400-Meter Debut

After Zhang Guan finished his call with Sharapova, it was already past 11 PM. Sharapova was at her home in the United States, preparing for the WTA Year-End Championships which would be held on November 7 in Los Angeles. This is the final event of the WTA season, and Zhang Guan had promised Sharapova that he would go to the U.S. to watch her matches.

Zhang Guan then lay on his bed, but couldn't fall asleep for a long time.

"The world record is 43.18 seconds! That maniac Johnson managed to run that time. Even in my best condition, with running shoes, I probably couldn't achieve that. Maybe in two or three years, if my body gets stronger, I might have a chance to break that record!" Zhang Guan thought to himself as he closed his eyes. Then he recalled the Asian record of 44.56 seconds.

"Using the elixir for just an Asian record doesn't seem worth it. After all, there will be no competitions for several months after this race, so using the elixir would be quite wasteful. In my normal state, if I put in enough effort, I should be able to run within 45.5 seconds. Oh, right, there are two skills in the skills menu that I've been wanting to try out for a long time."

Zhang Guan entered the system and found a skill in the skills menu.

"Body Flexibility, increases body flexibility. Description: Skill effects vary with time, intensity of sports training, age, height, weight, and other factors. This is a passive skill, similar to the previous skills 'Body Strengthening' and 'Physical Fitness'. Will this skill be useful? In theory, all sports require some degree of body flexibility. I'll learn this first; it only costs 3 skill points."

Zhang Guan continued looking and found another skill named "Body Coordination."

"This skill should also be useful. It seems to be a skill that benefits all sports. Let's learn both skills together!" Zhang Guan spent 6 skill points to learn "Body Flexibility" and "Body Coordination."

"I wonder if these two skills will help me. Even a slight increase in speed would be fine," Zhang Guan muttered to himself and gradually fell asleep.

...

The next day.

"Next up is the men's 400-meter sprint!"

With the announcer's strange shout, all eyes were drawn to the athletics track.

"Kanemaru-kun, Sato-kun, do your best! This upcoming race will be the one that makes you heroes in Japan! You will defeat Zhang Guan, you will take the top two places!" Kobayashi Keikazu said with determination. "China's 400-meter sprint, whether in coaching or in athlete's technical level, is still stuck in the last century, while we are using the most advanced training methods from Europe and America! You've mastered the most advanced techniques! Our rhythm control and running methods are already in line with the U.S., so you will definitely win."

"Coach, don't worry, on the 400-meter track, I won't fear any Asian runner!" the young Kanemaru Yuji stated first.

"We will definitely win!" Sato Mitsuhiro echoed.

"Very good! Warriors of the Japanese athletics team, go and fight!" Kobayashi Keikazu said excitedly, patting both of them on the shoulders and pushing them towards the track.

At this moment, both Kobayashi Keikazu and Takano Jin were full of confidence. Their confidence stemmed from their understanding of the 400-meter sprint. In this most challenging sprint event, achieving results requires good training and long-term accumulation. In the 400 meters, China indeed lacks top-notch coaches, and Zhang Guan doesn't have the time for such accumulation.

"Go, Kanemaru-kun!" "Go, Sato-senpai!" The Japanese team kept cheering for Kanemaru Yuji and Sato Mitsuhiro. The Chinese words for "Go!" were shouted so often in Japanese that even Director Ma and Coach Yu could understand.

Director Ma had personally witnessed Zhang Guan run a 45-second 400 meters. He still couldn't quite understand how Zhang Guan had so much energy left for a final sprint. However, he knew that a time of 45 seconds was enough to dominate the 400 meters in Asia.

Although the Asian record for the 400 meters is 44.56 seconds, it has been sealed for 17 years. Athletes in that era were generally stronger, even Takano Jin had run 44.78 seconds. Nowadays, even in the strong 400-meter runners of West Asia, achieving the Olympic A standard is the pinnacle, and breaking 45 seconds is almost mythical for Asian athletes.

Director Ma glanced disdainfully at Kobayashi Keikazu and thought to himself, "You may be boasting now, but just wait and see."

...

"On your marks…"

The starter's voice brought a hush over the crowd, and the spectators held their breath, waiting for the starting gun.

"Set!" "Bang!"

The athletes started their race, and the crowd erupted in deafening cheers.

"Huh?" Zhang Guan clearly felt something different in his body. The movement of his steps, the swing of his arms, and the tilt of his body in the curve all felt much smoother.

"It feels much better than before. It seems that the two skills I learned yesterday are quite effective." Zhang Guan quickly got into the rhythm of the race.

When a person runs at high speed on a curve, their body needs to tilt, and they must adjust their balance through the swing of their arms. Moreover, athletes must cut to the inner lane when running on curves, meaning each step involves adjustment. Any movement adjustment requires body coordination and flexibility. Although not as extreme as gymnastics or diving, the better the coordination and flexibility, the stronger the ability to adjust during motion.

"Zhang Guan's start looks very smooth today! His movements are much more fluid than usual; it looks like he's in good condition." Coach Yu, who was watching, secretly evaluated, then glanced at the Japanese team's coach.

Kobayashi Keikazu remained calm, but there was still a hint of tension in his eyes.

"Zhang Guan is very fast! In terms of speed alone, he is definitely comparable to the world's top athletes." Kobayashi Keikazu assessed.

Zhang Guan's first 100 meters was faster than other Asian athletes, given his absolute speed advantage. His first 100 meters were consistently around 11.5 seconds, matching the top-level athletes globally. Many Asian athletes would need to run faster to achieve that.

In the current 400-meter running strategy, few people sprint quickly at the start. In the first bend, everyone has enough stamina, so even if you sprint, you won't gain much advantage. It's better to let your body quickly get into the race rhythm. As a result, the initial speed difference among athletes is minimal.

But the next straight will bring changes.

"When entering the straight, Zhang Guan should start picking up his pace!" Kobayashi Keikazu thought. It's a traditional Asian tactic to sprint once on the first straight.

As the athletes entered the straight, Sato Mitsuhiro was the first to accelerate.

Sato Mitsuhiro continued using the traditional Asian tactic, accelerating after entering the straight. Being older, it was difficult for him to change his running style. At this point, everyone could clearly see his stride frequency increasing.

Kanemaru Yuji, however, did not significantly speed up. Instead, he tried to extend each stride as much as possible while maintaining his original stride frequency.

Increasing stride length while keeping the same frequency is a technique that involves maintaining high speed. The key is how to allocate energy afterwards. Kanemaru Yuji only slightly increased his stride length, which didn't drastically improve his speed. Although he had learned the techniques of top Western athletes, he could only imitate them and was still far from their level.

Zhang Guan did not choose the traditional Asian running method. After entering the first straight, he did not speed up but continued at his original pace.

"Huh? No increase in rhythm? It seems he's also using the Western running style! Is he planning to speed up in the middle of the next bend?" Kobayashi Keikazu frowned, noticing that Zhang Guan's stride length hadn't increased much.

"Zhang Guan still can't increase his stride length in the straight! As expected, the Chinese training level is too low. Even if they adopt Western running methods, they only imitate the form and not the essence. Zhang Guan hasn't mastered the right techniques! We have the advantage!" Kobayashi Keikazu felt a surge of excitement.

On the straight, Zhang Guan maintained his pace without any changes, not sprinting. Fortunately, his original speed was not slow, and he could run the second 100 meters in about 11 seconds, which was decent in Asia. Many second-tier Asian runners would need to sprint to achieve an 11-second 100 meters in this segment.

The spectators, however, began to get anxious. They had come to see Zhang Guan win, and from the current situation, Zhang Guan hadn't gained any advantage.

"Entering the bend again! I wonder at what point Zhang Guan will start his sprint. With his running style, he should have good stamina reserves. If he starts sprinting from the 250-meter mark, he should be able to sustain it until 350 meters, maybe even to the finish line!" Kobayashi Keikazu thought to himself.

At the end of the straight, Sato Mitsuhiro slowed down and quickly adjusted his rhythm as he entered the bend. The next 50 to 70 meters would be a torturous process for him as he adapted to the oxygen debt, adjusted his rhythm, and prepared for the final sprint.

Kanemaru Yuji also slightly shortened his stride. In the bend, he couldn't maintain his previous stride length and had to start preparing for the final sprint.

Zhang Guan, however, continued to maintain his original pace as he entered the bend.

Generally, athletes choose to adjust as they enter the second bend. However, some world-class athletes, like the current 400-meter number one Jeremy Wariner, prefer to speed up immediately upon entering the second bend. This running style demands high physical and technical skills in the bends, which no Asian athlete has mastered yet.

Entering the bend, due to the lack of oxygen, Sato Mitsuhiro slowed down, giving other athletes a chance to close the gap.

At this point, Kanemaru Yuji was ready to increase his speed.