Applause for the Big Names

Even though the sky had turned dark, the Central Television Station was still bustling with activity. Most of the staff's energy was devoted to the coverage of the Athens Olympics.

Director Xu, in charge of the event broadcast arrangements, wasn't staying in the office but was instead overseeing operations in the broadcasting room.

A staff member jogged over, handing a document to Director Xu, and said, "Director, this is the latest update on the track and field events. Our athlete, Zhang Guan, has successfully advanced to the second round of the men's 100m sprint."

Director Xu quickly reviewed the event briefing and then remarked, "If I remember correctly, this should be the first time our athlete has advanced to the second round of the Olympic track and field 100m sprint. Quite an achievement! Find out when the second round will take place."

"Director, should we broadcast the second round?" the staff member asked.

"If we can broadcast it, let's do it. Athletes travel all the way to Athens to participate in the Olympics, perhaps just once in their lifetime. Now that we've made a breakthrough in the track and field events, it would be a pity not to give them a chance to showcase themselves in front of a national audience," Director Xu replied.

"Director, it's been confirmed. The men's 100m sprint second round will start at 00:40 local time."

"That's the prime time in Athens," Director Xu immediately checked the broadcasting schedule in his hand, finding the slot.

"Fortunately, by that time, today's badminton and table tennis matches will have ended, except for the women's weightlifting competition over 75kg where our athlete will participate," Director Xu lowered his head, contemplating for a moment, then said, "Let's arrange the broadcast of the men's 100m race in a program slot. It will follow the midnight news, so let the commentators prepare in advance."

...

At 19:40 local time in Athens on August 21st, the men's 100m sprint second round officially began at the Olympics.

The second round was divided into five groups, with the top three from each group advancing to the next round. Additionally, the athlete with the best performance among those who didn't make the top three could also advance, making a total of 16 athletes to proceed to the semifinals.

Compared to the heats of the first round, the level of competition in the second round was higher, making it more challenging to advance. The competition was expected to be more intense and exciting.

In the second round, even champion-level athletes had to take it seriously. According to pre-race expert predictions, running within 10.10 seconds would likely secure a spot in the semifinals, while within 10.15 seconds, there was a good chance of advancing. However, failing to run even within 10.15 seconds meant relying on luck and chance. For non-Black athletes, the second round was seen as a difficult hurdle to overcome. In Olympic-level competitions, White and Asian athletes often struggled to advance past the second round, leaving the semifinals dominated by Black athletes.

On the track, the first group of the race was underway, while Zhang Guan was waiting in the distance for the second group, observing the performance of the first group.

A Black athlete was leading the race, significantly ahead.

"It's Francis Obikwelu from Portugal! He's really fast!" Zhang Guan gasped for breath, feeling immense pressure for the first time.

"Obikwelu was supposed to be the runner-up in this year's Athens Olympics 100m race. He was only 0.01 seconds behind Gatlin, although Gatlin didn't sprint at the end of the final, affecting his time slightly. Now, it seems Obikwelu is indeed a strong competitor," Zhang Guan realized, watching as Japan's second-ranked Asian runner, Masaru Matsusue, fell behind four Black athletes.

"In the second round, it's indeed dominated by Black athletes," Zhang Guan watched Obikwelu cross the finish line first, with a time of 9.93 seconds displayed on the scoreboard. British athlete Lewis Francis and Jamaican athlete Dwight Thomas secured second and third places, respectively. Japan's Masaru Matsusue only managed fifth place and was sure to be eliminated.

"This is the top-level strength! This is just the second round, and he ran 9.93 seconds. But I can achieve this too, and even faster. However, Obikwelu is obviously holding back, so his real strength must be faster. And this is just Obikwelu; don't forget about Gatlin, who will be even faster! It seems I was too optimistic before. Winning this Olympic gold won't be easy," Zhang Guan felt a slight heaviness in his heart.

Before this, Zhang Guan had always believed that with the system's help, he would surely win the Olympic 100m gold medal. And so far, in all the competitions Zhang Guan had participated in, he had never encountered any opponents. But now, several powerful opponents had suddenly emerged, giving Zhang Guan a sense of crisis.

"Nervous! Yes, this feeling. It's been a long time since I've felt this nervous," Zhang Guan took a deep breath, looking at the finish line. However, the nervousness gradually turned into anticipation and excitement.

"This time, I'm going to run freely. I want to see how powerful top-level athletes really are!"

Then, Zhang Guan strode into the arena.

...

The American athlete about to compete, Sean Crawford, took off his upper body jacket.

"Sean, are you about to race?" Justin Gatlin walked over, jokingly saying, "Be careful not to capsize in the gutter..."

"Are you talking about Abderrahman Samba? I know that 'nerve knife' ran 9.69 seconds, but that was under wind-assisted conditions. Even if he's in good shape, he can't be my opponent," Crawford said confidently.

"I'm not talking about Samba, but that Chinese athlete who ranked first in the heats," Gatlin said.

"Hahaha, Justin, what joke are you making? A Chinese person, how could he threaten me? 9.96 seconds should be an unimaginable high level for an Asian! But for me, this result is just my daily training level. When the race starts, I will show this Chinese athlete what real speed is!" Crawford laughed.

...

The athletes were already standing at the starting line, but three minutes passed, and the referee had not yet given the start signal.

"What's going on? Why is there such a long preparation time?" Zhang Guan looked puzzled at the referee, who was holding a walkie-talkie and saying something.

"Could they be busy chatting and forgot to notify the athletes to prepare for the start?" Zhang Guan thought to himself.

At that moment, there was suddenly a commotion in the audience stands, followed by cheers.

"Huh? What's happening? Why are the spectators suddenly cheering?" Zhang Guan looked towards the stands, but because of the distance, he didn't know why the audience was cheering, but one thing was certain, they weren't cheering for him. And in such a situation, the sound of the starting gun might not even be audible, and the 100m race had to wait.

"Clap, clap, clap, clap..."

Inside the stadium, applause gradually rose. However, it wasn't the chaotic applause, but a unified rhythm, becoming louder and faster, like the drumbeat of warriors before they charged, full of determination, ready to explode at any moment.

"This scene seems familiar. It reminds me of her!" Zhang Guan suddenly thought of someone. Then he looked towards the pole vault field in the distance and indeed saw a figure, with black hair tied into braids scattered in her mind, holding a long pole, preparing to start.

"It's really her, Yelena Isinbayeva!"

Yelena Isinbayeva, the undisputed queen of pole vaulting, had broken the world record 28 times in her career and was the monopolizer of the women's pole vault event now and in the future.

Although Isinbayeva was only 22 years old at the Athens Olympics, she had been famous for many years, especially in Europe, where she was very popular.

In the sports world, athletes with good results naturally received attention, and beautiful women also received attention. A combination of both would attract enormous attention. Although Zhang Guan didn't consider Isinbayeva to be beautiful, according to European standards of aesthetics, Isinbayeva was definitely a beauty. Especially in Greece, Isinbayeva's black hair and big eyes were considered a classical beauty, and therefore Isinbayeva was extremely popular in Greece.

The entire stadium was cheering for Isinbayeva, especially some crazy men who were roaring with excitement, making it impossible for the second group of the men's 100m race to proceed normally, and the athletes could only wait for Isinbayeva's competition to end.

The applause of the audience became more and more orderly, the frequency faster and faster, tens of thousands of people applauding in the same rhythm, bringing not only encouragement but also shock.

Zhang Guan closed his eyes, carefully feeling everything. Although the applause was not for him, it still made his blood boil, and a scene faintly appeared in his mind, one wielding a knife and challenging, the other galloping out on horseback, the two armies facing each other, the drumbeats of warriors charging, full of determination, ready to explode at any moment.

"This is a competition, this is the kind of competition I want! Passionate, boiling!" Zhang Guan opened his eyes suddenly, feeling the hormones in his body starting to surge violently, every cell was cheering, and he smelled the excitement again.

At the same time, in the system, Zhang Guan's competitive state suddenly began to rise, reaching 67 points in an instant.

On the pole vaulting field, Isinbayeva waved to the audience, gesturing for everyone to quiet down. Then she raised the pole, ran, planted, jumped, cleared, and landed in one go, completing the competition perfectly.

The stadium erupted into thunderous cheers. Although this was only the qualifying round for the women's pole vault, and only a height of 4.40 meters was needed to enter the final, it did not diminish the applause for Isinbayeva.

When the cheers died down, the referee signaled to the athletes to get ready to start.

"What great applause, what great cheers, making me feel excited, making my blood boil! Unfortunately, it's not for me. But one day, I will have such applause and cheers!" Zhang Guan adjusted his breathing, but the excitement in his heart was hard to dispel.

Next, he stepped onto the starting blocks, ready for his second Olympic race.