Chapter 147: Break His Legs

The fact that Pete Gigg broke his leg was both bizarre and coincidental.

All the athletes and coaches participating in the Hiroshima Athletics Open were accommodated in the same hotel. Naturally, at their own expense.

The hotel was quite famous in Hiroshima, named the Grand Hotel Hachobori. Aside from having fully equipped facilities, it was also renowned for its outdoor hot springs.

After completing the 100-meter race on August 22, Pete Gigg went to the outdoor hot springs alone. The springs were segregated by gender, which suited Pete Gigg just fine, as his two teammates had declined to accompany him.

Then, Pete Gigg broke his leg.

According to Pete Gigg's claims, he was pushed into the hot spring pool by Rousseau, resulting in his injury, and he threatened to have his coach report the matter to the IAAF to have Rousseau penalized.

However, after reviewing the surveillance footage with the assistance of the hotel management, the two coaches discovered that Rousseau had not made any physical contact with Pete Gigg at the time. Rousseau simply happened to be leaving just as Pete Gigg arrived at the hot springs.

Throughout the entire process, the two athletes were quite far apart. It was while Pete Gigg was uttering provocative or perhaps teasing remarks that he failed to watch his step and tripped. By a bizarre stroke of bad luck, one of Pete Gigg's legs jammed into the gap between the hot spring pool wall and the steps, and immediately afterward, his leg was twisted into what could only be described as a gruesome shape.

One could imagine a mountaineer tumbling down a mountain, only to have their leg get wedged into a rock fissure halfway down while their body continued to roll outward from momentum, and then—snap.

"This is impossible!"

The doctor who arrived at the scene with the ambulance was shocked by Pete Gigg's injury. It was as rare as suffering a comminuted fracture simply from falling while standing on flat ground.

As the doctors and nurses carefully lifted Pete Gigg out of the hot spring pool, his robust right leg, which belonged to a sprinter, was now swollen like a boneless jellyfish, tinged with a terrifying deep purple-red.

Even if it could be healed, it would require a very long period of rehabilitation before he could ever compete in a sprint again.

Tian Shiwei, who had rushed over upon hearing the news just to watch the spectacle, clicked his tongue in amazement.

Rousseau, on the other hand, was somewhat shocked. Could this be related to the "Break his leg" option in the status bar?

Surely it wasn't related.

It must have been just an accident.

If it really was related, then Tian Shiwei... would have been in quite a dangerous spot back then. When Rousseau and Tian Shiwei had their first race, Rousseau had almost chosen that option.

A look of pity from Rousseau swept past the completely oblivious Tian Shiwei.

...

Pete Gigg was merely an episode.

His coach, Lee, did not blame Rousseau. Although both Rousseau and Lu Jinrong felt that this Lee probably wanted to tear Rousseau limb from limb, in the end, according to logic understandable to any normal person, the incident genuinely had nothing to do with Rousseau.

...

It was his first time going abroad.

He should have spent a few days sightseeing in Japan.

However, the Athletics Grand Prix held in Luxembourg was set to begin on the 28th.

Therefore, they returned to Pengcheng on the 23rd.

They would have four days to rest before heading to Luxembourg to participate in that Silver-label athletics grand prix.

Time was extremely tight.

Had it not been for Rousseau's strong insistence, coupled with the need for a result to report back to the Pengcheng Sports Bureau, Lu Jinrong would never have scheduled things so tightly.

This was entirely different from participating in domestic domestic circuits. A journey spanning six continents, under the environmental pressures of completely foreign climates, languages, customs, and foods, made it difficult for athletes to achieve good results.

According to the starting list for the Luxembourg Athletics Grand Prix on the 28th received by Lu Jinrong, Rousseau would encounter the current world record holder in the men's 100-meter event, Jamaican athlete Powell.

Powell had set this record at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

9.77 seconds.

Powell had successfully brought the limit of human speed to under 9.80 seconds.

He was the fastest man in the world.

Rousseau could hardly wait to test himself against him.

Because Rousseau had only participated in and won the gold medal in the 100-meter event at the Hiroshima Open, he had only gained 1 attribute point; the status bar did not hold international competitions in any higher regard.

Consequently, on the 24th, before the team's joint training session began, Rousseau held a copy of the *Pengcheng Daily*, gazing at Guan Zhaoyue's commentary on Rousseau's first-place finish at the Hiroshima Open.

Unexpectedly, Guan Zhaoyue did not shower Rousseau with praise. The article mainly stated: "A C-class bronze circuit is unworthy of Rousseau's worth; a third-tier championship is nothing special and not worth boasting about. We must look at his performance at the Luxembourg Silver Grand Prix on the 28th, where Rousseau will face the world's number one in the 100-meter sprint..."

Although Rousseau was excited about competing against Powell on the same stage, he did not truly believe he could win; the hope of victory was extremely slim. Rousseau had not yet broken the 10-second barrier, which was the "divine realm" of the 100-meter sprint, and Powell had resided there for a long time.

At that moment, Lu Jinrong also arrived at the training ground, holding a copy of the *Pengcheng Daily* in his hand as well.

"Old Guan is quite clear-headed this time," Lu Jinrong said. "Though most of it is probably because he wants to belittle Pan Kai's two past performances."

"Pan Kai hasn't been racing much lately, has he?" Rousseau asked.

"He's probably preparing for the World Championships," Lu Jinrong replied. "The national team's invitation for you to the World Championships has already arrived."

The World Championships—the World Athletics Championships—were events where various countries participated in the form of delegations, requiring participating athletes to meet a certain standard in their official records.

Rousseau's 100-meter and 200-meter times both met the standard, while the 400-meter fell slightly short, though not by much. Among these events, besides Pan Kai, Rousseau was the only domestic athlete qualified—not even enough to fill half a hand—so the invitation arriving at Rousseau's doorstep was not surprising at all.

However, this matter required long-term planning.

This was a crucial step in "dethroning Yan."

Yet there was no need to rush.

The 2005 Helsinki World Athletics Championships were scheduled for August anyway.

...

Rousseau pulled his thoughts back.

Returning to his own attribute points.

He had only acquired 1 attribute point this time in Hiroshima.

According to the most basic calculations, if Rousseau wanted to break his 100-meter speed to under 10 seconds, he would need at least 20 more attribute points. Relying solely on the gains from 100-meter races on the circuit was far from enough.

Therefore, he still needed to find a way through other means.

"Coach, help me register for some domestic athletic events, especially the University Games. I remember every province has its own University Games," Rousseau said.

By May, when spring flowers bloomed all across the country, various sports competitions would begin to take place.

"The University Games?" Lu Jinrong could not help but frown. "You still have the mood to participate in the University Games?"

"I need to find my form through continuous competition," Rousseau said with a straight face.

"Your competitions aren't just 'continuous'; they are 'back-to-back,'" Lu Jinrong said, roasting Rousseau. "Would you like to join the upcoming marathon race in Pengcheng as well?"

"Sure~" Rousseau's eyes lit up.

He could run a marathon, after all; he possessed the "Little White Horse."