Chapter 155: 10.05 Seconds
The feeling of being overtaken by Usain was quite strange.
Luo Su felt as though the guy hadn't even used his full strength.
Thus, Luo Su began to counter-attack.
He overtook Usain again on the second curve.
However, he was once again passed by Usain on the straightaway.
During this 200-meter trial run, the two of them displayed a competitive spirit of "fighting tooth and nail for the top spot," appearing vibrant and immensely entertaining.
In the end, Usain secured first place.
After Lu Jinrong manually timed the finish and adjusted for errors, Usain's time was 20.00 seconds, while Luo Su clocked in at 20.04 seconds—roughly speaking, as manual timing is never entirely precise.
Luo Su's 200-meter time was drawing ever closer to the sub-20-second mark.
Following the trial, Luo Su and Usain exchanged a high-five, and then it was time for Usain's individual practice session.
Luo Su and Tian Shiwei went over to watch Juno's high jump practice.
Among the female high jump competitors participating in Budapest this time, Juno was considered quite a standout. Her performance had improved even further after the National Games, and she was now able to maintain a stable height of 1.95 meters.
Her performance had surged remarkably in the period following the Lunar New Year. The National Games seemed to have helped her break through a major bottleneck, which was why she had been continuously training and reluctant to step out for competitions.
While watching Juno jump from the sidelines, Luo Su was in high spirits.
Lu Jinrong asked him why he was so happy.
Luo Su replied that he was reminiscing about his race with Usain.
"Usain is very strong, and I find it a bit strange why he doesn't run the 100 meters. I feel like he would be exceptionally powerful in the 100 as well," Luo Su said.
"Probably because Jamaica already has Powell, the king of the 100 meters," Lu Jinrong remarked. "No matter how strong Usain is, he can't outrun Powell..."
Having said that, Lu Jinrong paused for a moment before asking Luo Su, "You've raced against Powell too. What kind of impression does Usain give you?"
"I can see Powell's limits, but I can't see Usain's," Luo Su stated. "Powell is like an explosive device—very formidable, but I know his weaknesses. Yet, I can't spot any weaknesses in Usain. It feels like even when I give it my absolute all, he still has reserved energy to spare. So, I'm really looking forward to a formal competition with him."
Such high praise for Usain from Luo Su caught Lu Jinrong off guard.
"Usain is only 19 years old, after all. He still has immense room for improvement. Perhaps he will be Jamaica's next world-class sprinter," Lu Jinrong said.
"Very likely." Luo Su visualized the sensation that 'keen insight' had imparted to him during the race.
If Powell was a bundle of explosives, then Usain was... a free wind. For someone as tall as Usain to evoke such a feeling in Luo Su was a testament to his miraculous natural talent.
To add another perspective, Koji Kamino gave Luo Su the impression of ice—unyielding and enduring despite his age.
"First Powell, and now this Usain; the Jamaicans are truly gifted in sprinting," Lu Jinrong could not help but sigh with emotion.
...
April 13th, 10:00 AM.
The preliminaries for the Budapest Athletics Open 100-meter event officially commenced.
Xiao Mingzhe and Gong Aiyuan had arrived in Budapest by train the previous night.
After watching the "Lu Suo" race in Luxembourg, they had remained deeply captivated by this athlete. However, they could find no trace of that name on the internet. Upon returning home and asking around, they realized they had made a comical mistake: the name was "Luo Su," not "Lu Suo."
Searching for "Luo Su" instead yielded an overwhelming number of reports on Chinese web pages. After calling the International Athletics Organizing Committee and learning that Luo Su had also registered for the Budapest Open, they eagerly came to watch the competition.
In any case, Luxembourg was not far from Budapest; trains, planes, and buses could all get them there. It was a great opportunity to take a trip around Hungary. Financially well-off, this young couple did not care about the modest expense.
At this moment, the 100-meter preliminaries were about to begin.
The young couple had spent 50 Euros for front-row seats.
They had even prepared a national flag specifically for the occasion.
Hearing the stadium broadcast remind everyone that the 100-meter preliminaries were about to start, they began waving the national flag in their hands, shouting together: "Luo Su! You can do it! Luo Su! You can do it!"
...
Luo Su was placed in the first heat.
Lately, he always seemed to be assigned to the first heat in preliminary rounds—whether by some strange coincidence or not.
Among the familiar faces in his group was Leon Ribert of the Bounty Three Musketeers.
Luo Su had previously clashed with this deadpan Frenchman in Hiroshima.
Leon Ribert was probably no match for Luo Su, though the Japanese had offered bribes during that Hiroshima race, and there was no telling if Leon had intentionally held back.
However, Luo Su didn't care.
He was even faster now than he had been in Hiroshima.
Every increase of 1 point in 'Strength' and 1 point in 'Agility' roughly translated to a 0.01-second improvement in his 100-meter time.
After breaking past 10.10 seconds, the boosting effect of physical attributes on his performance was no longer as pronounced as before.
It was much like climbing a mountain; the final meter near the peak was entirely different from the first meter at the base.
As long as he was making steady progress, that was all that mattered.
...
Luo Su was assigned to lane four.
His only acquaintance, Leon, was in lane six.
The two were not adjacent; lanes three and five each held Black athletes, who were likely quite formidable as well.
Lu Jinrong, Juno, and Tian Shiwei watched the competition from the sidelines, though they weren't particularly nervous. After all, given Luo Su's strength, a bronze-level competition like this should easily be an absolute landslide victory.
As he was warming up his body, Luo Su suddenly caught the sound of familiar Chinese echoing from the spectator stands.
Hearing Chinese in a place like Budapest was no easy feat, and Luo Su turned his head toward the source almost by reflex.
Then, Luo Su spotted a Five-Star Red Flag.
Seeing that splash of red shining brightly amidst a sea of green and blue flags, Luo Su felt a momentary daze, immediately followed by a surge of warmth and excitement welling up in his chest.
Luo Su waved in that direction.
...
Xiao Mingzhe and Gong Aiyuan waved vigorously back at Luo Su.
...
The starter reminded the athletes that the race was about to begin.
Luo Su squatted down and settled his feet into the starting blocks.
...
Holding their breath in nervous anticipation, Xiao Mingzhe and Gong Aiyuan heard the crack of the starting pistol, and the eight athletes on the track shot forward like sharp arrows.
Yet the fastest among them was, without a doubt, the runner in lane four.
Almost right at the start, he was half a body length ahead of the other competitors, maintaining his lead, leading further, and leading still.
He led all the way to the finish line.
"Ahhhhh!"
Xiao Mingzhe screamed out loud. He hadn't even noticed his own roar; the scene was simply too exhilarating, and the cry tore itself uncontrollably from his throat.
Amidst a sea of white and black skin, that fellow compatriot of the same race and bloodline took the absolute lead, crossing the finish line with an overwhelming advantage. In Xiao Mingzhe's eyes at that moment, it was more thrilling than any sporting event he had ever witnessed in his life.
"That felt amazing!"
Xiao Mingzhe and Gong Aiyuan embraced tightly.
They waved the red flag in their hands once more to catch Luo Su's attention.
"Where did you guys come from?" Luo Su asked after jogging over.
"Luxembourg!" Xiao Mingzhe said excitedly. "I watched your 100-meter race in Luxembourg too, but it wasn't as insane as today—being so much faster than everyone else!"
"Powell was there in Luxembourg, whereas the opponents in this race weren't quite that fierce," Luo Su replied. "Thanks for coming out to cheer for me."
"Wait, idol, please give us an autograph!" Xiao Mingzhe produced a pre-prepared pen, and Gong Aiyuan handed over a baseball cap.
Luo Su wrote the following inscription on the brim of the cap:
Luo Su, Budapest, 10.05 seconds.
It was the first time he had ever run a 10.05.