Niu was an exception. He was qualified enough to join the national team, but he didn't want to be there; instead, he had stayed in university to continue his training. This was mainly because Guohong Niu was studying in Tsinghua University, and had an emotional attachment to the famous school. If it had been some other average university, he probably would not have stayed.
Therefore, when Dai Li heard there were athletes as good as Guohong Niu coming to the game, he was really surprised.
I can't believe there is someone better than Guohong Niu, and that he is from the Dongjiang team. They must be from a top university, otherwise the university wouldn't allow the athlete to stay. Even if it's not as good as Tsinghua, it can't be too bad. Nandu University is the only university in the Dongjiang Province, and it is a top 10 school.
Dai Li clenched his fists subconsciously. He really wanted to know who the athlete was!
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Chapter 179: An Unexpected Opponent
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"Coach Li, the group lists for the 100m sprint have been released." Doctor Mao walked quickly and handed Dai Li a sheet, then said, "The game is pretty tense. Two competitions in the morning and two more in the afternoon. All 100m sprint competitions need to be held on the same day."
Dai Li took the sheet and said, "There is a big disparity among our participants. For the advanced athletes, the two competitions in the morning are just warm-ups. They only have to reach the minimum time. The two competitions in the afternoon are much more important for them."
"It works the same way for other programs. If you can finish one game in one day, you will never delay it to the next day. The sponsor wants to save on the budget," Doctor Mao complained, "The sponsor wants to spend as little money as possible. They hope the athletes can leave immediately after the game is over."
According to the rules, regardless of whether it was a candidate, coach, or a member of the staff, you had to pay ninety yuan every day for the food and accommodations. If the total cost was less than per person, you wouldn't get the rest back. On the flip side, if it wasn't enough to cover everything, the sponsor would pay the rest for you.
The National University Games were held in Wanzhou, a city full of tourist attractions. Usually the level of consumption in a tourist city was higher than other cities, so it was quite expensive to live in Wanzhou.
Ninety yuan could cover one day's meals in a small city, but in Wanzhou it was not even close. The sponsor had to pay the remaining expenses, so in order to save on the budget, they hoped the games could finish as soon as possible.
Dai Li smiled, not commenting on Doctor Mao's complaint. Instead, he lowered his head and checked the group list.
First round, Guohong Niu is in Group C, Sijie Yang is in Group F, and Xiaotian Xin is in Group H. Not bad. None of them are in the first group, and they are not in the same group. They can win the first round, I say.
After checking for his own team members, Dai Li glanced over other groups. He scanned over the Jiangdong team carefully, as he was really curious about the athlete who was said to be as good as Guohong Niu.
Finally, he saw a name in Group K: Jiangdong Team, Yue Zhao (Nandu University).
What? Yue Zhao? Am I misreading something or is it just the same name? It must be a stranger who just happens to have the same name. Yue Zhao can't be here. Dai Li felt nervous as soon as he saw the name.
I hope this is not the Yue Zhao I know. Otherwise, Guohong Niu won't have much of a chance at winning! Dai Li prayed.
…
After a while, the first round of the 100m sprint officially began. Guohong Niu, who was in the Group C, was the first athlete from Tsinghua University to participate.
Guohong Niu was kind of famous among all these undergraduates. It was no longer a secret that he was wanted by the national team. Some people even thought he would surely be the champion of the games.
Guohong Niu didn't let Dai Li down. He had already been above average before he began training. After experiencing Dai Li's coaching, he improved a lot. He easily won the first round, and was the fastest athlete in Group C without putting too much energy.
Sijie Yang was in Group F. He was only 19 years old, which was very young, even for a university game. He wasn't recognized by many people, but everyone knew the Tsinghua team was excellent. Because of this, they could tell Sijie Yang was excellent just because he was from Tsinghua University.
After spending some time training, Sijie Yang had become as good as Guohong Niu. Sometimes, Dai Li even thought that Sijie Yang was better than Guohong Niu.
Sijie Yang was quite nervous, as this was his first time being in a big event. He did not perform his best in the first round, but he was still much better than the other candidates in his group. He made it to the second round easily. This victory helped Sijie Yang relax.
Xiaotian Xin was in Group H. He was not as good as Guohong Niu, but he was still considered one of the top athletes in the game. He was now qualified to go to the national team with Dai Li's help, so this game would be a piece of cake for him. Without leaving any doubt, he made it to the second round as number one in his group.
Dai Li wasn't excited about his students' success because it was normal to get into the second round. They were good enough to pass the first round; it would have been strange if they hadn't.
Before the game, Dai Li had set a goal of getting to the final round and winning the gold medal. Passing the first round was only their first step.
Sports tested your real ability, and in track and field events in particular, you couldn't win because of luck. Sports like basketball and soccer ball could have circumstances where a player on a weaker team got lucky and scored in the final second and beat the other team, but track and field events were not like that.
Dai Li focused on the racetrack. He was waiting for Group K. He wanted to find out whether the candidate named "Yue Zhao" was the Yue Zhao he knew.
…
The candidates in Group J were already on the racetrack and getting ready. Members of Group K had also showed up to the waiting zone and were warming up, getting ready for their call.
Dai Li looked at the waiting zone and stared at the candidates carefully one by one. Finally, he saw Yue Zhao.
Yue Zhao! It's him! That is Yue Zhao! How come he's on the humble National University Games stage? He shouldn't be qualified for the games!
Dai Li looked serious. He had seen this athlete when he was in the Beikou Training Center. Back then, Dai Li had been helping Feixiang Lin recover. Yue Zhao was a sprinter who specialized in the 100m sprint.
Anyone who could practice in the Beikou Training Center was top notch. Because Yue Zhao had been one of those people, he had to have been really special. He was qualified to join the national team, and should have had plenty of opportunities to attend national competitions.
According to the rules of the National University Games, if the athlete had joined any national sport related event, he was not allowed to sign up for this competition. Therefore, Dai Li doubted Yue Zhao was qualified to be here.
Why is Yue Zhao here? He surely can't be allowed to attend this game! Is this rigged?
But, on second thought, Dai Li assumed it was impossible for Yue Zhao to cheat. Yue Zhao was known by many people in our field. He will definitely be recognized by others now that he is here. I know him. And I know he is in the national team. How could other people don't know?
The fact that he is here must mean that he has qualified for the games, otherwise people would have reported this. Dai Li frowned. I have to ask someone and find out the truth.
Thinking of this, Dai Li walked straight to the judging stand. He wanted to figure out why Yue Zhao was allowed to compete in the University Games.
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Chapter 180: We Are Beating The National Team
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Dai Li walked over to the judges.
"Hi, I'm the coach for Tsinghua University. I'm wondering, the candidate Yue Zhao in Group K, is he the one who joined the national team before?" Dai Li asked.
Dai Li was playing dumb. He knew Yue Zhao had been on the national team, but he wanted to hint at it by asking questions.
The judge laughed. "You are from Tsinghua University? No wonder you asked. Your school is famous for sprinting, and Yue Zhao will be a difficult opponent for you! If Yue Zhao was not here, Guohong Niu would win the gold medal without a doubt."
Dai Li blinked his eyes awkwardly. The judge continued, "Yue Zhao used to be on the national team, but he does not violate any of our rules."
Dai Li had a confused look on his face. "According to the rules, any athlete who has been in national competitions is not allowed the sign up for the university games. Does that mean that Yue Zhao never attended a national track and field competition, not even once?"
Competitions like the national track and field competition invited numerous athletes from all over the nation. As an excellent athlete on the national team, Yue Zhao couldn't have missed the opportunity to go to the national track and field competition.
The judge explained, "Yue Zhao's case is quite special. He was on national team, yes; but two years ago he retired due to illness, and the national team erased his name from their list."
"Yue Zhao is so young, how could he have retired due to illness?" Dai Li didn't understand, so he asked, "Can a retired athlete can join this game?"
"Retirement is one reason. But, more importantly, Yue Zhao hasn't competed in any official games in the last two years, and we can't find any record of him doing so. His name is not even in the athlete query system.
"Yue Zhao is now a graduate student in Nandu University, and has enrolled in the Joint Secretariat of the Student Sports Association of the Ministry of Education. In addition, he is currently 26 years old, which meets the 18-28 years old age criteria. To sum things up, he is qualified in every aspect."
Dai Li finally understood after the explanation. The University Games were held by the Ministry of Education. The General Administration of Sports was also involved, but they were not the one who made the decisions. Therefore, only the Ministry of Education had the right to decide who could be in the games.
To the Ministry of Education, Yue Zhao was no longer an active athlete, and his name was no longer on the General Administration of Sports' name list. Because of this, he was able to join the competition.
The duties of the National General Administration of Sports actually covered the entire sports industry, including competitive sports, teenage sports, exercises for everyone, etc.—all except for student sports. The reason for this was because affairs related to universities were handled by the Ministry of Education, which included sports. The Ministry of Education had even built a student sports association.
The Ministry of Education wouldn't give up their rights to the General Administration of Sports. The University Games had ruled top athletes out of the competition to make the boundaries clear, this way the Administration of Sports wouldn't interfere with the university students' sports affairs.
When I left the Beikou Training Center, Yue Zhao was still on the national team. That means that when he retired I had already left Beikou. I remember that he was around 23 at the time—a track and field athlete's prime. Yue Zhao must have had a serious illness, otherwise he wouldn't have chosen to retire.
Thinking of this, Dai Li looked at the training field. Group J had finished their competition, and Group K was about to start theirs. Yue Zhao was already on the track.
Not practicing for two years is a disaster for any professional athlete! Yue Zhao was at the top of the national team two years ago. I wonder how good his performance is now. Dai Li stared at the training field. He wanted to observe Zhao Yue's performance.
The race began. Yue Zhao wasn't the fastest in the beginning, but when the athletes reached the 30-meter mark, his real ability showed. It took him little effort to get out front and get first place in his group.
Yue Zhao didn't try his best. Dai Li shook his head. He couldn't tell what Yue Zhao's real ability was based off this first round competition alone.
Looks like I'll have to rely on my detector. Dai Li stepped forward and detected Yue Zhao's speed.
B-level talent, just like Guohong Niu. No wonder he was doing well on the national team. However, Yue Zhao's current level is almost 600, which is a lot higher than Guohong Niu's. This is the result of being trained by the national team. Dai Li looked serious.
Yue Zhao and Guohong Niu were both B-level talent, but Yue Zhao had been an excellent member of the national team, and had been under the best training for a long time. This would surely make him perform much better than Guohong Niu.
This is not Yue Zhao's best. If he can stay at the Beikou Training Center, his resting talent level should be around 700. It seems that the retirement has had a bad effect on him. Yue Zhao had good technique and a ton of experience. He will surely be more confident and stable when it comes to big competitions.
Dai Li thought about this for a while, and ultimately realized that Guohong Niu did not have any advantage over Yue Zhao.
With the help of the explosive force halo and confidence, will Guohong Niu be able to have a better performance in the competition? Dai Li thought.
…
After the first round of the 100m sprint, the judging committee divided the candidates into new groups. Dai Li received the name list for the second round as soon as it was released.
In the second round, Guohong Niu will be in Group B; Sijie Yang, Group C; and Xiaotian Xin is in Group E, the same group as Yue Zhao. Yue Zhao and Xiaotian Xin are in the same group! This is not good. I have to encourage Xiaotian Xin and get him to try his very best. It will be embarrassing if he fails this round. Dai Li called Xiaotian Xin over and conversed with him in a low voice.
Meanwhile, Coach Wu, the coach of the Nandu University sprinting team, also received the new name list for the second round.
"Yue Zhao, you have an athlete from Tsinghua University in your group," Coach Wu said.
"Oh." Yue Zhao didn't bother to raise his head, continuing to play with his phone. He had paid zero attention to what Coach Wu had just said.
Yue Zhao had once been a top athlete, so he assumed these student athletes were all too lame to worry about. He was confident that he could use a bit of his skill to.
Coach Wu continued, "You have to pay attention to the next round. Tsinghua University is different from other universities. Although they don't have a specialized sports department, their athletes are much better than students from other schools. Many of the athletes in Tsinghua University are qualified to go to the national team."
When Yue Zhao heard "National Team," he finally raised his head. He looked in the direction of where the Tsinghua University athletes were, his eyes stopping on Dai Li.
"That guy looks so familiar. I feel like I've seen him before," Yue Zhao said quietly.
It had been three years since Dai Li had been to the Beikou Training Center, and Dai Li had only hung out with Feixiang Lin. That was why Yue Zhao did not recognize Dai Li immediately. He had only thought Dai Li looked familiar.
"What? You know each other?" Coach Wu looked at Dai Li and continued, "From what I know, Tsinghua University has invited coaches from the national team to train their athletes. I assume that young coach is one of them. He looks really young!"
No wonder he looked familiar. He is from the national team! I must have seen him before. There was a hateful expression in Yue Zhao's eyes.
Beating him is like beating the National Team!
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Chapter 181: Stay Tough
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
It was almost midday. The semi-final for the 100m sprint had begun.
Guohong Niu from Group B continued outperforming his opponents. He first place in his group, and moved on to the semi-final.
Sijie Yang also started getting settled into the race, and was visibly less nervous compared to his first race. He performed with ease. So far, it was difficult to judge who was better between Sijie Yang and Guohong Niu. Sijie Yang's super A-level talent made it easy for him to beat out the competition.
There had actually been a few excellent opponents in Sijie Yang's group. However, none of them were skilled enough to threaten him. He was first place in his group, and easily moved on to the semi-final.
Meanwhile, Group E was finally preparing to race. It was time for Xiaotian Xin to step up to the plate and face his most powerful opponent, Yue Zhao!
Xiaotian Xin couldn't help but look at Yue Zhao, who was lane away on the running track from him. Dai Li had already told him that Yue Zhao was the real king of the national team. His strength was so powerful that Xiaotian Xin would never have a chance of beating him unless he tried his best.
I didn't expect that I would have to use all my strength in only the semi-final! Xiaotian Xin thought to himself secretly.
Xiaotian Xin didn't know that Dai Li hadn't told him the truth that even if he used all his strength, he wouldn't be able to beat Yue Zhao. The reason why Dai Li did that was because he wanted to leave hope to Xiaotian Xin in case he got scared.
Dai Li's cheering voice echoed to Xiaotian Xin's ears.
"Go for it, Xiaotian Xin!" Dai Li raised his voice. He had used his morale-boosting book to increase Xiaotian Xin's courage!
Coach Li has taught me so many things over the last three months. I improved so much that I'm no longer the person I was before! I must win this competition! I will!
Xiaotian Xin got ready to run.
At the sound of the gun, he darted off like an arrow that had left its bow string.
Yue Zhao's attitude had changed since the first round. He took off as soon as he heard the shot. He was just as good as Xiaotian Xin.
I'm in good condition. I have to keep moving! Xiaotian Xin felt like his body was full of power. He knew that he was already in good condition in the race.
I should win. I will! Xiaotian Xin then saw someone passing him out of the corner of his eye.
That's Yue Zhao! He passed me! Xiaotian Xin suddenly felt nervous.
I need to run faster than him. Xiaotian Xin gave it everything he could, but his speed didn't change much. He had reached his limit.
This was a characteristic of many Asians. Many lacked endurance, especially when it came to the second half of a race.
Yue Zhao is too good. I feel like he is as fast as Guohong Niu. I can never catch up! Although the race hadn't ended yet, Xiaotian Xin already knew that he would lose to Yue Zhao.
…
The finish line was right in front of him. Yue Zhao leaned forward and crossed the finish line.
He had finished in first place!
Yue Zhao slowed down and clenched his fist. He pounded his chest in excitement.
I don't care if you are the coach of the Tsinghua University team; I'm here to beat the National Team! Yue Zhao stared at Xiaotian Xin.
Coach Wu stood next to the track, smiling in relief.
He finally showed his true ability. Maybe he wouldn't have tried his best if his opponent did not have a coach from the National Team! Coach Wu looked in Dai Li's direction, only to find that he looked very calm.
This young coach is acting quite cool! No wonder he works for the National Team, Coach Wu thought.
The reason Dai Li looked so calm was that he had already expected this result. Xiaotian Xin was much less competitive than Yue Zhao. As long as Yue Zhao performed normally, it would have been very difficult for Xiaotian Xin to win.
Xiaotian Xin walked off the track looking very upset. Dai Li comforted him. Although he had lost to Yue Zhao, he had still made it to the semi-final that would be held in the afternoon as second place in his group.
It didn't take very long for the committee to divide the groups.
Sijie Yang is in Group A; Xiaotian Xin will be in Group B. Guohong Niu and Yue Zhao were both put in Group D! It seems like the committee wants them to compete on purpose now! Dai Li looked at the groups and found out that outside of Guohong Niu and Yue Zhao, all the other athletes in group D were very average. He understood what the committee was trying to do right away.
Guohong Niu and Yue Zhao were the two athletes that would be competing for the championship. The competition between them was obviously the focus of the entire event. The organizers of the competition definitely wanted as much attention as possible on this matchup; that was why they had put Guohong Niu and Yue Zhao together in the same group. They wanted them to compete in the semi-final.
Considering their abilities, it would be no problem for them to make it to the final. Once they did, it would mean that their race would come in the final round.
The reason the organizers had scheduled them to compete against each other early was to make the race more attractive to the audience, as they would have to compete twice instead of once.
It was similar to the NBA playoffs. The last thing that the league wanted to see was some team beaten easily without any suspense; that scenario had no surprise nor attraction. The less games they played, the less the league could earn on advertisements.
The organizer is such a bxtch! Dai Li said to himself. As a coach, he didn't want Guohong Niu to face Yue Zhao. That would only add external pressure to his athlete.
At 2PM in the afternoon, the first competition was the 100m sprint semi-final.
Sijie Yang, who had come to the stage first in Group A, kept getting better and better. Even though it was the semi-final, he still outran all his competitors.
In Group B, Xiaotian Xin faced a very competitive athlete; the two had almost crossed the finish line together. After the judges carefully reviewed the finish, they decided that Xiaotian Xin had finished in first place. He had made it to the final successfully along with Sijie Xiu.
The real competition, however, would be in Group D between Guohong Niu and Yue Zhao.
…
Everyone looked very serious as they stood at the starting line. They could feel each other's competitiveness.
Yue Zhao knew that Guohong Niu was the best athlete in Tsinghua University, and that he had even been invited to join the National Team. He knew that Guohong Niu was the only obstacle standing between him and the gold medal.
Guohong Niu also knew that Yue Zhao had been the "brave warrior" on the National Team. Although he had retired because of his injury, and hadn't taken part in any competitions in the last two years, he was still very competitive. As the saying went, the camel who suffered from hunger was still bigger than the horse. This was obvious from the fact that he had beaten Xiaotian Xin easily.
They were all here for the championship, and they all knew that the only way that they could become champion was to beat everyone else.
At the sound of the starting gun firing, they took off together and began to speed up at the same time.
Guohong Niu and Yue Zhao are running at almost the exact same speed! All the people looked at the running track and hoped the two athletes could make it clear who would win. However, they remained neck and neck for almost the entire race.
Guohong Niu had used all his strength because he did not want to lose to Yue Zhao. Yue Zhao did not want to lose either, so he began running faster.
Although it seemed that the two were running at the same pace, the difference between in speed were quite visible.
Yue Zhao is quicker. Guohong Niu is going to lose! Dai Li realized immediately.
As Guohong Niu's coach, Dai Li knew everything about him. It was obvious to him that Guohong Niu had already done everything he could have.
Yue Zhao, on the other hand, still had some strength left to give. It might not have had much of an influence in this short a time, but it would for sure make a big difference in the last twenty meters.
Dai Li's judgement was quite precise. Yue Zhao had already been leading a bit when they entered the last twenty meters.By the time the two athletes reached the last ten meters, Yue Zhao was already leading by half a step.
Right before they had reached the finish line, Yue Zhao was ahead of Guohong Niu by more than half a step. Both of them extended their heads in an attempt to finish faster than the other, but Yue Zhao was one step quicker. He was the first to reach the finish line.
I won! Yue Zhao raised his arms in celebration when he crossed the finish line. He couldn't help but scream. Guohong Niu was in the background, an upset expression on his face.
In the previous heat, Xiaotian Xin had lost his race against Yue Zhao, and now Guohong Niu had lost his. Tsinghua University had now lost two consecutive races.
Yue Zhao felt brand new.
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Chapter 182: A Resolute Fighting Will
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Guohong Niu had been defeated by Yue Zhao, and Dai Li finally began to sense some pressure.
The effects of both the explosive force halo and the morale boosting book couldn't help Guohong Niu defeat Yue Zhao. Guohong Niu was not as good as Yue Zhao, so he can't be blamed for this failure. Moreover, Yue Zhao performed very well in this match.
Dai Li thought about the race that had just ended. He thought Yue Zhao had performed very well indeed. If an athlete who had a major advantage could perform well in the race, his opponents wouldn't have any chance of winning.
Yue Zhao is really excited today. His celebration of the victory is very over-the-top. This is only the semi-final; it's not worth this kind of celebration.
Dai Li was upset about Guohong Niu's defeat. Yue Zhao was celebrating as if he had won the championship, which gave Dai Li the feeling that he was mocking his opponent. Because of this, Dai Li couldn't help glaring at Yue Zhao. However, Dai Li felt a bit strange as he was looking at him.
This is not just excitement; this is more of an emotional release. He is venting! It seems like Yu Zhao's mood is unstable; but he shouldn't act like this in the University Games with his competition experience. Dai Li frowned again.
...
The semi-final of the 100m sprint had ended. Onlookers started talking about what all had happened.
"Guohong Niu was defeated by Yue Zhao. Tsinghua University has been defeated twice!"
"Wow, even Guohong Niu was defeated; it looks like there should be no suspense to see who will win the championship."
"The strength of Tsinghua University is still tremendous, though, considering three athletes from the school have made the final."
"Yes, in terms of comprehensive strength, Tsinghua University is obviously stronger than the other universities. This time, though, Tsinghua University is unlucky. They have to face Yue Zhao."
"Yue Zhao really is skilled. I've heard Guohong Niu has been invited by the national team many times, but he is still no match for the athletes on the national team."
"It makes sense; the national team used to focus its development resources on Yue Zhao. If he hadn't retired because of illness, he would have already been a top sprinter in the world."
"That's true, but then again, it's been two years. What was the illness that caused his retirement?"
"I don't know. He left the national team suddenly and disappeared. If he hadn't made a comeback in these University Games, I would have forgotten his name."
...
Guohong Niu was embarrassed by the talking of the audience. He walked back to Dai Li gloomily.
"That's OK. Both victory and defeat are common for athletes. Don't worry about it." Dai Li continued his consolation, saying, "Yue Zhao used to be a top-notch athlete on the national team. He has been training much longer than you have; it makes sense that he defeated you. In addition, this is only the semi-final. We still have the final. Soon you will have your chance for revenge, right?"
"Coach, I'm afraid that I can't defeat Yue Zhao. He is very good!" Guohong Niu said after giving it some though.
"But you are younger than him! Yue Zhao is 26 and has no more potential to grow; you aren't even 22 yet, right?" Dai Li continued, "Being younger is your advantage. Even if you cannot defeat him now, as long as you keep training hard, you will definitely surpass him. I believe in your potential."
As a coach, Dai Li could not show any frustration or look flustered, even if his athletes were defeated in the matches.
Like the old saying went, you can lose in a battle, but you shouldn't lose your momentum. Even knowing that the opponent is very good, the coach should still express full confidence in their athletes. If the coach got worried before the match, the athlete would have no desire to continue fighting.
However, it was quite clear to Dai Li that it was very difficult to defeat Yue Zhao. Even the explosive force halo could not fill the gap between his athletes and Yue Zhao. The only way Guohong Niu could defeat Yue Zhao was to outdo himself during the race.
Outdoing yourself is something that's more so up to chance than choice. Guohong Niu has already been defeated once. It will be almost impossible for him to outdo himself in his current condition.
Dai Li looked at Sijie Yang. At this point, Sijie Yang was almost as good as Guohong Niu. Guohong Niu couldn't defeat Yue Zhao, and neither could Sijie Yang.
However, Sijie Yang's gift was A-level, which gave him a significant advantage over the other sprinters who were present, including Yue Zhao.
I can only count on Sijie Yang to outdo himself. He isn't an experienced athlete. However, just as the old saying goes, the newborn calf is not afraid of the tiger. Maybe his A-level ability can surprise me.
As Dai Li thought of this, he called Sijie Yang over to him.
"Are you nervous to participate in the final of a big event like this?" Dai Li asked.
"A little bit," Sijie Yang nodded, "But I'm a little bit excited too!"
"I still remember the day you returned, you told me you wanted to be an excellent athlete." Dai Li patted Sijie Yang on his shoulder and said, "This should be your first step to that dream—trying to defeat Yue Zhao!"
"Defeat Yue Zhao? He already beat Guohong Niu though. How can I beat him?" Sijie Yang asked. He did not sound confident.
"How could you know without trying?" Dai Li continued, "Your father didn't see success in every research project he did, right? He needed to conduct experiments and experience defeat repeatedly before finally reaching success. Hasn't he also achieved success through trying?
"It works the same for athletes. An athlete has to challenge and defeat multiple opponents throughout their career. Even when standing on the top of the world, an athlete can also try to outdo themselves!"
After hearing Dai Li's encouragement, Sijie Yang nodded, even though he did not fully understand what Dai Li was talking about.
Dai Li continued, "Don't put a pressure on yourself. What you should do is just try to get faster with each step. Understand?"
"Got it. There is no best, only better, right?" Sijie Yang asked.
"Yes, exactly." Dai Li was very satisfied with Sijie Yang's perception. Then he said with smile, "If you can't control your nervousness, just think about something that makes you happy."
...
The final match was about to begin.
Yue Zhao walked to the starting line. He looked to his left and to his right, where he found three athletes who were wearing identical sports gear.
They are from Tsinghua University, which means they are really skilled! Their athletes have filled up three of the eight places in the final match." Yue Zhao smiled disdainfully and thought, However, I've already defeated two of them. Today's championship will definitely be mine!
Guohong Niu was known as the Tsinghua University's best sprinter on the school's team. Yue Zhao figured that since Guohong Niu had been no match for him, it meant that Tsinghua University would not be able to stop him from winning the championship.
Sijie Yang was still a nobody, so Yue Zhao ignored him. The next moment, Yue Zhao looked in Dai Li's direction subconsciously.
A coach from the national team? Even though I don't know your name, you must have recognized me, right? Yue Zhao is back, this time with both of his legs! I'm going to take the championship from you! Feels pretty bad, huh?
Yue Zhao took a deep breath; he was determined to win!
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Chapter 183: Outdo Himself
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Sijie Yang stood on the starting line. Looking at the white lines on the red track, he began to feel nervous. After all, this was the first time Sijie Yang had attended such a large-scale competition. Now that he had made it to the final match, it was very normal for him to be nervous. If he had not been nervous, it would have meant he was inattentive.
Sijie Yang bent over and put his feet on the starting block, supporting his body with his arms. He found that his arms were trembling. He still could not find his inner peace.
My coach used to tell me to think about something happy when I am nervous. Something happy…do I have anything happy to think about? Sijie Yang's mind had gone blank. He could not remember anything happy that had happened to him.
The first official competition I participated in should have been the city-level middle school track and field race. Sijie Yang's thoughts traveled back to five years ago.
At that time, I really knew nothing, and was forced to participate in the race by my PE teacher; then I won the championship inexplicably. As he thought about this, Sijie Yang suddenly smiled.
I was so embarrassed that I didn't know what to do on the podium. What a ghastly memory it is! Sijie Yang took a deep breath. He missed that feeling of innocence.
Recently, I have often recalled raced from the old days. In those competitions, my opponents were quite weak. But now, in retrospect, I really miss those days. Sijie Yang suddenly found that he was beginning to get emotional
"On your mark! Get set!" The starter shouted loudly as they raised the starting pistol.
The race is about to begin! Sijie Yang prepared himself for the race, but the memories were still lingering in his mind.
"Come on! Come on!" Sijie Yang heard Dai Li's cheering. He got an inexplicable feeling of excitement, and was eager to take off from the starting line. Also at this moment, Sijie Yang suddenly understood something.
The reason I miss the old days is because I miss the feeling of victory!
Sijie Yang finally realized why he had chosen to continue his athletic career three months ago. It was not simply because he could not give up emotionally, but also because he was craving victory deep in his heart.
For victory! With an empty mind, Sijie Yang's eyes only focused on the finish line.
Blam!
The starting pistol went off. All the athletes took off from the starting line simultaneously. At the same time, the cheering squads in the stands began cheering.
...
Yue Zhao happened to be in the lane adjacent Guohong Niu. After the two took off, Yue Zhao kept an eye on Guohong Niu.
I have already defeated you in the semi-final; in the final, you will still be one of my defeated opponents! Full of confidence, Yue Zhao began to speed up.
With his teeth clenched, Guohong Niu tried to surpass Yue Zhao in the first half of the race and get a leg up on him as soon as possible. However, Yue Zhao didn't give Guohong Niu any opportunity, for he ran no slower than Guohong Niu in the first half of the race.
After thirty meters, discernible gaps began to appear amongst the sprinters. Stronger athletes began to stand out from the rest, while mediocre runners began having difficulty keeping up with the faster ones.
After forty meters, the gaps between the players became more apparent. If players were lagging behind at this point, they would have no chance of winning a medal.
The competition between Yue Zhao and Guohong Niu was quite fierce. After fifty meters, even Xiaotian Xin had begun to run low on stamina. He could barely keep up with Yue Zhao's pace.
After sixty meters, the "wall" for Asian athletes started to appear. Most Asian sprinters lost momentum in the second half of the race, which showed up after sixty meters of running.
...
Out of the corner of his eye, Guohong Niu found that Yue Zhao was indeed a little bit faster than him. However, this small advantage could transform into a victory for Yue Zhao in the last thirty meters.
It is same as the semi-final! I'm going to lose!
Guohong Niu's objective was the gold medal; he did not want to miss out on winning the championship.
I can't accept failure! Guohong Niu said to himself. He tried his best to keep up with Yue Zhao using all of his strength. However, the gap between them was huge, insurmountable for Guohong Niu.
Yue Zhao's lead grew with each step, even though it was not blatantly obvious. Guohong Niu, however, could sense it.
The 100m sprint was an event filled with fierce competition even in small advantages like this. All sprinters would make every effort to obtain a trace of it.
...
Today Yue Zhao looks really good! Dai Li sighed slightly. Although the athletes had only covered 2/3 of the full distance, Dai Li could already tell Guohong Niu had lost again.
Guohong Niu's ability was the same level as Yue Zhao's, but Yue Zhao had several years of experience on the national team. Although he had not been with the national team for years, his mental state and technique were still better than Guohong Niu's. It was similar to the NBA; a retired NBA player could easily defeat a CBA player who was still playing.
The situation looks a lot like the semi-final. Right now Guohong Niu is barely keeping up with Yue Zhao, but he will definitely begin to lag behind in the last twenty meters. Both of them have reached their top speed, so neither of them can run any faster.
Just then, a figure was closing in on Yue Zhao and Guohong Niu. In the blink of an eye, the figure was running alongside Yue Zhao and Guohong Niu.
It's Sijie Yang! He's keeping up with them! Dai Li was wide-eyed with delight.
...
Sijie Yang's mind had gone blank. He could feel each cell in his body rejoicing. He felt empowered; it was a marvelous feeling!
He caught up with Yue Zhao and Guohong Niu, and was now keeping up with them. He even felt confident enough that he felt he could surpass them.
All Sijie Yang could think about was winning. He sped forward, continuing to push himself.
...
I'm going to win! Yue Zhao saw Guohong Niu out of the corner of his eye and found that Guohong Niu was lagging behind again.
Guohong Niu can't keep up with me in the last twenty meters. I'm going to win! Yue Zhao felt a sense of delight.
As he was thinking this, however, a figure appeared on the other side of Yue Zhao, and had almost completely caught up to Yue Zhao.
Someone is catching up! Who is it? Yue Zhao was completely surprised. He had never expected someone to catch up to him and keep up with his pace in the last twenty meters.
This guy is from Tsinghua University! Yue Zhao could tell from the color of the athlete's clothing.
The other athlete from Tsinghua University, Xiaotian Xin, is much weaker than me. It can't be him who has caught up to me.
Yue Zhao turned his head slightly and saw a young, new face.
He is the third athlete from Tsinghua University! Although he had read through the name list of the runners who had qualified for the final, Yue Zhao did not remember Sijie Yang's name. But now, this player whose name Yue Zhao had forgotten had caught up from behind, and was now neck-and-neck with Yue Zhao.
Only 10 meters left, I can't lose! Like an irritated animal, Yue Zhao dashed after his target fiercely.
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Chapter 184: Catch Up from Behind
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Sijie Yang finally caught up with Yue Zhao in the last ten meters, and was now running alongside him.
All the onlookers on the sidelines began to excitedly converse with each other. In the 100m sprint, if the winner was still not clear in the last ten meters, the final result of the match could only be determined at the moment the athletes crossed the finish line.
"His explosive force in the second half of match is very impressive! Who is this guy?"
"This athletes is also from Tsinghua University. I totally neglected him before."
"He must be a newbie. I haven't seen him before.
"No wonder he is from Tsinghua University. They really have a variety of talents. This new guy is even faster than Guohong Niu."
With different ideas in their minds, all the wide-eyed onlookers were staring at the track, waiting for the judges to determine the winner.
Clenching his fists, Dai Li started gettign nervous.
Sijie Yang has outdone himself! He is catching up! Dai Li couldn't resist the feeling of ecstasy in his heart.
Dai Li could clearly see once again the power of A-level ability. Sijie Yang's technique was not as good as Yue Zhao's, yet he was neck-and-neck with Yue Zhao, and was even in a position where he could pass Yue Zhao.
When highly gifted athletes outdid themselves, they were unstoppable.
Dai Li couldn't help remembering a series of so-called "godlike" moments, which had all been had by genius athletes. For example, Tracy McGrady, an NBA all-star, had once scored 13 points in 35 seconds, which was considered impossible for the average player, even if they were given the same opportunity.
Ability is essential for sports. Especially during high level competitions, they may be even more important than effort. Effort can be acquired, but ability is something you're born with. Mediocre athletes can change the results of a match by outdoing themselves; genius athletes, on the other hand, are invincible if they outdo themselves.
As this idea flashed in Dai Li's mind, the runners on the track reached the finish line.
Stretching his head out fiercely, Yue Zhao couldn't help glancing at Sijie Yang. He wanted to determine whether Sijie Yang had beaten him or not.
However, it seemed like Sijie Yang did not care about Yue Zhao's standing. The finish line was the only thing he could see. Sijie Yang bent over and went for the tape.
"They have crossed the finish line. Who is the winner?"
"I didn't see it clearly, what about you?"
"No, they were too fast. I really couldn't tell which one was the first to cross the line."
"It seems they reached the tape simultaneously, and that the result could not be determined with the naked eye. Let's wait for the electronic timer results."
After crossing the finish line, Sijie Yang and Yue Zhao stopped. They also did not know who had won, so they looked to the referees.
The referees were quite busy. Several referees were walking back and forth and discussing what had happened. They looked like worker bees collecting honey. None of the referees stopped for even a second.
"What are the referees talking about?"
"Here come the results. It is 10.42 seconds!"
"10.42 seconds? This is definitely the level of first-class athletes. Even during the National University Games, athletes can reach 10.42 seconds! It is very impressive."
"Whose result is 10.42 seconds? Is it Yue Zhao or the athlete from Tsinghua University?"
"It looks like both of them got 10.42 seconds!"
"So their results are identical!"
"Now the referees are watching the replay of the moment they crossed the finish line to determine who will win the championship."
The electronic timer could time things down to 0.001 second; however, the referees had to check the results personally because it would determine the winner of the championship.
Everyone was waiting with bated breath. Sijie Yang and Yue Zhao grew even more nervous. While Yue Zhao was waiting for the results, he began to look at Sijie Yang carefully.
He is so young. It seems that he is only twenty, yet he was able to get a time of 10.42 seconds. His potential is boundless! Yue Zhao couldn't help but think about his younger self. His eyes were dimmed.
At this moment, with a piece of paper in hand, the chief referee stood up in the referee's seat. Everybody knew it was the time to announce the final result.
"The officiating team has determined the results of the top two players as follows: No. 3821, Yue Zhao, has a final time of 10.423 seconds!" The chief referee then paused deliberately.
The furrowed brow of Yue Zhao vanished immediately. It was a very good score, and fell in the range of 10.42 seconds.
The pressure had now transferred to Sijie Yang.
The chief referee then continued, "No. 2670, Sijie Yang, has a final time of 10.420 seconds!"
"Victory! I won!" Sijie Yang was quite quick; before a lot of people knew what had happened, he had raised his hands in the air immediately and rushed over to Dai Li, cheering.
I lost. Yue Zhao's heart suddenly dropped. A flash of desolation rose slowly from deep inside, and then engulfed his entire body instantly.
Sijie Yang has defeated Yue Zhao! Guohong Niu looked at Sijie Yang with a startled look on his face. More than three months ago, Sijie Yang had been the weakest runner on Tsinghua University's sprinting team. But now, he had defeated Yue Zhao, and had become the strongest athlete on the team.
Tsinghua University won! Tsinghua University won the match!
No wonder they won, it is Tsinghua University! Their reputation is incomparable. The championship finally belongs to Tsinghua University!
Who is this new champion? I haven't seen him before. Tsinghua University is indeed a place with filled with talented athletes.
The coaches of other teams looked at the Tsinghua team with envious eyes.
The Tsinghua University name carried with it a good reputation, which could make the result understandable for the coaches and athletes from other universities.
After congratulating Sijie Yang, Dai Li walked to Yue Zhao. According to sports etiquette, coaches and athletes should congratulate athletes who had won a medal.
"Congratulations!" Dai Li stretched his hand out to Yue Zhao.
Yue Zhao hesitated a bit, but eventually gave a polite reply to Dai Li's praise. However, his handshake was quite weak, which embodied his reluctance to shake hands.
Dai Li thought Yue Zhao had a grudge because of his failure in the race; therefore, Dai Li smiled and said, "Yue Zhao, do you still remember me?"
"You are a coach for the national team, right?" Yue Zhao snorted coldly, "As an expendable, I managed to return to the track. Are you surprised? Or are you going to check and see why my leg is still not amputated?"
Dai Li's brain was full of questions. Except for the first sentence, he could not understand what Yue Zhao was talking about at all.
Yue Zhao said I am a coach from the national team, but I was only temporarily transferred to the Beikou Training Center at that time. My job there was similar to a handyman's, and could not be considered a coaching job at all. Yue Zhao should know this already, right? Yue Zhao must not have recognized me, or he took me for somebody else.
As he thought of this, Dai Li said immediately, "Yue Zhao, you remember it differently. I am not a coach for the national team. I am a coach of the Hanbei Province's Track and Field Team."
"You are from Hanbei Province? You are not a coach from the national team?" Yue Zhao paused a bit, then said, "Then how did you become a coach for Tsinghua University?"
"I was transferred to Tsinghua University temporarily," Dai Li said.
Yue Zhao immediately looked very embarrassed. With an apologetic look on his face, he said, "I am sorry, I made a mistake. Your face looked so familiar. I thought you were a coach for the national team."
Yue Zhao's attitude was completely changed. He reached out and shook hands with Dai Li, smiling.
Now that he knows I am not a coach for the national team, Yue Zhao has become friendly towards me all of a sudden. Is it possible that Yue Zhao has a problem with the national team? Dai Li was now very curious.
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Chapter 185: Expendable
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Dai Li was quite curious, and was eager to know what had happened, as well as what the consequences had been. So, Dai Li said, "Yue Zhao, you have probably forgotten me. Three years ago, I was temporarily transferred to the Beikou Training Center. That's where we met."
Yue Zhao knew the coaches who were temporarily transferred to the Beikou Training Center from other places mainly did chores. It was definitely not a glorious experience. So instead of pointing that out, Yue Zhao gave Dai Li a look indicating he had just remembered everything. He said, "No wonder you looked familiar to me; we really have met before."
In fact, Yue Zhao did not remember Dai Li. Every year, at least eighty coaches were temporarily transferred to the Beikou Training Center, who would be sent back after three months. Now that three years had passed, to Yue Zhao, Dai Li only looked familiar to him and nothing else.
"I heard you were retired then. Why? You are very young and could have continued your career for another four to five years. Were you retired because of injuries?" Dai Li asked.
"Ah!" Yue Zhao sighed, "It was caused by injuries, or more so an illness. I guess it's more accurate to say it was caused by a misdiagnosis."
"Misdiagnosis? Can a misdiagnosis cause retirement? What the hell was all that about?" Dai Li continued to ask.
"It was probably three years ago, maybe less than three years. I felt pain in my knee during training. In the beginning I didn't care about it. But later, during the routine health check, they found a tumor inside my knee," Yue Zhao stated.
"A tumor? That can be anywhere from minor to significant. Did you get some second opinions?" Dai Li wanted to get more information; he pretended to be very concerned so that he could learn about Yue Zhao's experience.
Yue Zhao was quick to share with Dai Li. He continued, "The national team arranged other examinations for me, which directly ruined my professional career. Guess what diagnosis I was given by the doctor?"
"What was it?" Dai Li asked immediately.
"Bone cancer!" Yue Zhao sighed painfully. "I was completely shocked! The doctor told me that my leg had to be amputated, otherwise the spread of the cancer would take my life."
At this point, Yue Zhao was quite agitated. He said much faster, "I am a sprinter. My career, my dream—everything depends on my legs. How could I amputate my leg?"
Yue Zhao paused a moment to calm himself down, then continued, "So I chose to have treatment; I tried to keep my leg. I planned to have chemotherapy, but it was very expensive. You know, it is possible for cancer treatment to cost one million yuan or more…"
"I remember that the national team should have funds for injury and illness treatment, right? Did you apply for it? I think they would have granted you a few hundred thousand yuan," Dai Li said.
"Of course I applied for it; but my application was rejected. The national team told me that bone cancer was an illness I caused, and had not been caused by the training or races, so they couldn't use the fund for my treatment. In the end, they ended up giving me 10,000 yuan as consolation before ending the issue."
Yue Zhao shook his head with a wry smile. "10,000 yuan is nothing for bone cancer treatment. It wasn't even enough for the amputation operation fee. If I had gotten my leg amputated, I may have needed an artificial leg. The price for an artificial leg was more than 100,000 yuan. What I didn't know was that more bad things were coming my way."
Hatred could be seen in Yue Zhao's eyes. He continued, "After learning about my bone cancer, the national team forced me to retire. They gave me a retirement stipend of 50,000 yuan and kicked me out. They abandoned me when I was in dire need of help!"
Dai Li frowned. He had not expected this. 50,000 yuan was indeed only a drop in the bucket for the gigantic treatment fee for bone cancer. Even Dai Li felt it was too cruel for Yue Zhao.
"You didn't expect to hear that, did you? It surprised me too! However, in retrospect, the probability of curing bone cancer was very low. Even if I had been cured, after a long period of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, I wouldn't have had the ability to run like before. And if my leg had been amputated, I would have been disabled. Maybe I could have joined the Disabled Person's Sports Association? Regardless, the national team didn't need a one-legged athlete. To them, I was of no use at all. I was expendable," Yue Zhao said angrily.
"But later you found out that the bone cancer was just a misdiagnosis, right?" Dai Li asked.
Yue Zhao nodded. "In order to treat my cancer and keep my leg, my parents sold our apartment. Then I was sent to the United States and found a bone cancer specialist. I had a more detailed examination in the United States, and they ultimately confirmed that the tumor inside my knee was not bone cancer, but a coagulated blood clot."
"Was it serious?" Dai Li asked immediately.
"It was not serious. However, I chose to stay in the United States to continue the treatment so that I could recover completely." Yue Zhao smiled sadly, then continued, "I am not an athlete with a rich family like Feixiang Lin. I didn't have a lot of money, so during my treatment in the United States, I had to rent the cheapest apartments, which were located on blocks where you could get robbed during the day. All my money was spent on the treatment; I didn't even have money to buy food. I had to work to earn a living. I didn't have a working visa, either, so all I could do was the dirtiest and most exhausting work. I had to put up with it."
Taking a deep breath, Yue Zhao seemed as if he didn't want to remember his experience in the United States. He continued, "Finally, my leg had healed completely. However, my family now owed a large debt. As for me, besides being an athlete, I didn't have any other professional skills."
"I started sprint training when I was nine. I wasn't good at anything except for running and being an athlete. I have a bachelor's degree, which I got just by registering my name in the university; I didn't attend any classes while I was there. I didn't have any professional skills. To me, the computer was just a gaming box. Because of this, it was impossible for me to get a job."
"Your leg had healed, though. Why didn't you return to the national team?" Dai Li had barely finished his question before he realized how stupid his question was.
"Return to the national team? They treated me like something expendable when I was there; why should I go back to them?" Yue Zhao snorted coldly and continue, "In addition, it was impossible for me to return. I had lost two years, which is a huge amount of time for athletes in their peak physical condition."
After he finished speaking, Yue Zhao looked in the direction of his coach and said, "Fortunately, Nandu University took me in. I was specially admitted as a Master Degree candidate; they even gave me a scholarship. I know they want me to win some awards for Nandu University. Moreover, if I could achieve something in the races while I'm here, it will be possible for me to be a coach in the university. Even if I can't stay in the university, I plan to study hard there for several years so that I can master some professional skills and get a job to make a living."
"I see." Dai Li nodded his head. He finally understood why Yue Zhao held a grudge against the national team.
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Chapter 186: Reasons
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Sijie Yang, Yue Zhao, and Guohong Niu stood on the podium. They were the champion, second, and third place, respectively. With a gold and bronze medal in hand, Tsinghua University had become the sprinting overlord amongst the universities, which drew many envious eyes.
However, Dai Li now had a lot on his mind. He felt sorry for Yue Zhao, and sympathized with him. After being diagnosed with bone cancer, Yue Zhao had been in dire need of care and help, but the national team had abandoned him relentlessly.
Yue Zhao was twenty-three then; he should have been entering the peak of his career at the time; however, a misdiagnosis had caused him to lose three years. When he finally returned to the track, the peak of his professional career had already left him.
It was too cruel! Dai Li lowered his eyes silently, not wanting to look at Yue Zhao on the podium. After all, Dai Li had studied with the national team for such a long a time; the sense of honor he possessed in his heart prevented him from believing Yue Zhao's experience was true.
In real life, similar cases were quite common. News about former champions with radical headlines were abundant; "one former champion sold braised foods,""former champion acted as gatekeeper," and other similar headlines. could often be found on the internet. Some of them were even propagated by the media as examples of ceaseless self-improvement.
To Dai Li, these news report were more like moaning and groaning without actually being ill. Retirement was more like a disaster for most athletes. Domestic athletes began their training during childhood, so they had no other professional skills except for their athletic techniques. Therefore, for these athletes, retirement meant losing everything.
It was especially bad for athletes who had to find their own ways of providing for themselves after retirement, as they had no educational background or professional skills; they had nothing except for their strong limbs. Their retirement stipend, which was only tens of thousands yuan, was only enough money to start with. Outside of being a merchant, what else could they do?
In comparison, Yue Zhao was even more unlucky. He had lost everything as an athlete, and all he had gotten in return was a large debt he had to repay.
Yue Zhao had gotten sick by himself, so the responsibility could not be attributed to the national team; but Dai Li could understand how Yue Zhao felt. What a helpless person wants most is the care and encouragement from others; but Yue Zhao had been forced to retire upon receiving the news about his leg. It was natural for him to have all these negative emotions towards the national team.
Dai Li felt like he should inform Li Xue of this issue.
...
Dai Li dialed Li Xue's cell phone.
"Dai Li, how are your trainees doing in the University Games? Did any of them win a championship?" Li Xue asked.
"We won the championship and third place," Dai Li replied.
"That's pretty good. You didn't disgrace me or the national team. Keep trying!" Li Xue continued, "You are not calling me just to inform me of your championship, right?"
"Do you remember an athlete named Yue Zhao?" Dai Li asked.
"Yue Zhao!" Li Xue could be heard sighing on the other end of the line. "He is a pretty good young athlete with potential. His ability is very good. He had the potential to be a top-notch sprinter. It is a pity that he had bone cancer and had to have his leg amputated. Did you see him in Wanzhou?"
"Yes," Dai Li said immediately.
"How is he? Is he in a wheelchair or using an artificial leg? His cancer didn't spread, right?" Li Xue asked eagerly.
Dai Li was very surprised. According to Yue Zhao's story, the national team should have been ruthless about the situation. However, he could sense the heartfelt concern in Li Xue's tone.
"Yue Zhao is not in a wheelchair or using an artificial leg," Dai Li continued, "Just now I said that we got first and third place; second place belongs to Yue Zhao!"
"What? Is his leg strong enough to support his career?" Li Xue could not believe what he was hearing.
"His bone cancer was a misdiagnosis…" Dai Li retold the story Yue Zhao had told him, including his application for treatment funds being rejected, the fact that he had been forced to retire, and his treatment in the United States.
"He has indeed had a hard life." With a long sigh, Li Xue fell silent.
Dai Li said, "Coach, in my opinion, the national team should have helped Yue Zhao. It was unreasonable to force him to retire!"
"I knew you would say that!" Li Xue explained, "When Yue Zhao was diagnosed with bone cancer, I helped him apply for treatment funds; but my application was not approved by my superiors."
"It was because the bone cancer had not been caused by the training and competitions, right?" Dai Li asked.
"That was one of the reasons for their rejection. The main reason was that the superiors didn't want to spend the money. They felt it was a waste of money. Cancer treatment costs a lot of money. The doctor had said it would be almost impossible to cure Yue Zhao's cancer with conservative treatment, and that amputation was the only way to save his life," Li Xue said.
"Yue Zhao also said that once he was healed, he couldn't be an athlete anymore. He was useless, so it was not necessary to give him any treatment," Dai Li said angrily.
"Our funds were quite limited then. As the saying goes, the best steel should be used to create the knife's edge. We spent over one million yuan to treat Yue Zhao's bone cancer, which had its consequences; the same money could have helped over ten injured athletes return to the field."
Li Xue took a deep breath and said, "Results are the key factor in the sports industry. Good results bring us more financial support, which helps the training teams survive. There can only be one champion, so sacrifice is inevitable. I have been acting as a coach for many years, and I have witnessed too many situations like this. Sometimes I even feel that this industry is even more cruel than the African Savannah, where the rules of the jungle prevails."
Dai Li opened his mouth, but said nothing. This was how competitive sports worked. The winner was the "king," but the loser didn't have the opportunity to be an ordinary person. It was applicable to athletes in the entire sports industry.
Li Xue continued, "Our application for the treatment funds was rejected. Yue Zhao's mother then came to the team and met with the head coach and me. She asked us to force Yue Zhao to retire."
"Wasn't Yue Zhao forced to retire by the national team?" Dai Li had not expected a 180-degree change like this.
"How could we be that unreasonable? After all, Yue Zhao was one of us, part of the national team. Even if he had bone cancer, we couldn't force him to retire!" Li Xue continued, "His mother urged us to do it; she didn't want him to be an athlete anymore."
"Didn't Yue Zhao know about this?" Dai Li asked.
"Yue Zhao didn't know about his mother's visit. His mother sincerely requested us to keep it a secret for her. Yue Zhao's mother knew he was unwilling to retire. Therefore, we fulfilled the retirement formalities for Yue Zhao according to his family's request," Li Xue said.
It seems like the national team took the blame for Yue Zhao's retirement for his parents. As he thought of it, Dai Li asked, "Why? Why did Yue Zhao's mother do this?"
"Maybe his mother thought being an athlete was too hard for Yue Zhao." Li Xue sighed deeply. "All parents on this planet love their children wholeheartedly."
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Chapter 187: Parents
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
During breakfast, Dai Li saw Yue Zhao again in the dining hall of the hotel.
Should I tell him the truth about his retirement? Dai Li hesitated. Three years have passed. Yue Zhao didn't end up having bone cancer. I shouldn't let Coach Xue always take the blame for others. As he thought about it, Dai Li took his dinner plate and walked over to Yue Zhao.
"Is this seat taken?" Dai Li pointed at the seat in front of Yue Zhao.
"No, Coach Li, it is vacant. Please, sit." Yue Zhao didn't say no to Dai Li. They were similar in age, which made them much more similar than they had originally thought.
Dai Li sat down and chatted with Yue Zhao leisurely at first. Then he said, "Yesterday I called Coach Li Xue of the national team."
When Dai Li mentioned Li Xue's name, Yue Zhao frowned as expected.
"I had been studying with the national team earlier. You could say Coach Xue is my teacher. He also arranged for me to act as a coach for Tsinghua University." Dai Li explained himself first, then said, "I told Coach Xue about your experience."
Yue Zhao put down his chopsticks, raising his head with an unkind expression. "What did he say?"
"Coach Xue told me the truth about your retirement." Dai Li paused a moment, then said, "At the time, your mother came to the national team and requested the national team force you to retire."
"My mother?" Yue Zhao was quite surprised.
Dai Li told Yue Zhao all the issues Li Xue had told him. After that, Yue Zhao fell silent. He didn't say anything for a long time.
It is said that no one knows a son better than his mother, and vice versa; the children also know their parents very well. It was crystal clear to Yue Zhao that his mother would absolutely do something like this.
Yue Zhao suddenly realized that he might have blamed the national team wrongly for his compulsory retirement.
Dai Li had also stopped talking, giving Yue Zhao some time to process the information. Then he asked, "Didn't your mother support you becoming an athlete?"
"What can I say? Before, my mother used to be very supportive; however, after the bone cancer diagnosis, she kept trying to persuade me to give up my sports career." Yue Zhao sighed deeply. "My mother doesn't know much about sports. She always thought my 'bone cancer' was caused by the sprint training."
"Do you still hate the national team?" Dai Li asked.
"I don't know." Yue Zhao shook his head. "I really don't know!"
Yue Zhao was quite bewildered. Over the years, he had held a grudge against the national team over his forced retirement. However, what he had learned today had made him think about things differently.
"I hope you can let go of this grudge now," Dai Li continued. "You should know that the track and field athletes of our country couldn't separate themselves from the system. Joining the national team and competing for our country; this is the ultimate goal of athletes.
"Since you have chosen the career of an athlete, it means you have to keep getting better. You have to face the national team sooner or later. Even if you become a judge after you retire, there will always be intersections between Nandu University and the national team. You can't face the national team with hatred for a lifetime, right?
"In addition, you are only twenty-six now; you still have the chance to get back to your peak and return to the national team!" Dai Li stopped, deliberately looking at Yue Zhao carefully. The craving for greatness flashed Yue Zhao's eyes, which Dai Li noticed.
Yue Zhao shook his head. "I am already twenty-six; how could I return to the national team? The national team won't need me. My time in this race was 10.42 seconds, which should be quite satisfactory. If I were in my early twenties, I would definitely be admitted to the national team. However, 10.42 seconds cannot help an athlete who is already twenty-six make it onto the national team."
"But 10.42 seconds wasn't the best you can do, right? Your current performance is far worse than your performance at your peak." Dai Li continued, "Feixiang Lin was able to break the world record a second time when he was twenty-six. As long as you don't give up, I think you could also get back to where you once were."
As Dai Li mentioned Feixiang Lin, Yue Zhao suddenly remembered something.
"Feixiang Lin? I remember now—you were Feixiang Lin's coach when I was in the Beikou Training Center!"
Dai Li smiled and nodded his head. Yue Zhao finally remembered him.
...
Wanzhou and Nandu were connected by the inter-city high speed train, so it was very convenient for Yue Zhao to go home. He left the hotel a little after 9AM; when he arrived home, lunch hadn't been started yet.
"Mom, Dad, I'm home." His parents rented a small apartment. As long as the family was there, however, it was a warm and sweet home.
"Little Yue Zhao is home. Your mom is cooking inside," Yue Zhao's father said.
Last night Yue Zhao had told his parents that he had won a silver medal, so his parents did not ask how the races went.
I'll go help mom! Yue Zhao dropped his bag, took off his overcoat, and walked into the kitchen. A moment later, several dishes were placed on the table. Although the dishes were nothing eye-catching, they were nutritionally balanced.
"Little Yue Zhao, the races must have been very exhausting. Eat more." Yue Zhao's mother kept adding food to the plate of Yue Zhao.
"That's plenty of food, it's enough for me." Yue Zhao ate a mouthful of food, and said casually, "I met an acquaintance during the match held in Wanzhou. He is a coach for the national team." Yue Zhao's parent didn't reply him, seemingly because they didn't want to.
Yue Zhao continued, "He told me that when I was misdiagnosed, you went to the national team and met with the head coach."
Yue Zhao's parents put down their chopsticks and stared at each other. They knew they couldn't hide it anymore.
Finally, Yue Zhao's father said, "Yes, we went to the national team and met with Head Coach Shuren Zhao and Deputy Head Coach Li Xue. It is us who requested that the national team force you to retire."
Before Yue Zhao could ask why, his father continued, "Your mom and I don't want you to be an athlete anymore. Although the tumor in your knee was not cancer and healed, it must have been caused by years of training. This time it may not have been bone cancer, but what about the next time? What about the future?"
Yue Zhao's father sighed regretfully. He said, "Your mom and I are getting old, and our family is quite fragile now. If you continue your training and you really do have bone cancer, what would we do?"
Next to him, Yue Zhao's mother said, "You are our only son. We don't want you to be somebody, win a lot of championships,or make a lot of money; we only hope that you can be safe and sound. We would be very content if our family could get together."
"Ever since you returned from the United States, your mom and I have always worried you. We are afraid you really could have bone cancer. We also did some research; as a result of of years of training, many athletes suffer from lifelong injuries and disabilities. Their life is very painful, especially when they get old. We don't want you to be like them," Yue Zhao's father said.
Beside him, Yue Zhao's mother also persuaded him immediately, "Little Yue Zhao, respect your mother's wishes. Stop your training and don't be an athlete anymore!"
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Chapter 188: Way Out
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Late that night, Yue Zhao was tossing and turning restlessly in his bed. He couldn't fall asleep. He had been quite touched by his parents' words during their lunch.
He was already twenty-six, and no longer an ignorant adolescent anymore. Many people his age had established their family and had children. Yue Zhao felt as if he had yet to achieve anything. His family was in a debt crisis because of his illness.
If I hadn't devoted myself to a sports career as an athlete and had studied hard in school, maybe I would have had a stable job, a family, and a kid. Yue Zhao turned over in bed and sighed regretfully.
However, if I stopped being an athlete now, what else would I do? Would I set up a stand and sell food? Yue Zhao turned over in his bed again. He knew merchants who sold breakfast could make a lot of money, which would at least be more than the salary of an unknown athlete.
I have been an athlete for over ten years. Should I give up now? As he thought about it, Yue Zhao's heart was filled with agony and reluctance.
He had devoted himself to this career for over ten years. He had even been admitted to the national team, and once had a promising future. How could he give up so easily? Yue Zhao did not want to give up, but he also couldn't bear to see his parents worry about him all the time.
If Yue Zhao had been a few years younger and had not been hurt by his misdiagnosis, he would have chosen to continue his career as an athlete. However, after the setbacks, Yue Zhao was more mature psychologically. He could not go about his business whilst ignoring his family's feelings like a young boy.
My parents are getting old. They are worried about me; they can't take a hit for the second time. For them, a safe and sound family is the biggest priority. Yue Zhao took a deep breath. My parents have given so much to me. I should fulfill their wishes now. I can't be headstrong like a little kid anymore.
Finally, Yue Zhao made up his mind to give up his dream of being an athlete. He decided he would study hard in Nandu University and obtain his master's degree. It would be great if he could work at the university after his graduation, but if not, he could also find a decent job with his master's degree.
...
The University Games was ended. Dai Li's work in Tsinghua University had also come to an end temporarily. Without upcoming competitions, there were no training responsibilities. Therefore, Dai Li would return to the national team and continue his apprenticeship under Li Xue.
Tsinghua University was very satisfied with Dai Li's accomplishments. One gold and one bronze medal in the 100m sprint had been the best accomplishment Tsinghua University had ever achieved in history.
"Coach Li, thank you very much for your contribution to Tsinghua University. We really appreciate your hard work these last few months." Professor Fang handed a box to Dai Li and said, "We don't have a very expensive gift for you. This is a souvenir for the celebration of the 100th anniversary of Tsinghua University's establishment. We hereby give it to you as a token of our appreciation."
"Thank you, Professor Mao." Dai Li took the souvenir with both of his hands.
Tsinghua University had a special souvenir service department, which had been established by the Tsinghua University Foundation. This department sold all kinds of souvenirs from Tsinghua University, which featured a wide range of items that were of good quality, and of course, a high price. However, the money made in this department would be put towards the education of the poverty-stricken students attending Tsinghua University.
Dai Li had been to this department. He found stationaries like bookmarks, pens, and notebooks, small items like key chains and school badges, as well as postcards and high-end gift boxes.
What Professor Fang had given him was of course a high-end souvenir. Although Dai Li did not know what was inside the box, he knew the souvenirs for the 100th anniversary celebration were limited edition, and could not be bought by somewhat outside the school.
Beside them, Li Xue was also smiling. The master was proud of his apprentice's great achievement.
Li Xue's arrival at Tsinghua University was not just to take Dai Li back; he was hoping to recruit Sijie Yang, Guohong Niu, and Xiaotian Xin to the national team. He had even brought the special documents for the recruitment with him.
However, all three athletes were students of Tsinghua University. Therefore, Li Xue would have to come to an agreement with Tsinghua University before he could officially recruit them.
"Guohong Niu is already a senior student, and will graduate soon. We will respect his choice; If he is willing to join the national team and serve our country, he will have our full support."
Professor Fang paused for a moment, then continued, "As for Xiaotian Xin, he is a junior this year. We will also respect his decision regarding joining the national team. If he also chooses the national team, we could retain his student status and help him conduct the formalities regarding schooling suspension."
As a senior student, Guohong Niu could begin preparing for his future career, or he could start getting ready for the postgraduate entrance examination. Graduates of Tsinghua University were always in short supply in the job market, and could pass the postgraduate entrance examination easily.
If he could be admitted to the national team and became a professional athlete, it would also be a pretty good career choice for him. And if he could achieve good results in international competitions and win glory for the country, Tsinghua University would also gain a lot of respect.
Xiaotian Xin was still a junior, and would graduate after a year. However, the National University Games had just ended; there would be no large-scale university competitions before Xiaotian Xin's graduation. By the time the next large-scale race would be held, Xiaotian Xin would be preparing to graduate, which would make it almost impossible to participate in the competitions representing Tsinghua University. Because of this, it was meaningless for Tsinghua University to keep Xiaotian Xin. It was better for Tsinghua University to "give" him to the national team as a favor.
Professor Fang continued, "As for Sijie Yang, we can't make the decision for him. His father is Academician Lin Yang, who has won the Nobel Prize. Sijie Yang's joining our Sports Department was only made possible by Academician Lin Yang. Therefore, for this issue, you have to go to him and get his opinion. His academic position forces us to respect and obey all his decisions."
"OK, we will go to him!" Li Xue nodded and asked, "Where will we find him? The Chinese Academy of Sciences?"
"Academician Yang has his own laboratory, which is close to Tsinghua University. It's only a five minute drive when there's no traffic. I have his telephone number; you can call him in advance." Professor Fang took out his cellphone and looked through his contacts, then wrote down a telephone number on a piece of paper.
He handed the paper to Li Xue and said, "By the way—if you are going to meet Academician Yang, you'd better take your ID cards. Academician Yang's laboratory management is very strict. Their security guards are personnel from the national security department."
...
Li Xue and Dai Li drove to Lin Yang's laboratory.
"Coach, during the University Games, Yue Zhao's performance was also pretty good. Could he possibly return to the national team?" Dai Li asked.
"I know. Yue Zhao's result was also 10.42 seconds, and lost to Sijie Yang by a very small time difference." Li Xue went on, "But Yue Zhao is already twenty-six. Sijie Yang was able to achieve a time of 10.42 seconds at the age of nineteen—he is truly a prodigy. On the other hand, Yue Zhao can only be considered a very good athlete at his age. Moreover, Yue Zhao has received training from the national team already. He doesn't have enough potential left to be developed.
"Results are not the only standard the national team looks at when enrolling talents. Other factors have to be taken into consideration, and potential is one of the most important factors. After all, the training resources of the national team are limited. Most of the time, young athletes with potential get priority when it comes to resource allocation.
"Competition for the 100m sprint is very fierce. Young athletes with potential keep emerging. We just put Sijie Yang on our list, and even Guohong Niu from Tsinghua University could be better than Yue Zhao after 2 years of training with the national team. Even if Yue Zhao was admitted to the national team, he wouldn't have the chance to participate in competitions."
Li Xue stopped and sighed deeply. "I know you feel bad about what happened to Yue Zhao; I also sympathize with him. But we can't let our personal feelings affect our work. Because we are coaches, we are using resources provided by our country. We are developing athletes for our country! It is our official duty!"
Li Xue's words were becoming more and more sincere and earnest. He continued, "Dai Li, in the future, when you are in my position, or an even higher one, you will understand that your power comes with responsibility. Our country entrusts the power to you because our country trusts you; you must undertake this duty.
"Only those who are outstanding can be admitted to the national team, as ability is the deciding factor in competitive sports. We can't play favorites. Remember, this is our duty; business is business"
Dai Li was silent for several seconds. He really wanted to help Yue Zhao, but he also knew what Li Xue was saying was correct.
But Dai Li didn't give up. He said, "In his current condition, Yue Zhao would indeed have difficulty achieving good results in the 100m sprint; however, I think he could try the 200m sprint. By that, I mean he could specialize in the 200m sprint."
"Change to 200m sprint?" Li Xue looked at Dai Li. Dai Li's eyes were full of confidence.
"You seem to be very confident about this, is that right?" Li Xue asked.
"Yes, I think Yue Zhao is very well-suited for the 200m sprint. If he specializes in the 200m sprint, he will achieve better results! Furthermore, with his experience and technique, if he focuses on the 200m sprint, I believe he will surprise us in a very short time," Dai Li said.
There was one thing that Dai Li didn't tell Li Xue—the fact that during the university games, Dai Li had found all this out by detecting Yue Zhao.
Yue Zhao's gift in the 100m sprint was B-level, which was identical Guohong Niu; but at the same time, the detector also showed Yue Zhao's ability in the 200m sprint was a B!
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Chapter 189: Opportunity
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Dai Li had suggested that Yue Zhao could be specialized in the 200m sprint. After hearing Dai Li's suggestion, Li Xue fell silent immediately. Dai Li knew Li Xue was taking his suggestion seriously.
Sprinters who specialized in the 200m sprint were rare, both in the country and abroad. Most sprinters specialized in the 100m sprint, and considered the 200m sprint irrelevant.
Of course, the 200m sprint is far less influential than the 100m sprint. The world record holder in the 100m sprint was considered the "fastest person alive," but there was no such title for the champion of the 200m sprint.
The 200m sprint was also a lot less frequent in the Grand Prix, the Super Grand Prix, and the Diamond League held by the IAAF. According to the IAAF rules, among similar events, only one event could be held during the games.
For example, between the long jump and triple jump, the high jump and pole vault, the 800m and 1,500m run, as well as the 5,000m and 10,000m run, only one event between the two could take place in an IAAF Grand Prix.
Between the 100m sprint and the 200m sprint, the former was almost always selected, for the 100m sprint was indispensable in track and field competitions. Because of this, the 200m sprint could only take place in high level, large-scale events, like the World Track and Field Championship, the Track and Field World Cup, and the Olympic Games.
The low occurrence probability of the 200m sprint prevented the world's best sprinters from specializing in it. Because there was a good chance the 100m sprint would actually take place during events, athletes could participate in more competitions if their performance in the 100m sprint was better. Even if sprinters were truly gifted in the 200m sprint, they would invest most of their time and energy into the 100m sprint.
Many people thought the 100m and the 200m sprint were same. Many assumed that an athlete who was good at the 100m sprint should always be good in the 200m sprint, and vice versa.
In reality, this view was only half-correct. The athletes who were good at the 200m sprint could be talented in the 100m sprint; however, sprinters who were good at the 100m sprint might not have the ability to excel in the 200m sprint.
Compared to the 100m sprint, the 200m sprint was obviously 100 meters longer; but this additional 100 meters were on the curve of the track, which was the difficult part of the 200m sprint.
Because of the curve, athletes had to master three more skills; the curve start technique, the curve running technique, and the transition technique between the curve and the straightaway.
The beginning of the curve was different than the beginning of the straightaway. Sprinters only needed to dash forward after the start in the straightaway; in contrast, sprinters had to control the turning of their body whilst in the curve. Sprinters also had to maintain a high speed, as well as control the angle of their bodies after the beginning of the curve; the combination of these two factors made the beginning of the curve a quite complicated technique to master.
The width of a lane is around 1.22-1.25 meters. If the athletes failed to control their body, their explosive force could easily push them to the lane beside theirs; however, if athletes slowed down to maintain a good angle, they would be left behind once they entered the curve.
Sprinting was a sport where winning or losing could be determined by 0.01 seconds. If an athlete was slower than another athlete for even a fraction of a second when they began the curve, they would probably lose the race.
A good curve start would ideally be composed of a fast starting speed, a good body angle, and good control once inside the curve. Even professional sprinters needed at least a year to master the technique.
Running the curve was also a very complicated technique. The obstacle in high speed turning was overcoming centripetal force; therefore, running the curve should be a process that involved the athlete controlling their body to fight against the centripetal force.
Beyond this, athletes had to master the technique of running along the inside edge of the lane whilst in the curve.
The curve was 100 meters long, which made the running distance along the inside edge of the lane 3.7 meters shorter than the running distance along the outside edge of the lane. If athletes could finish the 200m sprint in under 20 seconds, 3.7 meters would mean 0.037 seconds. Because of this, we always see athletes trying to run along the left side of the lane during the curve in an effort to save as much of those 0.03 seconds as possible.
According to the rules of sprinting, stepping on the line was considered a foul, and the athlete would be disqualified from the match. The athletes could not always look down at the lines outlining the lane during running, so athletes needed extensive training in order to run within the lines of the lane whilst maintaining an optimal stride length and pace for professional athletes without stepping on the line. Normally, athletes needed at least six months to master the technique.
Besides this, the transition between the curve and the straightaway was another difficult aspect of the 200m sprint. After 100 meters of running the curve, the athletes' bodies had all their momentum going towards one direction. Once they entered the straightaway, the first thing they had to do was alter their momentum so they could run straight. At the same time, athletes also had to keep their speed during the transition. It was even possible for excellent athletes to speed up during this period.
The transition between the curve and the straightaway could cause a gap of 0.1 seconds. Because of this, the athletes would spend several months training to optimize their technique and cover this gap.
Because of all these factors, the 200m sprint had very few competitions and many complicated techniques; its influence was also far lower than that of the 100m sprint. The cost/reward ratio for the 200m sprint was too low for most athletes.
However, Dai Li thought Yue Zhao was well-suited to specialize in the 200m sprint in his current condition. When Yue Zhao was in the national team, he was specialized in the 100m sprint, and took 200m sprint as his minor; so he had some technique reserve in the 200m sprint, and didn't need a lot of time to practice the curve techniques.
At Yue Zhao's age, if he had continued training for the 100m sprint, he wouldn't have had any opportunity to get better; there were too many young. talented athletes. Compared to prodigies like Sijie Yang, Yue Zhao did not stand a chance.
But the 200m sprint was completely different. Young athletes needed at least two to three years of training to master curve techniques. As an older athlete, Yue Zhao already had the techniques in his arsenal; he would only need to train for a short period of time to become a competitor in the 200m sprint.
More importantly, Dai Li had discovered that Yue Zhao's ability in the 200m sprint was better than his ability in the 100m sprint using his detector. Yue Zhao's ability in the 100m sprint was a B, but his ability in the 200m sprint was a B. This meant that Yue Zhao was good at controlling his body, and that he should be good at running the curve. Dai Li hadn't found an athlete on the national team whose ability in the 200m sprint was a B.
Because of this, Dai Li had suggested Li Xue let Yue Zhao start training for the 200m sprint. Dai Li believed that if Yue Zhao could take advantage of this opportunity, he would definitely be recruited to the national team again.
But Li Xue was not optimistic about Yue Zhao. Yue Zhao was already twenty-six, which made Li Xue doubt Yue Zhao.
After several minutes of consideration, Li Xue said, "In two months, the training camp for the Asian Games will begin. Many athletes will be recruited to attend the training camp. There will only be approximately five or six athletes that can attend the Asian Games representing our country in the end. Whether Yue Zhao can seize this opportunity and stand out in the trials is up to him."
Dai Li breathed a sigh of relief immediately. He was very happy that he would be able to help Yue Zhaoget an opportunity to return to the national team.
Li Xue continued, "During the training camp for the Asian Games, the athletes will not be the people enrolled; the coaches will also be enrolled. You should also attend this training camp. You haven't been home in a long time, right? In a few days I will give you some time off, that way you can go back to your home. Once you return, you should follow me and prepare for the Asian Games. We are the host country for this year's Asian Games, so we should win at least one medal in the sprinting events."
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Chapter 190: Parenthood
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
In one of Nandu University's classrooms, Yue Zhao was doing his homework carefully.
Buzz, Buzz, Buzz… His cell phone started to vibrate. Yue Zhao checked the screen and saw that it was Dai Li. He left the classroom with his cell phone immediately, then answered the phone.
"Hello, Coach Li. What can I do for you?" Yue Zhao asked.
"I want to tell you the good news. The national team is planning to recruit you for the training camp for the Asian Games!" Dai Li continued, "But you will be specializing in the 200m sprint!"
"I was recruited by the national team?" Yue Zhao was surprised. He didn't expect the national team to still want to recruit him when he was already twenty-six.
"You are surprised, right?" Dai Li smiled and continued, "I am afraid you will not get an opportunity in the 100m sprint. If you want to stay on the national team, you have to specialize in the 200m sprint."
"I know!" Yue Zhao also knew that a 26-year-old athlete had no advantage in the 100m sprint; he wouldn't stand a chance against young competition. He might as well focus on the 200m sprint. With his technique and experience, maybe he could stay with the national team.
But the next second, Yue Zhao's parents popped into his mind. They didn't want him to be an athlete anymore.
"Coach Li, thank you! But I don't want be an athlete anymore. I want to study hard, obtain my master's degree, and find a stable job," Yue Zhao said.
"Are you going to give up?" Dai Li was surprised. He had helped Yue Zhao get such a good opportunity, and it had not been easy; but he had not expected that Yue Zhao would want to give up.
"You had a hard time recovering from your illness and returning to the field. Why do you want to give up? Because you are too old?" Dai Li asked eagerly.
"Not because of my age. It's because…." Yue Zhao hesitated, then finally said, "My parents don't want me to continue my career as an athlete."
"Their worries still stem from the misdiagnosed bone cancer, right?" Dai Li sighed deeply.
"My parents are getting old; they can't take a hit like that a second time," Yue Zhao said slowly.
"What about you? Are you willing to give up now? I remember you said you suffered a lot in the United States just for your leg treatment. What was the point of you doing so? Wasn't it so you could return to the field? Wasn't it to elongate your professional career? If you give up now, the hardships you have endured and your persistence will all have been in vain, right?" Dai Li continued trying to persuade Yue Zhao.
Yue Zhao said regretfully, "You are right. I want to continue my athletic career. However, people can't just live for themselves. My parents raised me, and have made so many sacrifices for me. I don't want to make them worry anymore."
"But this is your only opportunity! Moreover, this is the training camp for the Asian Games, which should be a heaven-sent chance for you. If you perform well, you would have a chance to participate in the Asian Games. This is an opportunity many athletes look forward to for their entire life. Do you really want to give it up?" Dai Li asked eagerly.
"I—I don't know! I really don't know!" Yue Zhao said bitterly, "Coach Li, please leave me alone! Just leave me alone, OK?"
Dai Li could sense the dilemma going on in Yue Zhao's heart. Yue Zhao was having trouble making a decision.
"OK. I guess the notification of the training camp for the Asian Games will be sent to Nandu University next month. Whether you come or not, it's your call."
...
A quite popular reality show was being played on TV. Yue Zhao's father was sitting in front of the TV and enjoying the program.
"Raise your legs!" Yue Zhao's mother commanded. Yue Zhao's father raised his legs immediately. The mop in Yue Zhao's mother's hands slipped under Yue Zhao's father's feet rapidly.
"Zhao, do you think something is wrong with our Little Yue Zhao these days?" Yue Zhao's mother said as she was mopping the floor.
"Yes, something is wrong with him. He is quite depressed." Yue Zhao's father continued, "I guess the examination is drawing near, and he's stressed out because of his studying. Don't worry, our son is grown; he will be OK."
"Agreed. Our son is not a small kid anymore. It's time to find him a girlfriend." Yue Zhao's mother said when she walked into another room with the mop.
"Right now we are in bad shape, though. We don't have an apartment; we don't have money, and we owe a great debt. No girl wants to be his wife," Yue Zhao's father said regretfully.
Then, Yue Zhao's mother suddenly said, "Zhao, come here and have a look at this!"
Yue Zhao's father stood up immediately and walked towards Yue Zhao's mother. On the desk in Yue Zhao's room, there was a notification that had been sent by the national team, offering Yue Zhao the opportunity to attend training camp for the Asian Games.
"I found this when I was cleaning the desk of Little Yue." Yue Zhao's mother said, "Zhao, did our son tell you this training camp for the Asian Games?"
Yue Zhao's father shook his head, "No, he didn't tell you either, right? Now I know why he was so depressed the last few day days. This is the reason!"
"We can't let him go! What would we do if he gets some disease again from training?" Yue Zhao's mother said firmly.
Yue Zhao's father didn't say a word. Then, after a moment, he said, "These last couple days I've been wondering whether our decision to prevent our son from continuing his athletic career is right or not."
"Of course we are correct!" Yue Zhao's mother said immediately. "Our son's athletic career got him bone cancer. His leg was almost amputated. Why should we allow him to continue?"
"But it seems like Little Yue Zhao is not happy." Looking at the notification for the Asian Games training camp on the desk, Yue Zhao's father continued, "Little Yue Zhao definitely wants to attend this training camp, but he hasn't told us yet. Our son is very sensible; he knew we would oppose him."
Both of them were silent. Recently, Yue Zhao's smile had indeed become rare. Yue Zhao had been especially depressed the last two days, which could easily be sensed by his parents.
"I think we have made the wrong decision," Yue Zhao's father said suddenly.
...
After the dinner, Yue Zhao stayed in the classroom for two hours before going back home.
"Mom, dad, I'm home." Yue Zhao entered his house and found that his parents seemed to be waiting for him. The next second, he saw the enrollment notification for the Asian Games training camp on the desk.
"Mom, dad, this is…" Yue Zhao felt like he had been caught red-handed. For a second he wasn't sure how to explain things.
"It is nothing but a notification. I wasn't planning on going," Yue Zhao said against his will.
Yue Zhao's mother said, "If you want to attend this Asian Games training camp, just go!"
"Mom, what did you just say?" Yue Zhao couldn't believe what he had heard. His mother had always opposed his wish to continue his athletic career.
"Your mom and I all know you are reluctant to give up after so many years of sprint training. You also want to go back to the national team. Just go and attend this Asian Games training camp. Work hard with the national team and try to attend the Asian Games," Yue Zhao's father said.
"Why?" Yue Zhao did not understand what was going on. "Don't you always hope that I don't continue my athletic career?"
"Silly boy; we don't want you to be an athlete because we are afraid you could be injured again during training. But we also want you to be happy," Yue Zhao's mother said sincerely and earnestly.
"My son, your mom and I know the Asian Games are only held once every four years. Training camp for the Asian Games is a rare opportunity; we don't want you regret not going. Just go—this time your dad and mom support you!"
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Chapter 191: Teach You A Lesson First
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Before contests, the national team always held training camps to prepare.
In the beginning of these training camps, many athletes and coaches would be recruited. The training camp had several phases. As training moved on, after each phase was completed, a large number of people would be eliminated. Only a few people would remain on the team to represent the national team for the Asian Games. Each event had one to three participants.
Dai Li was not the only coach being called up from the Hanbei Provincial Athletics Team. Besides Dai Li, there was another coach. Meanwhile, two athletes from the team were also called up to attend the training camp.
In the office, Li Xue held a list of names. He told Dai Li, "The first phase of our training states that national team coaches are responsible for general training outlines, while coaches from provincial teams carry out everyday tasks. In principle, coaches will be paired up with athletes who they are familiar with. Of the two athletes from the Hanbei Provincial Athletic Team, one is a middle-distance runner, and the other is a discus player. Neither of them have anything to do with your speciality. But I have another two athletes for you. The first one is Yue Zhao. You recommended him, so you are in charge of his training. Do you have any problems with that?"
"No problems," Dai Li immediately replied.
"Moreover, Sijie Yang and Guohong Niu are both your trainees. I thought it over for a while, and here is my decision: Guohong Niu will belong to you. As for Sijie Yang, the son of Academician Lin Yang, he is talented. I will take care of him myself," said Li Xue.
Sijie Yang was a genius, and would surely be given special attention on the national team. Li Xue was worried about wasting Sijie Yang's talent, so he decided to train Yang himself.
Li Xue continued, "As for Guohong Niu, I don't have much to say. Let me set a goal for you: help him become an alternate for this Asian Games."
"I will try my best," Dai Li nodded. He knew it would be hard to accomplish.
Guohong Niu had good talent and fine grades, but he needed to work harder if he wanted to represent the national team in the Asian Games. Only three participants were allowed to take part in the 100m sprint, and the national team had a plethora of talent. Everyone was giving it their all to be admitted.
Guohong Niu had just come to the national team. Compared to the best athletes on the team, he had no advantages whatsoever. It would be almost impossible for him to be directly sent through to the contest, and would still be quite challenging for him to be an alternate.
"As for Yue Zhao..." Li Xue paused, then continued, "I won't give you any specific goal. Yue Zhao specializes in the 200m sprint. He is an experienced athlete, and has some knowledge in this event. Hopefully he can stick out from the crowd."
Dai Li could tell that Li Xue did not have much faith in Yue Zhao. In fact, none of the coaches on the national team thought highly of him. Many people believed that in such a fierce environment like the National Team Training Camp, Yue Zhao would for sure be kicked out as soon as the first phase ended.
...
The Asian Games Training Camp started. In the camp, Dai Li saw two old friends: Feixiang Lin and Haiquan Fang.
Feixiang Lin's ability had sustained itself pretty well. Even though he was no longer capable of breaking another world record, he still had world-champion ability. In the last Asian Games, Feixiang Lin had easily won the 110m hurdles championship. This time, he was preparing to win another gold medal.
As for Haiquan Fang, he had stayed in the Beikou Training Center for further training. The Haiquan Fang of today was stronger than he had been, and was more skillful. He had became the trump card of the national team.
To train in the National Team Training Camp was a rare opportunity for an athlete. Even though the majority could not stay until the end, their ability could still increase by a large margin.
...
Why is Dai Li my coach! Yue Zhao stared at the coach-athlete pairing list, sighing with disappointment.
As an athlete, he definitely wanted to be taught by a high-level coach. Moreover, because he had already been on the national team once before, he already knew who was good at coaching.
Dai Li was a young coach, which disappointed Yue Zhao. In Zhao's eyes, Dai Li was almost the same age as him, which meant that at most, Dai Li had the same amount of experience he had. Perhaps Dai Li was even worse than Yue Xhao. Under Dai Li's guidance, he did not expect much help.
However, Yue Zhao had gotten into this camp because of Dai Li's recommendation. Because of this, he showed respect to Dai Li.
On the first day of training, however, Yue Zhao no longer felt that he knew more than Dai Li.
"Yue Zhao, your last run exposed a lot of weak points. Here are some of the major ones." Dai Li listed Yue Zhao's technical flaws with confidence and composure.
Yue Zhao was listening casually, but his face gradually became serious.
Coach Li is right! I do have the flaws he mentioned, Yue Zhao gasped.
My last sprint took no more than 21 seconds, yet Dai Li can see so many weak points. He is such an acute observer! Even the coaches I know may not be able to find as many of my flaws as he did. He is indeed Coach Li Xue's student; he is impressive!
Yue Zhao immediately stopped underestimating Dai Li. Dai Li had hit the nail on the head, and had even pointed out some weak points Yue Zhao had missed. Yue Zhao suddenly felt that Dai Li knew him better than he knew himself.
Dai Li continued, "I just made a tentative training plan; you can take a look. Unless you have a problem with it, we will follow this plan going forward." Dai Li then took out a piece of paper and handed it to Yue Zhao.
He even made a plan! Yue Zhao took the paper and looked at it. The handwriting was very clear. It had obviously been written just now.
This plan is very fitting. It is tailored to my situation! Yue Zhao was astonished.
How could this be possible! I only ran for a short period of time, yet he still picked out my deficiencies in detail, which was amazing in itself. Now he has even made an appropriate plan. How did he make it within such a short time frame?
Had the handwriting had not been fresh, Yue Zhao would have doubted that Dai Li had prepared the plan in advance.
Because of his experience on the national team, he knew a good amount about the coaches on the team. Even the best coaches on the team could not observe his weaknesses and make a detailed training plan so quickly.
Awesome! Yue Zhao said to himself. He used to have only been grateful for Dai Li; now, he was sincerely convinced.
This plan had been premeditated by Dai Li. When Yue Zhao had registered for the National Team Training Camp, Dai Li had detected Zhao, after which he wrote down his flaws. Later, Dai Li studied Zhao's disadvantages, and made a detailed plan based off of them.
Today, Dai Li had only rewritten his original plan, but it had taught Yue Zhao a big lesson.
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Chapter 192: Take the Lead
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
On the first day of training, Dai Li taught Yue Zhao a lesson, which worked out extremely well. Yue Zhao learned that Dai Li had some true ability, so, in the following training session, he firmly implemented Dai Li's plan.
Training effectiveness depended not only on the coach's plans, but the athlete's implementation of those plans as well. No matter how perfect a coach's plan was, if the athlete didn't follow it, the plan would mean nothing.
From Feixiang Lin, to the shot put team, and now to Sijie Yang, Dai Li had met multiple athletes who trained in passively. Because of this, Dai Li had astonished Yue Zhao in the very beginning in an effort to impress and convince Zhao of his ability. As Dai Li had expected, the results were being shown on the track.
The first phase of the Asian Training Camp only lasted twenty days. During that time, athletes would have fierce competitions. As for the coaches that had been drafted from provincial teams, they were competing as well. Coaches at the primary level hoped to get noticed by the national team, and eventually be recruited. Even though they could not stay with the national team, as long as their abilities were showcased to the team and were accepted into the next phase of training camp, they still would have accomplished something.
Meanwhile, the national team was also observing both the athletes and the coaches. As time went by, training moved to more advanced levels, and the gaps between those who were good and those who were great gradually appeared.
...
Whoosh!
Yue Zhao rushed cross the finishing line. Dai Li stopped the electronic timer in his hand.
"20.73 seconds. This is a manual timing mark. If we had used an auto-timer instead, which adds 0.24 seconds, your performance would still be less than 21 seconds," Dai Li said, "Since correcting the swing of your upper and lower forearms, your performance has improved significantly. Now you can run regularly finish in under 21 seconds."
For a 200m sprinter, the qualifying standard for National Sports Masters was 21.35 seconds. Normally, National Sports Masters were capable of going to the final round of the national athletics grand prix. Any score under 21 seconds would be enough to get a 200m sprinting championship in national level games.
Hearing that he had done well, Yue Zhao smiled. But Dai Li threw cold water on him, saying, "Don't think you can start taking it easy; you still shrugged your shoulders during your running. You must correct that behavior!"
"Understood. I will try not to do that again," Yue Zhao nodded. He then sighed with emotion. "I feel like I'm best suited for the 200m sprint."
"You have good control over your frequency and stride. The 200m sprint does fit you. If I had met you earlier, I would have let you try the 400m," said Dai Li.
"Forget about the 400m; it's running technique requirements are too high." Yue Zhao looked around, then said, "In the 200m, if I'm under 21 seconds, I can stay in the first phase, right?"
"Don't relax; the better your time, the slower you improve. If you want to go to the Asian Games, you have to amaze everyone," Dai Li said with helplessness, "You aren't even on the national team's radar."
Yue Zhao lapsed into silence. He knew what Dai Li meant. The qualifying standard for Yue Zhao to be admitted to the Asian Games was higher than the other athletes. He was not an original team member, but had been called up from the basic level.
It was easy to explain. For example, every team was in charge of a program. As the person responsible, the leader would definitely give the most important part of the program to their older team members, while newcomers would be one of the last people to get an opportunity. The leader would never give the key part to a newcomer, no matter how outstanding the person was.
Of course, if the newcomer was way better than the others, that individual would be highly valued. Say a three-star Michelin chef came to work in a three-star restaurant. Both were "three-star," but the chef could be found anywhere; there were only about sixty three-star Michelin restaurants around the world. Compared to a three-star Michelin Chief chef, chefs from ordinary restaurants were not even qualified to be handymen.
It was the same in athletics. If Yue Zhao's score was the same as the other team members on the national team, the leaders wouldn't send him to the Asian Games. Even if Yue Zhao was a little bit better than the others, he still would not get a chance; unless, however, Yue Zhao was far enough ahead of the other athletes. For instance, if the other athlete ran in 20.80 seconds, but Yue Zhao ran in 20.60 seconds. A 0.2-second gap was an irreversible distance for 200m sprinters, and was a dividing line between two levels. In this case, Yue Zhao could get the chance to represent the country in the Asian Games.
"There are several athletes on the national team who can run within 20.80 seconds. Jun Xie, the strongest runner, is an International Sports Master; he will take a place for sure. In addition, Zitao Wei is a 100m and 200m sprinter, and once participated in the Olympics, I assume he will take up another spot," Dai Li said, looking at Yue Zhao worriedly, "If you want to join them, you should at least reach the International Sports Master standard."
"International Sports Master, that's 20.62 seconds, isn't it?" Yue Zhao took a deep breath. His eyes shone with firmness.
"I will try to make it!"
...
Twenty days was not a lot of time, especially when people were busy training. Neither athletes nor coaches had time to think about other business. Time seemed to pass by even faster with competitions approaching.
On the training field, the first phase examination was about to begin. It decided the athletes' fate. Athletes with good performances would show up on the second phase training list, while people who performed poorly would pack up their belongings and leave.
People like Haiquan Fang, Sijie Yang, and Guohong Niu, who were already on the national team, did not need to worry about this test. Because they were already part of the team, they would not be eliminated. But athletes like Yue Zhao, who had come from basic levels, would unfortunately be the targets of elimination.
Yue Zhao crouched on the ground, carefully adjusting his starters.
The 200m starting line was on the bend of the track. Because of this, starters' locations were very important. Everyone had their own habits, so each pair of starters were placed at different locations with various angles. But generally, starters would be set on the right side of the tracks, fixed with a certain angle.
In the bleachers, Chief Coach Shuren Zhao had noticed Yue Zhao.
Yue Zhao used to be a high-flyer on our team. Had he not been misjudged, he would have already become our trump card. What a pity, Shuren Zhao said to himself regretfully. He is now focusing on the 200m sprint, which is a new path for him. However, the 200m sprint also has fierce competition! To be honest, I don't think he can win.
Being a professional athlete is not an easy job. 'A boat sailing against the current must forge ahead or it will be driven back,' as the saying goes. He wasted two years; I'm afraid it's going to be quite difficult for him to get back to where he once was. Before Shuren Zhao's voice faded away, the starting gun was fired.
When starting at the bend, sprinters were not on the same horizontal line. Runners on the inner tracks would be behind other sprinters, while sprinters on the outer tracks started out ahead. An ordinary audience would not be able to tell who was in the lead until all the runners were on the straight track.
For a professional, however, it was easy. Even when athletes were still on the bend, they could make a judgement immediately. Shuren Zhao looked at the eight runners, suddenly frowning. He realized the situation was not what he had predicted.
"Yue Zhao takes the lead!" said Shuren Zhao.
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