The doorbell rang, and Justin Alexander opened the door, but the face he saw was a face he didn"t want to see.
"Sebastian, why are you here?" Alexander"s tone was not the least bit friendly.
"You"re not going to invite in your old partner?" Sebastian pointed into the house.
Alexander hesitated, but he nodded and invited Sebastian into the house.
The two sat down in the living room. Alexander didn"t even serve Sebastian a cup of coffee. He asked directly, "Sebastian, what is your reason for visiting me?"
Sebastian crossed his legs and asked, "Justin, your suspension period is coming to an end, right? I am here to talk to you about your comeback. I"ve done some calculations, and as long as you use your time properly to train, you should be able to get back to your original condition before the Olympic trials. So when are you going to return to my training camp?"
"What do you mean? Do you think that you have not hurt me enough? If not for you, I wouldn"t have been banned. Wasting away at home for four years. The day I was suspended, the cooperation between us ended!" Alexander snarled.
"Do you think I was the one who got you suspended? You got suspended because of the choices you made. I warned you about the possible consequences of using those things, and you didn"t raise any objections. You still used them, and you ran faster, right? You are the one who failed to withstand the temptation. Shouldn"t you bear the consequences of your own actions?" Sebastian said.
"The consequences? The consequence was that I was suspended by the Anti-Doping Committee! I almost lost everything, but you suffered nothing, and you were able to win the t.i.tle of the best national track and field team coach. Hahaha, how ironic. A coach who used performance-enhancing drugs for his athletes won the t.i.tle of best track and field coach of the year!" Alexander"s tone was full of ridicule and resentment.
"Is that a problem? Athletes who use performance-enhancing drugs naturally need to bear the risk. If performance-enhancing drugs improve their results, and they don"t get caught, they will get praise, glory, money. But if you are caught, of course, you are suspended as punishment. The world is fair; if you want to gain something, you need to be willing to pay the price. And you were unlucky then, the International a.s.sociation of Athletics Federation had just improved their doping detection system, and they caught you."
Sebastian changed his tone and went on to say, "But that"s not important anymore. It"s all in the past. Being suspended isn"t a catastrophe. Isn"t your suspension going to end soon? The next step you should take is to return to training as soon as possible. Return to the field, and then start your career again."
"That"s right, I will return to the game, but my partner will not be you! I will not cooperate with you anymore, and I will not use those d*mned things again. This time, I will rely on my own strength to get honor!" Alexander said resolutely.
However, a scornful smile appeared on Sebastian"s face. "I admit that you are a very talented athlete, but do you really think that you can stand out from that many athletes by your own talents? You have to know that it is not 30 years ago. You can"t achieve results by just training the body. Today, technology has developed, and there are many other ways to a.s.sist in training and improve an athlete"s performance. I"ve only allowed you guys to enjoy the progress brought along by technology. Yes, I used some products that can help athletes improve their performance, but how do you know that the same methods are not used by others?"
Alexander was silent. Sebastian then advised, "Justin, I think you know that many athletes are using performance-enhancing drugs, and many people are even using them legally. Especially athletes who are in athletics, using performance-enhancing drugs is an open secret. Performance-enhancing drugs can indeed bring about an improvement in results. If others are using it, and you don"t use it, isn"t it equivalent to binding your own hands and feet?"
"No! I will never touch that kind of thing again!" Alexander resolutely shook his head. "I have already had one suspension, and if I get caught doping again, I will be facing a life-long ban!"
"The possibility of that happening isn"t high. Don"t forget, I have Franklin"s Lab behind me." Sebastian smiled confidently. "I"ll tell you a secret; Franklin"s Lab has launched a new generation of products, and the Anti-Doping Committee has no way of detecting them. Franklin"s Lab is at least 24 months ahead of the International Olympic Committee, so you can relax. Believe me, as long as you are willing to continue working with me, I will make you the fastest runner in the world!"
"The fastest runner in the world? If not for Kittel"s retirement, you wouldn"t have the confidence to say that!" Alexander snorted.
"You"re right, it"s because of Kittel"s retirement that I dare give you such a guarantee. Didn"t you always dream of being the fastest person in the world? Now you have the chance to realize your dream. As soon as you come to my training camp, you will realize that you are getting closer and closer to your dream." Sebastian"s voice was full of enchantment.
"My dream is to defeat the fastest person in the world, and that person is Kittel. Yes, I never defeated him. Every time I challenged him, I ended up in failure. But that does not mean I will give in!" Alexander"s emotions seemed agitated, and he went on to say, "But you gave me those d*mned things to use and got me suspended for four years. In these past four years, I would"ve had chances to challenge Kittel again. But now? Kittel has already retired, leaving only a pile of records that no one can break, and I can no longer challenge him. He has become a mountain that cannot be pa.s.sed."
The unfriendliness in Sebastian"s eyes went away in a flash, and he eased his tone and said, "We shouldn"t waste time on things that happened in the past, we should pay attention to the present. I know that you are worried about being caught using performance-enhancing drugs again, and you are worried about being suspended for life. But don"t forget, you are already 30 years old. How long can you continue to run? With the technology of Franklin"s Lab, even if you were caught using performance-enhancing drugs again, it will be many years in the future. When that happens, you might"ve already retired."
"Besides, when you were suspended four years ago for using steroids, you became infamous. In the eyes of other track and field coaches, you are a troublesome guy with a criminal record. Besides me, what top coach would be willing to work with you? Those track and field coaches who are famous and well-established are all looking to protect their reputation. Will they accept a tainted athlete such as yourself? You are more like a prisoner who has just been released from prison rather than an athlete!"
"But I am different, not to mention that we have cooperated for so many years. I understand you. If we cooperate again, we do not need to rebuild rapport. I will be able to let you return to your peak in a short time! Think about your age; you are already 30 years old, and the four-year suspension also made you miss your peak period. If you get a new coach now, you will need time to understand each other. You will need time to get to know each other. You guys will need an adjustment period, and when all this is done, you will already be old! Can you still run then?"
"Even if you hate me, for your own career, I hope you can let go of your prejudice against me. You should understand this clearly; choosing to continue to cooperate with me is your best option," Sebastian said. He took a business card from his pocket and placed it on the table. "I don"t know if you still have my contact information. I"ll leave my business card here, so contact me after you think about it!"
...
Sebastian left, leaving Justin Alexander sitting alone in the living room. He laid down on the sofa and turned on the TV. He then stared at the ceiling. His heart was filled with many contradictions.
Because of his suspension, he hated Sebastian. However, he had to admit that what Sebastian said had some truth in it.
As Sebastian said, coaches and athletes needed time to get to know each other and to build rapport. The higher level the athlete, the more that held true. The adjustment period might be four or five months, or one or two years. Many track and field athletes refused to change coaches after entering their peak, because the adjustment period that came with changing coaches would lead to the decline of an athlete"s performance. In sprint compet.i.tions for example, even if the results were only a slight decrease of a few fractions of a second, it would be unacceptable to an athlete.
A sprinter"s career was relatively short, and their peak periods were even shorter. The one or two years of adjustment period with a new coach was time that the sprinters couldn"t afford to lose.
What"s more, Alexander was already 30 years old. He had been away from the game for four years because of the suspension. He not only needed to return to his original physical condition, but he also needed a lot of time to find his rhythm in compet.i.tions. If he followed a new coach, he would need more time before he was able to really return to the field.
From this point of view, continuing to work with Sebastian was indeed the best option.
But Alexander also knew what it meant to continue working with Sebastian. Sebastian would not give up the use of performance-enhancing drugs for athletes.
At that time, an exclusive program was playing on the TV. The person who was being interviewed was Adam Holly, who had just won the gold medal in the World Champions.h.i.+p.
"I know that since I missed my target in the last Olympics, I had the nickname, the "Tragic Last Shot,"" Holly said. It was followed by a soft laugh from the audience.
"However, my friends who have seen me in recent compet.i.tions must know that I have completely solved this problem," Holly continued.
"Adam, would you mind sharing with us how you solved this problem?" the host asked.
"This is because I met a good coach! So I want to especially thank my coach, Dai Li. It is because of his training that my last shot is no longer inaccurate," Holly replied.
"Coach? Is he the kind of coach who trains the body? Not a psychiatrist?" The host looked surprised. "This is the first time I heard a psychological problem being solved through physical training."
"That is the truth! If you live in Los Angeles, you may have heard of him. He has opened a physical training center and is very famous in Los Angeles. You must know "Blade Warrior" Philip. He was originally just an injured soldier who came back from the Iraqi battlefield. It was after he received training from Coach Li that he was able to become a top athlete. There was also the boxing champion Kevin Taylor. After being trained by Coach Li, he was able to return to his peak!" Holly had an earnest expression. He looked more like an advertising promoter.
In front of the TV, Alexander had already straightened up. He lived in Los Angeles, and as a professional athlete, he had heard of Coach Li"s training center, so when he heard Dai Li"s name, he picked up his phone, and started searching for Dai Li"s training center.
Coach Lee"s Physical Fitness Training Center, there are quite a few chain stores… Dai Li, he"s Chinese! Alexander looked at Dai Li"s photo, and surprise flashed in his eyes.
In the US, the Chinese gave the impression that they were not good at sports. Therefore, in the case of sports, the Chinese had to perform better than blacks or whites to get people"s attention. For example, if a school team was selecting basketball players, and a Chinese man and a black person gave the same performance, then the coach would definitely choose the black person. If the Chinese wanted to be selected by the coach, he must do better than the black person.
As a Chinese coach who is able to make it in Los Angeles, and be famous no less, this guy must be really capable. Alexander stared at the photo and memorized Dai Li"s appearance.