Almighty Coach Chapter 520

Irwin did not disappoint his fans and he was crowned the champion of the men's 400m sprint .

The South African youngster, Nick Zouma, got the silver medal . The bronze medal went to another U . S . athlete .

On that day of the competition, the U . S . team had already won a gold medal and two bronze medals . The upcoming event was another important one . It was the men's 100m sprint .

The previous fastest man in the world had retired . The world record he left behind was unlikely to be broken within the decade . This race was going to determine who was the new fastest man in the world .

As the defending champions in the event, the Jamaican team was in a good place . Three of their athletes had made it into the final . Their objective was to keep the gold medal in Jamaica .

Although the U . S . team had been hurt by the drug scandal, two of their athletes still made it into the final . Among them was the world's second fastest man, Justin Alexander .

Although all three of their athletes made it into the final, the head coach of the Jamaica team, Fraser, was not relaxed . He was careful, especially when it came to Alexander .

The assistant beside him looked at Fraser with wonder . It had been a long time since he witnessed such a solemn expression on Fraser's face .

"Coach, are you worried about Alexander? He has been banned for almost five years . That means that he hasn't ran in any international competition for five years . Perhaps he has gotten worse," the assistant said .

"It is not an easy feat to make it through the U . S . qualifier . Besides, Alexander ran within 9 . 9 seconds in the U . S . Do you think that he won't do better now?" Fraser took a deep breath and continued . "I'm not only worried about Justin Alexander, but the entire U . S . team . "

"Coach, I don't quite understand," the assistant sai, dumbfounded .

"I used to believe that this U . S . team was the weakest the country ever had . Of course, everyone thought the same . However,, this U . S . team is strong . They won a gold medal on the first day . You could say that it was luck, but they have gotten some since then as well . Do you think they are really just lucky? It has only been three days since the start of the track and field events and the U . S . team has already won four gold medals . They have exceeded all expectation," Fraser stated .

"Perhaps it's because all the events that the U . S . team is good in are concentrated in these first few days," the assistant said .

"Then why don't you tell me which events the U . S . team are weak in?" Fraser asked with disdain .

The assistant was speechless . As the world's strongest country in track and field, the U . S . did not have any weak events . Even in long-distance running, the U . S . team was second only to Ethiopia and Kenya .

Fraser then said, "The media may still be saying the U . S . team is weak, but I believe that any head coach could see that the U . S . team is still amazingly strong . That Chinese coach of the U . S . team is no simple man . To lead the U . S . team and achieve this kind of result, means we've underestimated him since the beginning . A non-American coach, and a Chinese one at that . He must have some kind of special ability . "

As Fraser said this, he looked towards Dai Li . His gaze was firm . He then changed his tone and said, "But I still believe that victory belongs to us!"

. . .

The Jamaican athlete, McNea, stood on the race tracks . He rubbed the soles of his shoes against the track to decrease his anxiety .

McNea was currently the strongest 100m sprinter in the Jamaican team . He had to take over for Kittel .

It wasn't McNea's first time in the Olympics . Four years ago, he had participated in the Games . He also made it into the final back then .

Back then, everyone had their eyes on the world's fastest man, Kittel . The McNea back then was but a supporting character that didn't really matter .

In truth, to be a sprinter in the same generation with Kittel was unfortunate, even more so if you were one of his teammates . Actually, McNea was exceptional . He had worked hard but, no matter how hard he tried, he was only a supporting character .

McNea did not want to be a supporting character, he wanted to become the main character, the focus of the stadium .

Today, without Kittel, McNea finally had the chance to become the hero .

"This time, we don't have Kittel . I will lead the Jamaican team in this event!" McNea clenched his fist tightly .

Jamaica needed to tell everyone that even without the world's fastest man, Jamaica was still number one when it came to sprinting! Jamaica would produce a new world's fastest man .

McNea had decided long ago that he would voluntarily bear this burden . That was the reason he had to win!

. . .

Another Jamaican athlete, Bartlett was also very nervous . However, he was also excited .

It was Bartlett's first Olympics . He had not slept last night because he had been so anxious .

In Jamaica, any exceptional young sprinter would receive the nickname, "Kittel's successor . " That nickname had been stuck on Bartlett for more than a decade .

Every Jamaican child saw Kittel as a role model . They hoped to become the next Kittel . Bartlett was the same . When Bartlett was still a kid, he began practicing . He displayed great talent very quickly and started formally training . He stood out in competitions of various age groups . Ultimately, he made it onto the Jamaican national team .

On the Jamaican national team, he met dozens more like him . Of course, he also met Kittel himself . Later, Bartlett defeated his opponents and rivals one by one . He told everyone that he was the real successor to Kittel . He climbed over anyone he had to in order to participate in more and more international competitions, including the current Olympic Games .

Kittel has retired . I will become the second Kittel! I want to become the new fastest man!

Bartlett's obsession grew stronger as he got older . Since he was young, people had called him Kittel's successor However, in Jamaica, too many people were told that . Today, he would prove to the world that he was the one who truly deserved the title

Kittel, you should be watching this race in front of a TV, right? I'll let you know . I'll let the world know that I'm the most qualified person to be the next you!

. . .

Alexander breathed in deeply .

The final of the Olympics, what a familiar scent!

It was the second time Alexander had been in the Olympics . His previous outing was eight years ago .

Alexander was banned four years ago and lost a chance to challenge Kittel .

It's been eight years . I'm finally back, but the people from back then have since left the competitive arena . Alexander looked around him . There were a lot of fresh faces .

In the five years Alexander was banned, he had missed one Olympics and one World Championship in Athletics . For a sport like sprinting, an athlete's prime was very short, so five years was enough to see two generations of athletes go by .

The athletes who were present in the first Olympic Games that Alexander had participated eight years ago were nowhere to be seen in the stadium today . Even counting the athletes who were present when Alexander was banned five years ago, only two of them were present at the race today .

Among them included McNea from the Jamaican team . However, five years ago, McNea was just a fresh young athlete, so he had posed no threat to Alexander . Back then, in Alexander's eyes, McNea was only an extra . However, today, McNea had become the best on the Jamaican team .

Seeing the energetic youngsters that surrounded him, Alexander suddenly realized how time had discriminated against him .

A five year ban . I've missed too many things and I've lost way more . Today, I'll start to make up for it all!

Alexander stood on the starting block . His movements seemed slow and structured, structured like the movements of a robot . He looked serious, as if in the middle of a holy ritual .

Perhaps to everyone else, I'm still the guy who used performance-enhancing drugs to improve my results . I'm still an immoral cheater . I will prove that my glory is not reliant on prohibited drugs . Even without drugs, I will become the best in the stadium .

Alexander took a deep breath and looked towards the track in front of him . He lowered his head and prepared himself for the race to start .

. . .

Dai Li looked at the eight contestants lined up at the starting line and said, "That young Jamaican called Bartlett, he has more potential than McNea . He's got the better chance . "

"Oh?" The team leader, Donny, looked towards Bartlett and said, "McNea is the top sprinter on the Jamaican team . Besides, his results have been good . He ran within 9 . 90 seconds a few times this year . I thought you would look more favorably on McNea!"

"In truth, the person I favor the most is still Alexander," Dai Li smiled . He then said, "Alexander is the athlete I trained personally . I fully understand his strength . Although Alexander is older than the other athletes, his condition is well-maintained and he isn't any weaker than those youngsters . I'm a little sad I didn't meet him sooner . If l had maybe he'd be the fastest man in the world and not Kittel . "

Donny did not reply . He had long become used to Dai Li's confidence . Donny realized that the coach's predictions often came to pass . He was a little upset but, after a while, Donny's temper disappeared . He used his silence to display his attitude .

What Dai Li said was true . Compared to Irwin, Dai Li had not used the age-reduction card on Alexander, because he didn't have to .

Dai Li attributed it to luck . It was just like how some people naturally look younger than others, while some naturally look more mature . Alexander might have been the kind of person whose body aged slower than normal athletes' . Although he was already over 30 years old, he still had the body of a younger person .

At that moment, the referee gave the command for them to get in position . The athletes were prepared to take off .

As the gunshot rang, all the athletes rushed away from the starting line almost at the same time . In the next second, the big screen showed the reaction time at the start of each of the athlete .

Alexander's reaction time was 0 . 155 seconds . It was the second last . Bartlett had the fastest starting time, O . 128 .

Alexander had really aged . His reaction time was slower than younger athletes' . However, Bartlett's reaction time of 0 . 128 seconds wasn't in reaction to the gun, it was more like he had tried to beat the gun .

Beating the gun is a type of sprinting tactic . The athlete would attempt to get used to the rhythm of the referee's command and, based on the rhythm, attempt to start at the moment the gunshot rings . As for starting after hearing the gunshot, it would be the body reacting . The difference between the two was an interval of . 03 seconds, it can be said to be irrelevant . However, to a world-class sprinter, even 0 . 01 seconds matters .

In the past, when it came to sprintin, the rule regarding the start was that the second athlete attempting to beat the gun would be sent off . So many athletes were choosing to try to beat the gun so that they would gain an advantage . Some athletes even attempted to beat the gun intentionally just to disrupt the rhythm of their opponents and to get used to the rhythm of the referee .

However, the rules of track and field were changed . If an athlete attempted to beat the gun, they would be sent off . This greatly reduced the number of situations where athletes attempted to beat the gun, so the number of athletes who employed the tactic also decreased . To take the risk of getting sent off just to gain an advantage of a few tenths of a second was not worth it .

Although Alexander's start was slower, he was even faster than the other younger athletes .

After 50m, the distance between the eight athletes began to widen .

By the time they reached the 70m mark, the group in the lead had become apparent . They were Alexander, McNea, and Bartlett .

. . .

This old bastard, Alexander . He's already over thirty years old, how is he still so fast! McNea couldn't help but complain to himself .

In the World Championship six years ago, McNea had the chance to meet Alexander in the final . However, McNea was new to the Jamaican team back then, so he wasn't given the opportunity . Kittel had battled against Alexander instead .

Now, Kittel had retired . Alexander, a guy who was a few months older than Kittel, was still in the race . Moreover, he was not any slower than when he was younger .

I can't lose, I am the best sprinter on the Jamaican team . I have to carry the team!

At that moment, the responsibility felt like an enormous mountain on McNea's shoulders . McNea suddenly imagine that he was hiking up a mountain . It was as if he was not running on a track, but on a slope .

On the other side, Bartlett also felt a formless pressure . The pressure had become more powerful than the excitement in his heart .

It was the final of the Olympic Games, after all . The closer they got, the more pressure was on them . It was especially clear when everyone in the stands stood up and cheered . Tens of thousands of people watching you could make anyone nervous .

Perhaps the athletes with a lower ranking would feel less pressure because no matter what they did, they would not get a medal . For the ones in the lead, the pressure was much greater .

Bartlett was in the leading group, and he felt his desire to win and his fear of defeat getting stronger . However, his spirit that had once demanded victory began to waver .

. . .

Alexander did not take notice of his opponents at all . When there was less than 30m left before reaching the finish line, Alexander was chasing after a shadow .

That shadow was the world's fastest man, Kittel .

At that moment, Alexander felt as if he had gone back in time . In the old days, he had run shoulder to shoulder with Kittel, but Kittel always passed him at the last second .

He had challenged Kittel again and again, and he had failed again and again . However, Alexander never gave up . To defeat Kittel, he had even agreed to Sebastian's suggestion and used prohibited drugs . For that, he had paid a hefty price .

Vaguely, Alexander also had a vision . Kittel was beside him . He was on the race track right beside him . That huge shadowy figure was going to overtake him again .

No! Alexander screamed in his mind .

Regret and dissatisfaction filled Alexander's mind . Memories of each of his defeats were so vivid, they gave Alexander the impression that he was actually there .

Alexander was feeling sad for himself . In the end, he did not defeat Kittel, and now Kittel had retired and set a world record no one could beat . Alexander no longer had a chance to compete against him .

At that moment, Alexander's thoughts returned to reality . The illusion of being overtaken by Kittel disappeared . Alexander noticed that the huge shadowy figure was not on the track .

Kittel has already retired, and he created a wall I cannot surpass!

As he realized that, Alexander suddenly felt uncontrollable rage . He needed to vent his emotion, he wanted to vent crazily .

The only target for his wrath was the race track beneath his feet .

At that moment, Alexander made his last dash . That dash was not only for the gold medal, but it was an explosion of the emotion from his heart .

There was dissatisfaction, disappointment, sorrow, and also wrath .

These emotions he had accumulated over the years were all released in that instant . They became the force that pushed him forward .

. . .

At the moment of his last dash, McNea and Bartlett were both burdened by pressure, but Alexander was instead releasing his emotion .

At that moment, the difference became clear and the winner was obvious .

Alexander stood out . He left McNea and Bartlett in the dust and dashed towards the finish line!

Chapter end