Chapter 109: Losers" Success
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"17.11 meters!" Coach Liu repeated the number. His face was quite serious.
Xian Su"s best performance using a 16 pound shot was 17.15 meters. He has never had such a high score in a compet.i.tion. Are we going to lose the game? Coach Liu glanced at Xian Su, perplexed.
Coach Liu knew that the best performance could only be used as a reference. As a coach, he could not expect every athlete to be the best version of themselves in every single compet.i.tion.
The first two attempts were finished. But although everyone would now have their last chance, they all knew that this game belonged to three people: Xian Su, Bin w.a.n.g, and Jiankang Chen.
Xian Su began to feel anxious. It was his last chance to win the compet.i.tion.
Although it was a friendly match, the atmosphere was not very friendly. Xian Su did not want to be defeated by a n.o.body who was not even a first-cla.s.s athlete. If he did, it would hurt his reputation badly. Xian Su was regretting giving up his first attempt. If he hadn"t, he would have had another chance.
Coach Liu was more eager to win that Xian Su. The purpose of their visit had been to win the game. To do so, they had deliberately picked a time when the youth team lacked sufficient athletic talent. If it meant getting more fame for Nantan Middle School, they did not care about having an even contest.
Xian Su was the trump card for Nantan. If he lost the compet.i.tion, the trip would have been made in vain. What could the Nantan Middle School boast about their school if the best athletes from the school were defeated?
On his third attempt, Jinpeng Lu quickly finished his throw, then left the mound to make way for Jiankang Chen. Jinpeng Lu had finished his role as a co-star; n.o.body cared about his performance. They all wanted to see whether Xian Su could surpa.s.s 17.11 meters or not.
Xian Su stepped onto the field. His face was very serious, and everyone"s concentration on him put him under a lot of pressure. He felt even more stressed than when he had taken part in the National Youth Athletics Champions.h.i.+ps.
Although the youth champions.h.i.+ps were a big compet.i.tion, he had competed for his pride; no matter what he had gotten, it would have been his business. But today"s friendly match was different. It was at a lower level, but Xian Su was representing the entire Nantan school. If he failed, the school failed. The pressure was quite different when representing a group as opposed to oneself.
You cannot fail! Xian Su told himself. He took a deep breath, then sddenly spun his body like an elegant dancer dancing beautifully in the throwing circle. With a loud shout, he stretched out his arm and pushed the shot. It raised high into the air.
"17 meters!" Coach Liu shouted out loud.
The shot touched the ground, leaving a mark outside the 17-meter arc.
Everybody was staring at the surveyor. Only he could give the final result.
It is too far from here, I cannot see it clearly. I do not know how Xian Su did this time. Dai Li was a little nervous, but he was still calm knowing that Jiankang Chen had one more attempt.
Coach Liu"s palms were sweating. Whether they sank or swam depended on this contest.
This time, the surveyor was extremely cautious. He measured the mark several times, then finally gave the result: "17.08 meters!"
"I win! I win!" Jiankang Chen jumped high. He was euphoric.
He ran to Dai Li and gave him a huge hug. "Coach, I win! I win, I win..." He was crying tears of joy, as if he were a child. In fact, to most people present, he was a child; he was not even 18-years-old yet.
Although it had been a small friendly match, Jiankang Chen had defeated Xian Su, the third place finisher in the national youth game. To Jiankang Chen, it was a miracle.
In that moment, Jiankang Chen thought back to four months ago when he had been willing to go on as a loser, preparing to end his career. He had been planning to enter a vocational school. But four months later, he had defeated a national third place finisher!
To him, the whole world had changed. He knew that it was Dai Li who had brought about those changes. He had been a degenerate, but thanks to Dai Li, he had gained his confidence again. He was able to devote himself to the shot put, and even taste victory.
Today"s glory had taught Jiankang Chen a lesson: whenever he did something, as long as he insisted to never give up, he would be rewarded.
"Thank you so much, Coach!" Jiankang Chen was sobbing uncontrollably.
Dai Li patted Jiankang Chen"s shoulder, then looked at the other four athletes. They were all excited. Although they had not been able to defeat Xian Su, they had still outperformed Jinpeng Lu, who was a first-cla.s.s athlete. That brought them satisfaction.
There was no need to continue the contest. Xian Su had failed, so Dai Li did not plan to embarra.s.s the compet.i.tion any further.
...
How could I have failed! He is only a second-cla.s.s athlete! Xian Su"s face was full of pain and unwillingness.
Xian Su was not someone who had never failed before, but he had never expected to be defeated by a n.o.body. It was like a kung-fu master confidently preparing for a fight, but then being beaten by a street thug. No words could express his discontent.
Coach Liu"s face was pale. When Xian Su had failed, the entire Nantan school had failed. To make matters worse, Xian Su had been defeated by someone who, he had never heard of before; someone that was not even a second-cla.s.s athlete. If the news of this spread, Nantan would have a difficult time recruiting athletes in the future.
Coach Zhang, on the other hand, was delighted.
Haha, we win! And we beat your trump card! Nantan Middle School, you have finally learned your lesson. Well, I should report the good news to the chief coach...
Thinking about this, Coach Zhang took out his phone and called Coach Lu.
"Sorry, the number you dialed is busy. Please stay on the line..."
Coach Lu is talking to someone else. I will call back later. Coach Zhang put down his phone.