Chapter Fifty-Four: Individual Training

The coach does have the authority to decide which events athletes participate in, but this authority is founded upon a deep understanding of the athletes themselves. When faced with unfamiliar athletes, any coach would first engage in communication before making any judgments.

The next day.

October 4th.

When Rousseau and Tian Shiwei arrived at the National Training Center’s outdoor facility, a banner reading ‘26 days until the Eastern Youth Games’ was draped across the grandstand. Excellent—this really set the atmosphere.

The training center was vast, primarily serving as a base for table tennis, badminton, weightlifting, basketball, swimming, diving, volleyball, and gymnastics. Track and field events were usually held at various universities or other training bases. However, this time, because the renowned Li Yan had been hired and some impressive results achieved, the authorities were paying special attention, so the sprint training for track and field had also been moved here.

As they walked, Tian Shiwei murmured to Rousseau about seeing members of the national table tennis team at breakfast—a group of boys and girls about their age who were destined to become world champions.

Table tennis in the country was unparalleled globally, unlike the sprint events, which had such a low starting point.

...

They arrived at the training ground.

Rousseau and Tian Shiwei were early. Soon, Coach Li Yan, Assistant Coach Dong Zijian, and their four teammates arrived at the stadium.

Among the four, Zhang Zhen was easy to recognize—he was the youngest, shortest, and best looking, with rosy lips and white teeth, appearing a bit frail and clearly needing more upper body strength training.

The other three were Chen Tianfu—somewhat buck-toothed and the strongest in the 200 meters—then Wang Wei and Zhao Liren.

The numbers were truly sparse.

Originally, there should have been seven, but three had left the team. The reason for their departure was a taboo topic within the squad; Tian Shiwei hadn’t been able to find out, but Rousseau and Tian Shiwei had been told by Lu Jinrong that it was because they couldn’t handle the pressure.

And who was behind that pressure?

Naturally, it was the impeccably dressed national sprint team coach, Li Yan.

“Everyone, today two new teammates are joining us,” Li Yan introduced Rousseau and Tian Shiwei, then arranged a test run so everyone could gauge each other’s ability.

“On your marks!”

Assistant Coach Dong Zijian acted as starter.

The six athletes crouched, ready to launch.

“Go!”

All six sprinted forward simultaneously.

Zhang Zhen took the lead and maintained it, finishing first; Zhao Liren was second, Tian Shiwei third, Chen Tianfu fourth, Wang Wei fifth, and Rousseau sixth.

Their times were: ‘10.42’, ‘10.51’, ‘10.52’, ‘10.55’, ‘10.60’, ‘10.61’.

Remarkable.

Tian Shiwei truly performed better against strong competition, running a 10.52. Zhang Zhen, meanwhile, was a dominant force in the team’s 100-meter event.

Rousseau looked at Zhang Zhen again. This boy, who looked more like a celebrity with his appearance, was only 1.70 meters tall, yet managed to outpace five taller athletes throughout the race; even as the others increased their stride frequency, he maintained his lead.

Impressive.

However, based on these results, if the teams from Kazakhstan and Japan had the level Tian Shiwei mentioned—around 10.40 seconds—then the whole group was still left behind. The 100 meters could rely on top performers to fight for a place, but hopes of winning the 4x100-meter relay were very, very slim.

Clearly, Li Yan was dissatisfied with these results.

Unlike Lu Jinrong, Li Yan didn’t voice his displeasure directly; instead, he kept a stern face and instructed everyone to prepare for another run—a 200-meter race.

The 200 meters.

Starting from the bend.

Rousseau crouched at the starting line.

He’d been practicing bend technique for over half a month now.

He could now maintain ‘acceleration’ throughout, accumulating and compounding speed.

If the bend technique in the 200 meters were scored out of 100, Rousseau would rate himself at 60—a passing standard for sustaining acceleration.

The practice time was short, but with guidance from his status bar, Rousseau’s bend technique had improved rapidly.

In the next 26 days, if Rousseau could focus solely on the 200 meters, raise his bend technique to 80 or even 90, and adjust his physical attributes to better suit the ‘acceleration’ skill, his results would see significant improvement.

That’s why he was so eager to run the 200 meters.

But first, he had to get past the coach.

“On your marks~” Dong Zijian called out again. “Go!”

All six charged forward.

This time Rousseau was in lane three. Traditionally, lanes three and four are considered the best in the 200 meters, but Rousseau felt the outer lanes—eight or nine—were smoother, perhaps because the curvature was gentler.

Rousseau’s start was neither good nor bad. Unless he used a special technique to control his reaction within 0.15 seconds, his start stayed around 0.2 seconds.

His bend technique was also middling. Li Yan watched the six athletes; overall, Chen Tianfu was the most coordinated. He didn’t need machines to measure—his experience and eye alone could spot the real talent.

Amid these average performances, Li Yan noticed something odd: despite not having any clear advantage, Rousseau kept accelerating and finished right behind Chen Tianfu. That was interesting—Li Yan made a note of it. He’d noticed it yesterday as well. From this, it seemed that Rousseau was indeed better suited to the 200 meters than the 100, though only with this running style.

Chen Tianfu’s time was ‘21.10’, Rousseau’s was ‘21.25’, and the others all finished over ‘21.50’, making further mention unnecessary.

After the run.

Everyone lined up.

Waiting for inspection, listening to Li Yan’s remarks.

This formality didn’t exist back in Pengcheng; Lu Jinrong wasn’t so strict, at least not outwardly. There, the athletes could still joke with their coach.

“Tian Shiwei, you ran well,” Li Yan said. “Time is tight. Since you’ve just joined, you must quickly familiarize yourself with the competition’s rhythm. So, Tian Shiwei, you’ll focus on the 100 meters and the 4x100 relay. Rousseau…”

Rousseau looked at Li Yan.

“Why did you change your running style again?” Li Yan asked. “Afraid of getting injured?”

There was a note of concern in Li Yan’s tone, but Rousseau somehow detected a hint of sarcasm.

“That style won’t place,” Rousseau replied.

“Hmm,” Li Yan nodded. “So you think this current style can win a place at the Eastern Youth Games?”

“Not in the 100 meters, but in the 200, yes,” Rousseau said.

His firm tone made his teammates turn their heads. Tian Shiwei started signaling with his eyes—not to provoke Li Yan, who was the undisputed authority in the team.

Li Yan said nothing, merely watched Rousseau.

The air grew tense.

Li Yan’s silence made everyone anxious; nobody knew if, when he spoke again, it would be a tempest or a thunderbolt.

Rousseau stubbornly held Li Yan’s gaze.

This attitude seemed to win Li Yan’s approval. He spoke: “I originally intended to have you run the 100 as well, but since you say so, you can train on your own for a few days. I’ll watch your results, then decide.”

Hearing this, Tian Shiwei breathed a sigh of relief. The other teammates, including Dong Zijian, all looked surprised—so easygoing, not at all like the strict national sprint coach they knew.