The Relay Race Begins

"Bend Sprint, to increase speed on the curve. I don't know how much it can improve, or if it can win the 4x100m relay championship." Zhang Guan looked at the newly learned skill in the skill bar, feeling somewhat uneasy.

Synthesizing the Strong Body skill requires 6 skill points. Zhang Guan knew that it was impossible to obtain 6 skill points in a short time; it would require more competition experience. At least accumulating 6 skill points in this Asian Athletics Championships was impossible.

So Zhang Guan decided to learn the Bend Sprint skill to improve his speed on the curve. Improving the speed on the curve could enhance the performance in the 4x100m relay. Zhang Guan hoped to win the Asian championship in the 4x100m relay, which would earn him two skill points. If he could also break a record in the process, he could earn even more skill points.

Investing one skill point could acquire a new skill, and could also potentially earn at least two skill points, or even more. This transaction was quite profitable.

Moreover, in Zhang Guan's future plans, he definitely intended to compete in the 200m sprint event, not just for honor but also to have more opportunities to earn skill points. Therefore, learning the Bend Sprint skill was necessary.

As for the opponents, Zhang Guan had some understanding. Although Matsu Jun'nosuke was injured, the Japanese team was still the strongest. After all, the overall strength of Japanese players was formidable, and all four positions were occupied by the top athletes in Asia.

In addition, the Saudi Arabian team had also shown strong capabilities in the preliminaries. They had two athletes who made it to the 100m finals, making them one of the strongest teams outside of China and Japan, with the potential to compete for the gold medal.

Apart from them, there were also the traditional strong teams like Kazakhstan, and sports powerhouses like Qatar and Iran, all capable of competing for medals.

It's worth mentioning that the Thai team also made it to the finals. This Thai team was very young and wasn't considered a strong contender before the competition. However, in the preliminaries, they achieved the fourth overall result, which was impressive.

But Zhang Guan knew that this Thai team, three years later at the Doha Asian Games, defeated the Japanese team and won the gold medal in the men's 4x100m relay event.

Team events often have a high degree of unpredictability, and the 4x100m relay is no exception. Even the team with the fastest individual runners might not necessarily win. The performance of each athlete on the field, the timing of the baton exchange, the speed of the exchange, and other factors would all affect the final result of the race. Therefore, in the Olympic Games or World Championships, winning a medal in the 4x100m relay against European and American countries relied not only on strength but also on exceptional luck.

Similarly, breaking the 4x100m record also couldn't solely rely on strength; it also required luck. Currently, the national record in this event was set in Gothenburg in 1995 with a time of 38.81 seconds. Zhang Guan's goal this time was to break this record. As for the Asian record, it was too far away. Although Zhang Guan was outstanding, the abilities of the other three team members were not enough to support the national team in breaking the Asian record.

Thinking about the four people in the national team who would break the Asian record in the future: Su Bingtian with a 100m record of 9.99 seconds, Zhang Peimeng with a 10-second flat 100m, Xie Zhenye holding the 200m national record, and the youngest Mo Yuxue, who reached the Olympic A standard at sixteen years old, and won the first World Youth Championship for the country at seventeen, had unlimited potential. Only with such a strong combination could they finally break the Asian record. However, in the current national team, besides Zhang Guan, the fastest Chen Jian ran a 10.17-second 100m, which was far from enough to break the Asian record.

"As long as I can win the championship, I'll be satisfied." Zhang Guan thought to himself.

...

The gunshot sounded, and the race began!

The competition for the first leg runner was exceptionally fierce. Facing the veteran Japanese athlete Hiroshi Tsuchie, Chen Jian didn't gain any advantage, but he didn't fall behind either.

Hiroshi Tsuchie was the oldest among the Japanese team members. If nothing unexpected happened, he would retire after next year's Athens Olympics. But he was still part of Japan's golden generation of sprinters from years ago. Although past his prime, his speed was still comparable to Chen Jian, who was currently at his peak.

Handling the second leg for Japan was Matsu Jun'nosuke. He was originally slated to run the fourth leg, but due to his injury, he exchanged positions with Shinya Asahara and ran the shortest leg.

Matsu Jun'nosuke was the gold medalist in the 200m sprint at last year's Asian Games, and this June, he broke the Asian record for the men's 200m sprint. He could have run either the first or third leg, and he was currently the strongest and in the best condition among the Japanese team members. Of course, they wanted him to run the final leg, but due to the injury, he could only run the second leg.

Also handling the second leg was Shen Bao, who looked at Matsu Jun'nosuke's left leg not far away, pondering silently. Matsu Jun'nosuke was injured, so if he competed conservatively, Shen Bao might have a chance to outrun him. Thinking that he might beat Matsu Jun'nosuke, Shen Bao couldn't help but smile slightly.

Shen Bao didn't notice that Matsu Jun'nosuke also glanced at him. The smile on Shen Bao's face happened to fall into Matsu Jun'nosuke's eyes.

"What does this Chinese man's smile mean? Does he think I can't beat him because I'm injured? Does he look down on me like this? Who does he think he is? He can't even make it to the Olympic A standard? I, Matsu Jun'nosuke, would actually be looked down upon by him! I'm the number one in Asia! I can't believe I'm looked down upon by this Chinese man! Shame! This cannot be tolerated! I'll let you know during the race that even if I'm injured, I can still be faster than you..."

In that instant when the baton was passed for the second leg, everyone was focused on Matsu Jun'nosuke. Although everyone knew that Matsu Jun'nosuke was injured, they didn't know the extent of his injury. By observing Matsu Jun'nosuke's performance on the track, they could intuitively judge the severity of his injury.

The process of handing over the baton, the sprinting before the exchange, and the speed of the exchange were all done seamlessly, appearing very smooth. However, as the saying goes, "amateurs look at the excitement, while experts look at the technique." There were knowledgeable observers among the audience, and they had already noticed that during the curved sprint section, Matsu Jun'nosuke's left leg didn't exert any force at all. While Matsu Jun'nosuke appeared fine on the surface, it was evident that his injury was significant. It was conservatively estimated that he wouldn't be able to participate in the 200m sprint event in the afternoon.

But what surprised everyone was that even after entering the straight path, Matsu Jun'nosuke remained the fastest. Especially as they approached the end of the straight path, his speed became notably faster than Shen Bao's.

Matsu Jun'nosuke's best 100m time was just achieved last month, clocking in at 10.03 seconds. In contrast, Shen Bao would only achieve his personal best of 10.23 seconds next year. The 0.2-second difference between them was an irreversible advantage in the 100m sprint.

However, both Kobayashi Takahiro and Coach Takano Yoshiharu furrowed their brows.

"Why is he running so fast? Is it alright for him to run like this? Can his Achilles tendon handle it?" Both of them independently pondered.

During high-speed movement, even running in a straight line, the Achilles tendon would endure immense pressure. Matsu Jun'nosuke's Achilles tendon was injured, so he should have run conservatively. Before the race, Coach Takano Yoshiharu also advised Matsu Jun'nosuke to refrain from exerting too much force. However, after being provoked by Shen Bao just before the relay, Matsu Jun'nosuke evidently didn't follow the coach's advice.

"I, Matsu Jun'nosuke, will never become a burden to the Japanese team!" Matsu Jun'nosuke thought to himself as he ran into the handover zone, passing the baton to the third leg runner, Takahiro Takahira.

Subsequently, Matsu Jun'nosuke gradually slowed down his pace, coming to a stop, but as he stood still, a sharp pain shot through his left leg. He staggered, nearly falling to the ground. He knew that his injury had worsened.

The human body was such that under high mental tension or intense focus, one might not feel pain. However, once one stopped, the pain would immediately manifest, and it would feel even more severe.

Matsu Jun'nosuke was already competing with an injury. If he had run conservatively, it wouldn't have aggravated his injury much. But just now, he had exerted himself to the fullest, maintaining high explosive power, which undoubtedly exacerbated his injury.

Seeing Matsu Jun'nosuke in this state, Kobayashi Takahiro and others felt that something was amiss. However, coaches from other countries felt delighted. Matsu Jun'nosuke's apparent injury meant that he was unlikely to participate in the 200m sprint in the afternoon. With one less formidable opponent, there was an additional opportunity.

The third leg for Japan was handled by Takahira Takahiro.

Takahira Takahiro was a young athlete, only nineteen years old this year. However, he was an all-around technically skilled athlete.

Sprinters generally would cover two events. For instance, most athletes would cover both the 100m and 200m events since the demands for explosiveness in both events were similar. Athletes who covered the 200m and 400m events were fewer, and mostly, those who excelled in the 400m event also competed in the 200m event, such as the legendary American sprinter Michael Johnson.

But very few athletes covered all three events: the 100m, 200m, and 400m. From a technical perspective, the 100m and 400m required entirely different sprinting techniques and rhythms, with no overlap.

Takahira Takahiro was one of these "very few." He competed in the 100m, 200m, and 400m events and achieved decent results in domestic Japanese competitions and some youth events in Asia.

Although Takahira Takahiro seemed to possess versatile skills, in high-level competitions, versatility often translated to incapacity. Therefore, despite Takahira Takahiro's outstanding talent, he still fell slightly short compared to Yang Yao, who was dedicated to the 200m sprint. After one lap around the curve, the lead that Matsu Jun'nosuke gained with one leg was significantly reduced by Takahira Takahiro. Yang Yao successfully narrowed the gap between the two teams.

Due to the different starting points, when the gap between the teams was very small, before entering the straight path, ordinary spectators couldn't determine who was truly in the lead. Observing who entered the handover zone first was a good method to judge the lead.

Japan still had a slight advantage and entered the handover zone first.

China and Saudi Arabia almost entered the handover zone simultaneously.

The final showdown would be decided by the fourth leg runner.

Saudi Arabia's fourth leg was still handled by the small-built black athlete, Habeeb.

Japan's fourth leg runner was the veteran Masahara Nobuyuki.

China's fourth leg was Zhang Guan.

The ultimate contest was about to unfold...