Chapter 520: The Pursuit of Victory

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Irwin did not disappoint his fans and he was crowned the champion of the men’s 400m sprint.

The South African youngster, Nick Zouma, got the silver medal. The bronze medal went to another U.S. athlete.

On that day of the competition, the U.S. team had already won a gold medal and two bronze medals. The upcoming event was another important one. It was the men’s 100m sprint.

The previous fastest man in the world had retired. The world record he left behind was unlikely to be broken within the decade. This race was going to determine who was the new fastest man in the world.

As the defending champions in the event, the Jamaican team was in a good place. Three of their athletes had made it into the final. Their objective was to keep the gold medal in Jamaica.

Although the U.S. team had been hurt by the drug scandal, two of their athletes still made it into the final. Among them was the world’s second fastest man, Justin Alexander.

Although all three of their athletes made it into the final, the head coach of the Jamaica team, Fraser, was not relaxed. He was careful, especially when it came to Alexander.

The assistant beside him looked at Fraser with wonder. It had been a long time since he witnessed such a solemn expression on Fraser’s face.

“Coach, are you worried about Alexander? He has been banned for almost five years. That means that he hasn’t ran in any international competition for five years. Perhaps he has gotten worse,” the assistant said.

“It is not an easy feat to make it through the U.S. qualifier. Besides, Alexander ran within 9.9 seconds in the U.S. Do you think that he won’t do better now?” Fraser took a deep breath and continued. “I’m not only worried about Justin Alexander, but the entire U.S. team.”

“Coach, I don’t quite understand,” the assistant sai, dumbfounded.

“I used to believe that this U.S. team was the weakest the country ever had. Of course, everyone thought the same. However,, this U.S. team is strong. They won a gold medal on the first day. You could say that it was luck, but they have gotten some since then as well. Do you think they are really just lucky? It has only been three days since the start of the track and field events and the U.S. team has already won four gold medals. They have exceeded all expectation,” Fraser stated.

“Perhaps it’s because all the events that the U.S. team is good in are concentrated in these first few days,” the assistant said.

“Then why don’t you tell me which events the U.S. team are weak in?” Fraser asked with disdain.

The assistant was speechless. As the world’s strongest country in track and field, the U.S. did not have any weak events. Even in long-distance running, the U.S. team was second only to Ethiopia and Kenya.

Fraser then said, “The media may still be saying the U.S. team is weak, but I believe that any head coach could see that the U.S. team is still amazingly strong. That Chinese coach of the U.S. team is no simple man. To lead the U.S. team and achieve this kind of result, means we’ve underestimated him since the beginning. A non-American coach, and a Chinese one at that. He must have some kind of special ability.”

As Fraser said this, he looked towards Dai Li. His gaze was firm. He then changed his tone and said, “But I still believe that victory belongs to us!”

…

The Jamaican athlete, McNea, stood on the race tracks. He rubbed the soles of his shoes against the track to decrease his anxiety.

McNea was currently the strongest 100m sprinter in the Jamaican team. He had to take over for Kittel.

It wasn’t McNea’s first time in the Olympics. Four years ago, he had participated in the Games. He also made it into the final back then.

Back then, everyone had their eyes on the world’s fastest man, Kittel. The McNea back then was but a supporting character that didn’t really matter.

In truth, to be a sprinter in the same generation with Kittel was unfortunate, even more so if you were one of his teammates. Actually, McNea was exceptional. He had worked hard but, no matter how hard he tried, he was only a supporting character.

McNea did not want to be a supporting character, he wanted to become the main character, the focus of the stadium.

Today, without Kittel, McNea finally had the chance to become the hero.

“This time, we don’t have Kittel. I will lead the Jamaican team in this event!” McNea clenched his fist tightly.

Jamaica needed to tell everyone that even without the world’s fastest man, Jamaica was still number one when it came to sprinting! Jamaica would produce a new world’s fastest man.

McNea had decided long ago that he would voluntarily bear this burden. That was the reason he had to win!

…

Another Jamaican athlete, Bartlett was also very nervous. However, he was also excited.

It was Bartlett’s first Olympics. He had not slept last night because he had been so anxious.

In Jamaica, any exceptional young sprinter would receive the nickname, “Kittel’s successor.” That nickname had been stuck on Bartlett for more than a decade.

Every Jamaican child saw Kittel as a role model. They hoped to become the next Kittel. Bartlett was the same. When Bartlett was still a kid, he began practicing. He displayed great talent very quickly and started formally training. He stood out in competitions of various age groups. Ultimately, he made it onto the Jamaican national team.

On the Jamaican national team, he met dozens more like him. Of course, he also met Kittel himself. Later, Bartlett defeated his opponents and rivals one by one. He told everyone that he was the real successor to Kittel. He climbed over anyone he had to in order to participate in more and more international competitions, including the current Olympic Games.

Kittel has retired. I will become the second Kittel! I want to become the new fastest man!

Bartlett’s obsession grew stronger as he got older. Since he was young, people had called him Kittel’s successor However, in Jamaica, too many people were told that. Today, he would prove to the world that he was the one who truly deserved the title

Kittel, you should be watching this race in front of a TV, right? I’ll let you know. I’ll let the world know that I’m the most qualified person to be the next you!

…

Alexander breathed in deeply.

The final of the Olympics, what a familiar scent!

It was the second time Alexander had been in the Olympics. His previous outing was eight years ago.

Alexander was banned four years ago and lost a chance to challenge Kittel.

It’s been eight years. I’m finally back, but the people from back then have since left the competitive arena. Alexander looked around him. There were a lot of fresh faces.

In the five years Alexander was banned, he had missed one Olympics and one World Championship in Athletics. For a sport like sprinting, an athlete’s prime was very short, so five years was enough to see two generations of athletes go by.

The athletes who were present in the first Olympic Games that Alexander had participated eight years ago were nowhere to be seen in the stadium today. Even counting the athletes who were present when Alexander was banned five years ago, only two of them were present at the race today.

Among them included McNea from the Jamaican team. However, five years ago, McNea was just a fresh young athlete, so he had posed no threat to Alexander. Back then, in Alexander’s eyes, McNea was only an extra. However, today, McNea had become the best on the Jamaican team.

Seeing the energetic youngsters that surrounded him, Alexander suddenly realized how time had discriminated against him.

A five year ban. I’ve missed too many things and I’ve lost way more. Today, I’ll start to make up for it all!

Alexander stood on the starting block. His movements seemed slow and structured, structured like the movements of a robot. He looked serious, as if in the middle of a holy ritual.

Perhaps to everyone else, I’m still the guy who used performance-enhancing drugs to improve my results. I’m still an immoral cheater. I will prove that my glory is not reliant on prohibited drugs. Even without drugs, I will become the best in the stadium.

Alexander took a deep breath and looked towards the track in front of him. He lowered his head and prepared himself for the race to start.

…

Dai Li looked at the eight contestants lined up at the starting line and said, “That young Jamaican called Bartlett, he has more potential than McNea. He’s got the better chance.”

“Oh?” The team leader, Donny, looked towards Bartlett and said, “McNea is the top sprinter on the Jamaican team. Besides, his results have been good. He ran within 9.90 seconds a few times this year. I thought you would look more favorably on McNea!”

“In truth, the person I favor the most is still Alexander,” Dai Li smiled. He then said, “Alexander is the athlete I trained personally. I fully understand his strength. Although Alexander is older than the other athletes, his condition is well-maintained and he isn’t any weaker than those youngsters. I’m a little sad I didn’t meet him sooner. If l had maybe he’d be the fastest man in the world and not Kittel.”

Donny did not reply. He had long become used to Dai Li’s confidence. Donny realized that the coach’s predictions often came to pass. He was a little upset but, after a while, Donny’s temper disappeared. He used his silence to display his attitude.

What Dai Li said was true. Compared to Irwin, Dai Li had not used the age-reduction card on Alexander, because he didn’t have to.

Dai Li attributed it to luck. It was just like how some people naturally look younger than others, while some naturally look more mature. Alexander might have been the kind of person whose body aged slower than normal athletes’. Although he was already over 30 years old, he still had the body of a younger person.

At that moment, the referee gave the command for them to get in position. The athletes were prepared to take off.

As the gunshot rang, all the athletes rushed away from the starting line almost at the same time. In the next second, the big screen showed the reaction time at the start of each of the athlete.

Alexander’s reaction time was 0.155 seconds. It was the second last.Bartlett had the fastest starting time, O.128.

Alexander had really aged. His reaction time was slower than younger athletes’. However, Bartlett’s reaction time of 0.128 seconds wasn’t in reaction to the gun, it was more like he had tried to beat the gun.

Beating the gun is a type of sprinting tactic. The athlete would attempt to get used to the rhythm of the referee’s command and, based on the rhythm, attempt to start at the moment the gunshot rings. As for starting after hearing the gunshot, it would be the body reacting. The difference between the two was an interval of .03 seconds, it can be said to be irrelevant. However, to a world-class sprinter, even 0.01 seconds matters.

In the past, when it came to sprintin, the rule regarding the start was that the second athlete attempting to beat the gun would be sent off. So many athletes were choosing to try to beat the gun so that they would gain an advantage. Some athletes even attempted to beat the gun intentionally just to disrupt the rhythm of their opponents and to get used to the rhythm of the referee.

However, the rules of track and field were changed. If an athlete attempted to beat the gun, they would be sent off. This greatly reduced the number of situations where athletes attempted to beat the gun, so the number of athletes who employed the tactic also decreased. To take the risk of getting sent off just to gain an advantage of a few tenths of a second was not worth it.

Although Alexander’s start was slower, he was even faster than the other younger athletes.

After 50m, the distance between the eight athletes began to widen.

By the time they reached the 70m mark, the group in the lead had become apparent. They were Alexander, McNea, and Bartlett.

…

This old bastard, Alexander. He’s already over thirty years old, how is he still so fast! McNea couldn’t help but complain to himself.

In the World Championship six years ago, McNea had the chance to meet Alexander in the final. However, McNea was new to the Jamaican team back then, so he wasn’t given the opportunity. Kittel had battled against Alexander instead.

Now, Kittel had retired. Alexander, a guy who was a few months older than Kittel, was still in the race. Moreover, he was not any slower than when he was younger.

I can’t lose, I am the best sprinter on the Jamaican team. I have to carry the team!

At that moment, the responsibility felt like an enormous mountain on McNea’s shoulders. McNea suddenly imagine that he was hiking up a mountain. It was as if he was not running on a track, but on a slope.

On the other side, Bartlett also felt a formless pressure. The pressure had become more powerful than the excitement in his heart.

It was the final of the Olympic Games, after all. The closer they got, the more pressure was on them. It was especially clear when everyone in the stands stood up and cheered. Tens of thousands of people watching you could make anyone nervous.

Perhaps the athletes with a lower ranking would feel less pressure because no matter what they did, they would not get a medal. For the ones in the lead, the pressure was much greater.

Bartlett was in the leading group, and he felt his desire to win and his fear of defeat getting stronger. However, his spirit that had once demanded victory began to waver.

…

Alexander did not take notice of his opponents at all. When there was less than 30m left before reaching the finish line, Alexander was chasing after a shadow.

That shadow was the world’s fastest man, Kittel.

At that moment, Alexander felt as if he had gone back in time. In the old days, he had run shoulder to shoulder with Kittel, but Kittel always passed him at the last second.

He had challenged Kittel again and again, and he had failed again and again. However, Alexander never gave up. To defeat Kittel, he had even agreed to Sebastian’s suggestion and used prohibited drugs. For that, he had paid a hefty price.

Vaguely, Alexander also had a vision. Kittel was beside him. He was on the race track right beside him. That huge shadowy figure was going to overtake him again.

No! Alexander screamed in his mind.

Regret and dissatisfaction filled Alexander’s mind. Memories of each of his defeats were so vivid, they gave Alexander the impression that he was actually there.

Alexander was feeling sad for himself. In the end, he did not defeat Kittel, and now Kittel had retired and set a world record no one could beat. Alexander no longer had a chance to compete against him.

At that moment, Alexander’s thoughts returned to reality. The illusion of being overtaken by Kittel disappeared. Alexander noticed that the huge shadowy figure was not on the track.

Kittel has already retired, and he created a wall I cannot surpass!

As he realized that, Alexander suddenly felt uncontrollable rage. He needed to vent his emotion, he wanted to vent crazily.

The only target for his wrath was the race track beneath his feet.

At that moment, Alexander made his last dash. That dash was not only for the gold medal, but it was an explosion of the emotion from his heart.

There was dissatisfaction, disappointment, sorrow, and also wrath.

These emotions he had accumulated over the years were all released in that instant. They became the force that pushed him forward.

…

At the moment of his last dash, McNea and Bartlett were both burdened by pressure, but Alexander was instead releasing his emotion.

At that moment, the difference became clear and the winner was obvious.

Alexander stood out. He left McNea and Bartlett in the dust and dashed towards the finish line!

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