Chapter 149: The 100-Meter World Record Holder
During the venue acclimatization, Rousseau caught sight of several top-ranked sprinters in the world.
This Luxembourg Grand Prix gold-tier meeting offered 10 ranking points and a 75,000-dollar prize, attracting quite a number of formidable competitors.
"Zachary, the athlete from Ghana, with a personal best of 10.04 seconds in the 100 meters."
"Scott, the American athlete, with a time of 10.10 seconds."
"Thomas, the Jamaican athlete, with a personal best of 10.11 seconds."
……
"Powell, the world record holder, 9.77 seconds."
……
Rousseau and Tian Shiwei gazed at Powell, a tall, dark-skinned man.
"He stands 1.88 meters tall, and his acceleration in the first half of the race is particularly terrifying," Lu Jinrong said, looking at Rousseau.
Rousseau was also considered adept at the first half of a race. Even though Lu Jinrong was accustomed to Rousseau's racing rhythm, watching Powell's race footage still felt terrifying.
Indeed, terrifying was the exact word.
"How terrifying could it be~" Tian Shiwei scoffed, unconvinced. Since they were all sprinters, how intimidating could one person truly be?
"The world number one! Such a rare opportunity; I must have a good race against him!" Rousseau felt his fighting spirit soaring.
……
Next, they watched Powell's trial run up close.
They were not alone.
Every athlete and coach present was watching.
As were reporters from all over Europe.
A simple pre-race trial run.
Yet it was treated like a major celebrity press conference, with the long lenses of the reporters surrounding the track.
Rousseau watched Powell's start.
Truly... so fast!
In terms of starting speed, Rousseau felt he might hold his own against Powell.
However, the first half of Powell's race was saturated with sheer power.
It felt like an 'explosive' force!
Every sprinter had their own rhythm while running, but Powell's rhythm was brimming with muscular strength. His arm swing was exceptionally wide, and his footsteps striking the ground carried immense force.
In Rousseau's eyes, Powell at that moment resembled a ferocious tiger descending from the mountain, charging forward with an explosive rhythm!
Powell's 'power' attribute must be exceptionally high!
Imagining himself on the adjacent lane next to Powell, Rousseau felt as though he would have been completely left behind in the first half of the race...
After finishing his run, Powell exchanged a few words with his coach, then nodded, appearing quite satisfied with his performance. At that moment, the reporters swarmed him.
The Luxembourg government attached great importance to this event, sending invitations to journalists across various European countries. Due to geographical proximity, those reporters could simply take a train to reach this small nation, resulting in an unusually large turnout of journalists.
Powell's coach handled the interviews on his behalf.
As the coach of the world's number one sprinter, he was already thoroughly accustomed to such duties.
"Powell, who do you consider your biggest opponent in this competition?" someone asked.
"Galin isn't coming; I have no opponents," Powell replied.
"What Powell means is that he is in great competitive shape and confident of achieving a good result," his coach diplomatically rephrased.
Yet the reporters would inevitably sensationalize the quote: 'Galin isn't coming; I have no opponents.' Indeed, back in 2005, the American athlete Galin was virtually the only sprinter capable of rivaling Powell on the 100-meter track.
Suddenly, amidst the interviews, Powell's gaze shifted. His attention locked onto the track, where a yellow-skinned Easterner was sprinting past. The runner's stride was powerful and expansive, carrying an unstoppable, formidable momentum...
……
After crossing the finish line, Rousseau jogged back to Lu Jinrong and asked, "What was the time?"
"About 10.15 seconds," Lu Jinrong said, converting the time from his stopwatch.
It was a result that would place him at the pinnacle back home.
Yet here, it was merely the baseline speed that any competent competitor could churn out.
"Pretty good, pretty good, pretty good," Tian Shiwei clapped. "I'll time myself next."
"Old Tian, I'm going to run one more," Rousseau said.
With that, Rousseau trotted back to the starting line. The track, just traversed by the world record holder, still seemed to retain the lingering warmth of Powell's explosive running mechanics. This time, Rousseau activated the Glass Crown.
He was going to give it his absolute all.
……
Run!
Rousseau started again.
This time, it was distinctly faster than before.
With the aid of the Glass Crown, Rousseau entered the Meteor state even earlier. Mentally, he simulated the rhythmic acceleration of Powell, feeling as though a shadowy black figure was surging forward alongside him beside the track.
Faster, faster, even faster!
Rousseau urged himself onward.
Just as the Glass Crown was on the verge of shattering, Rousseau ceased his acceleration to avoid injury.
He dipped his head and crossed the finish line.
So exhausted.
He jogged for a couple of steps.
Returning to Lu Jinrong's side, Rousseau asked, "Coach, what was the time this round?"
Lu Jinrong and Tian Shiwei checked the stopwatch, then stared at Rousseau in astonishment.
"10.08 seconds?"
This was the first time Rousseau had ever broken the 10.10-second barrier, whether in training or competition.
……
So fast!
By now, more than one reporter had noticed the Eastern figure sprinting down that track.
Although Rousseau's skin was somewhat tanned, it still possessed several distinct shades of difference from the deep Jamaican-style complexion of Powell, making it instantly obvious that he was of Asian descent. Furthermore, the racing singlet Rousseau wore displayed his nationality and name.
To think there would be an athlete from the mainland here.
And to think he ran this fast?
Invitational tournaments hosted by World Athletics rarely saw participants from the mainland, let alone Asian descent. A figure like Rousseau drew a fair amount of attention, but it was just passing notice for now.
No one came over to interview Rousseau; the journalists quickly shifted their focus back to Powell.
……
Rousseau clocked 10.07 seconds.
Lu Jinrong was both surprised and thrilled.
Rousseau himself felt a twinge of disappointment. So this was his current peak level... breaking the 10-second barrier still felt rather distant.
Tian Shiwei ran twice afterward, recording 10.27 and 10.25 seconds respectively. It was quite fast, maintaining his performance from the Hiroshima meet. Lately, Tian Shiwei had been training quite rigorously; under Rousseau's reminders and supervision, he bore a striking resemblance to Rousseau when the latter first entered the Pengcheng provincial team.
Seeing Rousseau looking somewhat dejected, Tian Shiwei tried to cheer him up. "Old Lu, we're going to keep improving. Before long, whatever world number one is out there will be left in our dust. Then, we can take turns being number one."
"How can you be so brazen!" Being abroad, Lu Jinrong refrained from kicking Tian Shiwei's backside, instead scolding him, "You ran 10.25 and you have the nerve to encourage someone who ran 10.07?"
"Life is short, being happy is what matters most~" Tian Shiwei smiled with utmost innocence.
Lu Jinrong finally couldn't help but land a kick on him.
……
At 10:00 AM on the 28th.
The preliminary heats of the 100 meters at the Luxembourg Athletics Grand Prix officially commenced.
Rousseau and Powell were allocated to the first heat.
Also in the same heat were American standout Scott and Jamaican standout Thomas, but Rousseau's gaze was locked entirely onto Powell.
Rousseau was in lane three, while Powell occupied lane four.
Powell was warming up in place. Although Rousseau tried to keep his focus undisturbed, he still found himself inevitably drawn to Powell. Was this the magnetic pull of the world's number one?
At that moment, a system prompt appeared in his status bar:
'You are now facing the world record holder of the 100-meter track.
Defeat the world number one!
March forward toward glory!
Surpass him, and you shall be crowned king, claiming his signature technique!'