Forty Years of Dreams

The night grew late.

Coach Yu lay on the bed, occasionally chuckling to himself. An elderly man in the same room couldn't bear it anymore and spoke up, "Coach Yu, calm down. It's time to sleep. We have a competition tomorrow!"

This elderly man was Coach He, ten years older than Coach Yu. He was a senior coach of the national track and field team, mainly responsible for throwing events such as shot put, discus, javelin, and hammer throw.

"He Lao, you don't understand. This moment today, I've been waiting for it for forty years!" Coach Yu said with deep emotion. "Back in '64 when I just joined the provincial team, my dream was to become Asia's top sprinter! In '77, when I retired and became a coach, I dreamed that one of my disciples could become Asia's top sprinter and fulfill my dream from my youth. It's been exactly forty years, forty years of waiting! And now, finally, it's happened!"

The national team was strong in throwing events. Some female athletes even had the potential to compete for Olympic gold medals. While male athletes weren't as dominant as females, they still performed at a top level in Asia. Therefore, Coach He, who was in charge of throwing events, couldn't fully understand what it meant to wait for forty years like Coach Yu did.

After a moment, Coach He spoke again, "Get some rest. We have competitions tomorrow. I remember you have the 4x100m relay final and the 200m final."

"Don't worry. Yang Yao is a strong contender in the 200m event. Now that Motozumi Shingo is injured, the Japanese team only has Hirose Hiroshi and Takahira Masaru left. Yang Yao should be able to compete for a medal. As for the 4x100m relay, without Motozumi Shingo, it's uncertain if the Japanese team will even compete tomorrow. We have Zhang Guan, a surprise, who might even contend for the gold medal in the 4x100m relay," Coach Yu said confidently.

Coach He frowned and asked, "During the daytime competition, I was watching Zhang Guan all the time and didn't notice Motozumi Shingo. Where do you think he got injured?"

Coach Yu sat up, gesturing with his hands as he spoke, "When Motozumi Shingo was injured, I thought it was his ankle. But judging from his appearance when he left the field, it's more likely to be an Achilles tendon injury."

Coach He nodded. "Motozumi Shingo's main event is the 200m sprint, so it's normal for his left ankle to be injured. But if it's the Achilles tendon, that's troublesome."

In the 200m sprint, athletes need to make a sharp left turn after starting. During the high-speed left turn with explosive force, the stress on the athlete's left ankle is the greatest. Therefore, it's easy for the left ankle of a 200m sprinter to suffer strain injuries.

As for the Achilles tendon, it can be said to be a sprinter's lifeline. Located behind the ankle joint, the Achilles tendon is an indispensable tissue for human walking, running, and climbing. The explosiveness of a sprinter is somewhat related to the strength of the Achilles tendon. It has been analyzed that one of the reasons why Bolt runs so fast is because his Achilles tendon is exceptionally strong and developed.

Once a sprinter's Achilles tendon suffers major damage, even if the injury heals, they may lose some explosiveness and speed, making it difficult to return to their peak state. Many excellent athletes have had to retire due to Achilles tendon injuries, such as Liu Fei-ren.

During the process of sprinting, the Achilles tendon of a sprinter is prone to some injury due to maintaining high explosive force, so Achilles tendon injuries are a problem faced by every sprinter. In later years, many sprint champions would spend a lot of money hiring world-class physiotherapists after the competition to relax their Achilles tendons. Just like Bolt, he would often go to Germany on vacation because Germany has first-class physiotherapists and advanced equipment that can relax his Achilles tendon.

Coach Yu's speculation was not wrong. Motozumi Shingo's injury was indeed in the Achilles tendon of his left leg.

In the Japanese team's residence, Takano came to Ko-bayashi Keiwa's side and said, "Coach, this is the report and examination results given by the team doctor."

Ko-bayashi Keiwa waved his hand. "I won't read the report. Just tell me the result."

"The team doctor said it's an Achilles tendon strain due to fatigue. The main cause was the prolonged fatigue of the Achilles tendon, and excessive exertion was the cause of this strain. The doctor suggests that Motozumi Shingo should avoid vigorous exercise and recover his Achilles tendon through rest and therapy. However, the medical conditions in the Philippines are poor, so therapy would require him to return to Japan," Takano said.

"How long does he need to rest? Can he still compete in the upcoming matches?" Ko-bayashi Keiwa asked.

"The doctor recommends resting for two weeks first, then deciding based on the recovery. I've already given Motozumi Shingo special shoes to wear, which won't affect his mobility. But the doctor doesn't recommend him to continue participating in the upcoming matches," Takano said, stopping for a moment, with a hesitant look on his face.

Ko-bayashi Keiwa noticed that Takano had something else to say, so he asked, "Is there anything else?"

"Well, Motozumi Shingo strongly insists on participating in the upcoming matches," Takano said.

Ko-bayashi Keiwa frowned for a moment and then said, "For the upcoming matches, Motozumi Shingo has two left: the 4x100m relay final in the morning and the men's 200m sprint final. If Motozumi Shingo can still compete, let him participate in the 4x100m relay final, but he shouldn't join the 200m sprint."

"Yes! I'll go tell him right away," Takano nodded and prepared to leave.

"Wait a moment," Ko-bayashi Keiwa called out to Takano again, then continued, "Motozumi Shingo's leg injury is no longer suitable for running the fourth leg. Let him switch places with Asahara Nobuharu. Asahara Nobuharu will run the fourth leg, and Motozumi Shingo will run the second leg."

...

Back in the country, although it was already past nine in the evening, Zheng, the chief editor of a well-known sports section of a website, was still sitting in the office, typing on the keyboard and writing articles.

"Manila wins the championship and breaks the Asian record, Zhang Guan outshines Japanese athletes."

"The Chinese athlete Zhang Guan, who had previously stated his goal of breaking the 100m sprint Asian record held by the Japanese athlete Ito Kojiro for five years this year, finally fulfilled his promise today at the Asian Athletics Championships held in Manila, the Philippines. With a time of 9.99 seconds, Zhang Guan not only improved the original Asian record by 0.01 seconds but also won his first international championship."

"Describing Zhang Guan's growth as 'explosive' would be an understatement. In May, during an international athlete test, Zhang Guan just obtained the qualification of a national second-level athlete. Subsequently, in the Asian Athletics Championships preliminary rounds, Zhang Guan won the 100m sprint championship with a time of 10.16 seconds, breaking the national record for men's 100m sprint and becoming the top sprinter domestically..."

The article continued to highlight Zhang Guan's rapid rise in the athletics scene, detailing his achievements and the reactions within both the sports community and among the general public.

As for Zhang Guan, he quietly entered the system, having gained another skill point and choosing to learn the "Bend Sprint" skill.