Orc Undead Sports Warrior

Chapter 188 Chasing and intercepting

After Shen Liang finished speaking, the group fell silent again.

Apart from Lu Wei, a middle-aged orc, who has the mental age of a young man, everyone else is a young person. Even Hu Huo, a contestant with a master's degree, is not yet 25 years old.

Although this was Wen Ningyi's first time participating in the finals of a domestic competition, his teammates on the final track were all stronger than him. Zhao Gang and Yu Cheng's "Little Cannon" were not easy to beat either. If he didn't perform well, his ranking would be at the bottom.

If that's the case, it would be a huge jeopardy for the national team's reputation. In his mind, being a member of the national team carries a strong sense of honor. Putting aside everything else, as long as you're on the national team, you can't afford to lose a game easily.

Hu Huo smiled and shook his head; he was also very nervous. Although he was not yet 25 years old, he was already the oldest member of the national sprint relay team.

He could only lament that there were so many promising athletes emerging. When he had just won the 100-meter championship at the Universiade, he rode on that momentum and won many championships in China within two or three years.

Back then, winning the championship wasn't difficult; as long as you ran under 10.3 seconds, you were basically a champion.

With this result, it's probably not even guaranteed that he'll be in the top three. And there are runners like Lu Wei who have already broken 10.1 seconds, and they do it with ease.

Life is getting harder and harder!

Zhang Yuanteng and Shen Liang were always at odds during the competition, and at this point, they couldn't speak calmly to each other. In the past, when others talked about this, they could say that two tigers cannot share the same mountain.

But now both of them realize that they are no longer the biggest favorites to win the championship.

If you mentioned Lu Wei's name at this time last year, probably no one in the track and field world would know him.

Unexpectedly, just one year later, such a monster emerged: he excelled in everything from the 400 meters, shot put, javelin, and 100 meters, and even in boxing, he beat the national team members of the same level to a pulp. Just what kind of existence is this?

These thoughts kept flashing through the minds of the team members. Before an important match, everyone had their own way of doing things. Some would chat with people to distract themselves, while others would think about happy things to shift their focus.

Some people even have a habit of doing the same thing before every important game, believing that completing these procedures will bring them good luck and lead to good results in the game.

Two words can accurately summarize this behavior: superstition!

However, many people still enjoy doing this.

Everyone is doing so much to try to relieve their tension so that they can perform at their normal level in the competition.

Aside from Shen Liang, there really wasn't anyone else who would be so determined to go against the competition at this point. However, this very mindset actually helped him achieve good results in the competition.

At this moment, Lu Wei went up to Liu Feiren and chatted with him, laughing and talking. Liu Feiren liked to talk about his experiences abroad over the years. Lu Wei listened very carefully, asking questions from time to time, and sometimes talking about his own competitions this year.

What Liu Feiren was most interested in was actually the story of how he rescued the team members from the Helan Mountains. After Lu Wei told him about the ridiculous things that happened during the trip, Liu Feiren laughed so hard that his back almost cramped.

"How did you manage to knock Zhao Dayong unconscious with one punch? It's amazing that a boxer was defeated by a track and field athlete!"

To prevent his back from continuing to cramp, Liu Feiren lay on the audience seat and chatted with Lu Wei about another thing that interested him.

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you, so it's better not to. How far do you think I can run in the finals?"

Lu Wei felt that this topic didn't seem to have much potential for development and would quickly become dull. He suggested shifting the conversation to the upcoming match; since neither of them was a match for the other, discussing his ambitions wouldn't make him seem arrogant.

"I don't know! I stayed in the lounge for a while and didn't come out until the afternoon when the sunlight was out. But I know you broke the national record twice in a row, which is really amazing. I hope you can break the national record again. This record is only of average level to begin with, and it's a bit embarrassing that it has been held for so long."

Before the age of 13, Liu Feiren had always trained in sprinting. Later, he was selected by Coach Sun to train in hurdles and sprints. When he won the Asian championship in 2002, the four members of the Chinese men's 4x100m relay team came from the 100m, 200m, 400m and hurdles events, which shows how weak the sprinters were at that time.

The men's relay team had been thoroughly defeated by the Japanese team for many years, which had been a source of great frustration for everyone in the track and field community. This time at the Olympics, they finally had a chance to win back their title.

"I guess I'm now the first person of Asian descent to run under 10 seconds, right?"

Lu Wei said it casually.

"There's no suspense. The best time for a person of Asian descent is currently 10 seconds flat by a Japanese person. If you run under 10 seconds, you will definitely be the first person to do so."

Liu Xiang seemed to be searching his memory, then continued, "The Asian record should have been set by a Qatari athlete, who ran around 9.92 seconds. However, he probably didn't make it to the finals in subsequent world competitions; he was just a performer, I guess!"

"Then I'll break history for the yellow race today!"

After Lu Wei finished speaking, even the physiotherapist who was giving Liu Feiren a treatment stopped, turned around and looked at Lu Wei as if he were an idiot.

Although he wasn't a trained athlete, he knew a lot about track and field. What so many people had strived for over the years without success, this kid just casually mentioned today—such youthful arrogance!

Perhaps he realized that his reaction was a bit too strong and somewhat out of control.

He smiled and continued massaging Liu Feiren's Achilles tendon, without saying much. There were certain topics that these two couldn't discuss, and if he were to interfere, he risked offending the big man.

"You know what? There are many people who don't even dare to dream of it. As a sprinter, you only have a chance to break 10 seconds if you set your sights on 9.5 seconds. I think there's nothing you can't dream of. Maybe you can break 10 seconds today. If I didn't dare to dream of anything and kept limiting myself, I wouldn't be where I am today. Keep going!"

Lu Wei now felt that this Liu Feiren was simply an old fox. Any difficult question could always be turned into positive energy by him. People from Shanghai really know how to talk.

He and the "Little Giant" are now considered by foreign countries to be the top two figures in Chinese sports, and they still seem to have some skills.

"All athletes participating in the 100-meter final, please proceed to the check-in table for registration!"

As the announcer announced the news, the audience erupted in loud cheers. Judging solely by the athletes' performances today, Lu Wei's two breaking of the national record left a deep impression; his popularity today was second only to Liu Xiang.

The other four national team members who made it to the finals all looked serious at this moment, as if they had never felt that domestic competitions would put them under so much pressure.

"I used to feel relaxed when I heard the check-in notice, and I would only start to get into the mood when I warmed up at the venue. Why am I nervous today?"

After speaking, Zhang Yuanteng slapped his face with both hands, trying to make himself as excited as possible.

The others felt the same way, but they either stubbornly refused to admit it or didn't want to talk about it. They looked back at Lu Wei, who was still joking with Liu Feiren at a leisurely pace.

After he had finished speaking, he slowly walked towards the other team members.

"Look, among the team members of the same age group, Lu Wei is so relaxed and at ease. Among these people, only Hu Huo can still hold on. The others look pale and frustrated!"

Yu Wei had been praising these team members to the skies just a few hours ago, and his attitude has changed so quickly.

Wang Qiao smiled but didn't speak. He knew that Lu Wei was already dominating the others in terms of presence. It was so oppressive to compete against someone stronger and with a more imposing aura.

In Wang Qiao's view, Lu Wei's level has now surpassed these people by a whole realm, and this situation is unlikely to change for quite some time to come.

After the check-in was completed, the team members didn't say much and waited on the track for the women's 5000-meter race to end quickly.

"Old Sun, how come you haven't produced a single good prospect in the past few years? Look at these young men's sprinters, they're already showing promise. Every time you go out to compete, it's Liu Yangyu who single-handedly opens the way for you."

I think he's overtraining and showing signs of damaging his body. I wonder what you'll do after he retires!

Coach Sun had no way to respond to these words. That was the truth. It was better to say nothing than to explain further. The current situation was a bit difficult, and it wouldn't be something that could be trained in a short time.

"Shi Peng and Xiao Xie are both good; they will definitely have an advantage for the group in the future!"

To avoid embarrassing Coach Sun, Wang Qiao made a lighthearted joke and let the topic drop.

Before the 100-meter mark, the athletes participating in the final had already begun warming up.

In the final, Lu Wei was in lane 4, while Zhang Yuanteng improved his record again based on his performance in the semi-finals.

The audience at the scene cheered for their team members with all their might, and the cheers were deafening.

Shen Liang was in lane 6, and he was still a little resentful that he couldn't be by Lu Wei's side in the final. In his eyes, Lu Wei was his only opponent now, and the others were too mediocre to be his opponents.

Hu Huo is in lane 3, and he's paired with Lu Wei again this time. He seems quite relaxed about it, thinking that at least he can run close to the biggest favorite to win the championship in that position, and maybe he can even get a good result by the end of the race.

When the warm-up time was almost up, the referee blew his whistle to signal the athletes to return to the starting line and wait for the race to officially begin.

"This is the most intense domestic competition these kids have faced since becoming professional athletes. The time to test their mettle has finally come. I want to see if these kids can truly perform to their full potential in such a competition!"

Yu Wei looked like a leader watching his subordinates' performance after military training.

Compared to these teammates, Zhao Gang, who had been so arrogant that morning, had almost no role in this competition and seemed to have no presence. He appeared somewhat overshadowed by these rising young stars.

"Shh! Please be quiet. After the starting gun fires, you can go all out at your highest decibel level, okay?" The radio host suddenly spoke with a Taiwanese accent, which made many viewers laugh.

After the host reminded them again, the entire audience fell silent.

The fact that people couldn't stay quiet doesn't mean that Chinese spectators have poor manners at the stadium; it just means that we participate in too few competitive sports events, and many people don't know how to express their feelings.

"Everyone is in your place!"

Aside from a few athletes, everyone else on the scene was frozen in place. If someone were to let out a loud fart right now, they would probably become the center of attention.

Shen Liang roared and slapped his thigh hard, trying to get himself excited. The other team members also had their own ways of motivating themselves at this moment.

Lu Wei calmly placed his hand on the edge of the starting line, half-kneeling on the ground, determined to give it his all in this shot.

"preparation!"

At this moment, all the athletes stood up. Everyone knew that the moment the starting gun fired was the critical moment that would determine life or death. The field was eerily quiet at this time, and the text message notification sound of some people's mobile phones could be heard clearly.

"boom!"

The starting gun fired, and all eight team members pushed off the ground with all their might. The start was crucial; it could determine the ranking of some people in the race.

The race was no different from the morning's. Lu Wei ran out almost at the starting gun's beat, half a step faster than everyone else. Even Shen Liang's reaction time at the start was not as good as his.

Then came the stagnation that occurred in the previous races. After running about 10 meters, Shen Liang overtook him. The title of Asia's best in the first 30 meters was well-deserved. Although Shen Liang's reaction time wasn't as phenomenal as Lu Wei's, his short, agile physique and dazzling stride frequency propelled him into the lead.

When Shen Liang had run about 30 meters, he had pulled ahead of Lu Wei by about two body lengths. This distance was his moment, and no one could stop him in the race.

Lu Wei felt that two people on his right were approaching him; they should be Zhang Yuanteng and Yuzhou Xiaogangpao.

There were footsteps on the left as well. Hu Huo might be running forward with him right now. At this moment, the situation was still quite serious for Lu Wei.

I never expected these guys to unleash such powerful energy in the competition.

For a runner who is nearly 2 meters tall, the first 30 meters is really not an advantage. Running around, this period is when I am most vulnerable.

During the indoor championships, I was able to break through the ranks of a bunch of tough guys, which is something to be proud of now.

These kids have already pushed themselves to the brink in the early stages; even if it's their weakness, they can't afford to lose too badly.

Lu Wei stomped his feet hard on the ground, and a smile actually appeared on his face at that moment.

No wonder these kids have been practicing their starting speed so hard lately; they were doing it all so they could suppress themselves at this moment!