Chapter 248: A Finish That Takes Everything
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The third leg of the race was the most important part of the relay race in the 4x100m compet.i.tion. Compared to the other legs, the third runner had to run the longest curve, and had to complete the final handoff, which required the best technique.
In addition, the third runner tended to feel nervous because the upcoming curve was the final one. They wanted to hand off the baton as soon as possible. However, the more nervous they were, the more mistakes they tended to make.
The fourth runner, on the other hand, only had to focus on one thing once they got the baton in their hand—running! This was the only thought in their mind, and because of this they generally felt less nervous.
Dai Li had chosen Kenen Shen to be the third runner because he was good at running the curve and had a lot of experience.
As an experienced athlete, he knew about curve running technique. When an athlete reached Kenan Shen"s age, who had been sprinting for a dozen years, although they might not be the best runner when it came to curve running technique, they would still be masters to some extent.
As for experience, Kenan Shen was also a great athlete experienced in running. When he was younger, he was an excellent sprinter who went to various national sports games, which young athletes could never compare to.
In a man"s thirties, even someone who was irritable could become patient, at least in the moment. Kenan Shen was not worried.
"Handoff!" Kenan Shen shouted as he stuck the baton out.
"Receiving!" Dong Qian grabbed the baton immediately, then rushed forward at a high speed. It was perfect teamwork again; so smooth and perfect!
Compared to other relay teams, the cooperation between Kenan Shen and Dong Qian was much smoother and faster. Outsiders might not have noticed this, but in the eyes of professional sprinting coaches, this was similar to a masterpiece.
"Perfect!" Li Xue commented. He had to compliment Kenan Shen for his handoff.
When judging the relay event, the performance of the next runner who received the baton decided the result. The athlete handing off the baton was not only a starter, but also an organizer of the relay process.
In the third leg of the race, Kenan Shen had done his best, regardless of his timing or other aspects of a sprinter who had to perform a handoff. He was one of the best relay runners just for what he had just done.
Perfect teamwork allowed Dong Qian to become the first one to leave the starting point for the last leg. He sped up. He realized he could maintain their advantage and be the first runner for at least the first ten meters.
Dong Qian was capable of competing in official compet.i.tions just because of his current performance. He was also one of Dai Li"s best athletes. It would not be exaggerating to say he was the fastest sprinter on the Hanbei track and field team. But when it came to being the anchor of a team, every team would send their best runner.
Sijie Yang, Yue Zhao, Jun Xie, and Zitao Wei… The first two were Asian Games champions, and the other two had also won many national prizes for finis.h.i.+ng in first place.
Dong Qian was still not as good as them. Even worse, there weren"t any more opportunities to catch up. Dong Qian"s performance mattered a lot. It would make a difference if his advantage would help him remain the fastest until the end of the race.
Everyone tried their best in the last leg of the race. Even if they had made some mistakes and become the slowest in the group, they would try their best right now.
…
Jun Xie held the baton tightly while he ran as fast as he could.
As an excellent sprinter on the national team, it wasn"t that he didn"t know he would be chasing after others; it was just that in Jun Xie"s mind, he would have been chasing Sijie Yang, Yue Zhao, or Zitao Wei, his old team mate.
Right now, however, Jun Xie found that he was chasing after someone he didn"t know at all.
Dong Qian was quite a famous athlete in the Hanbei Province, but he wasn"t famous enough to be recognized nationwide. It was understandable for top athletes like Jun Xie to not know him.
How could this n.o.body be ahead of me? Jun Qian looked towards the front of the pack unhappily.
Luckily he is not as fast as I am. Once Jun Qian realized this, he began running at the speed of light.
The gap is narrowing! Jun Xie seemed to see a glimpse of hope.
But the runners were getting close to the finish line. Jun Xie suddenly realized that he might not be able to catch up to Dong Qian before they reached the finish line.
I am faster than him but I am being left behind! Am I going to lose to this n.o.body? No way! I can"t let this happen!
At this moment Jun Xie looked diabolic. He looked like a crazy beast sprinting to the finish line.
Sijie Yang was acting the same way. This was a big change for Sijie Yang, who had won first place in the Asian Games.
Sijie Yang was much more mature than he had been when he had first attended the Asian Games. He longed for the champions.h.i.+p even more than he had before. He would never miss an opportunity to become a champion. But right now, facing someone who was not as good as he was, the only thing he needed to do was to speed up.
Dong Qian was still the first one, but the gap was narrowing. Dong Qian could feel that Jun Xie and Sijie Yang were right behind him.
Jun Xie is on my left! Dong Qian got a glimpse of Jun Xie, which meant that Jun Xie was getting pretty close.
That"s Jun Qian. I can"t believe he is behind me! Dong Qian was excited.
Jun Xie had been the top sprinter in this country the past few years, and was considered the model sprinter.
Dong Qian had dreamed of competing with Jun Qian on the same stage for a long time, except that he had never been good enough to do so. All the contests Jun Xie attended were big ones, while Dong Qian was not even qualified to sign up for those compet.i.tions.
But at this moment, Dong Qian had felt that his dream had come true. He was running next to the great athlete he had always wanted to meet.
On his left, Sijie Yang was approaching.
That"s Sijie Yang! the Asian champion Sijie Yang! Dong Qian suddenly remembered that a couple months earlier, when he had been sitting in front of a TV witnessing Sijie Yang win first place in the Asian Games, that he had also envied him as well!
Dong Qian had used to think that he would never be able to even be at the same contest as Sijie Yang.
Jun Xie, Sijie Yang, we are now in the same compet.i.tion! And I might win! This is the only shot I"ll have in my entire life!
Jun Xie and Sijie Yang were on either side of Dong Qian, now behind him. They had almost caught up to Dong Qian.
They were less than ten meters away from the finish line.
Dong Qian knew this would probably be the most spectacular ten meters of his life.
I want to win! No matter what it takes, I want to win!
Dong Qian straightened his head and body forward. Dong Qian was moving so fast that he couldn"t keep his balance. He s.h.i.+fted his weight forward and stretched his arms out. He was diving across the finish line.
Many people thought it was cheating to dive across the finish line, but in actuality it wasn"t against the rules. According to the regulations, the scale depended on the sequence of the athlete"s body (not including the head, neck, arm, leg, hand or foot) crossing the finish line. The first one to reach the finish line won. As long as you didn"t distract other athletes, it was okay to lie down once you crossed the finish line.
That being said, this movement wasn"t encouraged, as athletes tended to get injured when they were running quickly. Most of the time they were not only in the danger of hurting their skin, but also faced the possibility of breaking a bone, which could end their sprinting career. Therefore, athletes would seldom bet their professional sports career to dive for the finish line.
Dong Qian was willing to do anything to win the victory. He dived across the line without giving it a second thought. He wanted to win so badly that he would do whatever it took to win.
The next second, Dong Qian feel to the ground hard, and slid forward due to his momentum.
Dong Qian now only had one question.
Did I win?
He raised his head, looking around for some type of confirmation. He was confused until he saw Dai Li raise his arms in celebration.
"I won!" Dong Qian giggled like a child.