Chapter Ninety-Three: New Techniques

If Rousseau had broken a record, but a new record had been set one-fifth of a second before he did so, had he broken it or not?

It was the sort of question that resembled Zeno’s paradox of Achilles and the tortoise. If Rousseau had been asked to think it through, he would surely have ended up baffled. Fortunately, the status panel had already given its verdict.

Congratulations. At the 2004 Indoor Track and Field Invitational, you broke the indoor sixty-meter record.

You have gained the skill "Gathering Momentum."

"Gathering Momentum": when you maintain the same posture for a certain length of time, your focus will increase, bringing faster reactions, greater strength, and keener tactile sensitivity.

This skill...

Was rather interesting.

Rousseau studied his third skill and felt an unexpected delight.

In the sixty-meter race, he had not expected to defeat Zhang Zhen in a single attempt. He wanted to win, but he had also prepared himself to lose.

He had not won, yet he had obtained a skill. It was indeed an unexpected pleasure.

Judging from its description, "Gathering Momentum" was clearly closely tied to the sixty-meter dash. After all, indoor sixty meters was over in only six or seven seconds, and the start was everything. This skill was aimed squarely at that point.

But how long could "Gathering Momentum" be sustained?

And how much preparation time would it require?

The status panel did not explain any further.

Rousseau would have to test it in real competition.

Why not try it tomorrow in the two-hundred-meter race?

...

The awards ceremony at this indoor meet was also rather casual.

Or rather, there was no ceremony at all.

After Rousseau took second place, he was informed that his certificate of result would be mailed to his provincial team within twenty working days, so he should keep an eye out for it.

Not even a medal...

Rousseau was a little disappointed. He had thought he might win the first silver medal of his life.

It seemed the Indoor Track and Field Invitational really was short on funds.

...

That day, the meet results were placed before Li Yanan.

Looking at "Zhang Zhen, 6.58" and "Rousseau, 6.60," Li Yanan fell into deep thought.

Dong Zijian said nothing, only watching him.

If there was any track event in the country that was currently closest to international standards, it was the indoor sixty meters.

Zhang Zhen’s sixty-meter time had the potential to reach world-class championship level, and Rousseau had come so close to him that both men had broken the national indoor sixty-meter record. That meant...

"Very unexpected," Li Yanan said. "This proves Rousseau has roughly a 10.30 level in the hundred meters."

Dong Zijian nodded. He assumed Li Yanan would next ask, "How did he do it?" After all, at the Eastern Youth Games trial, Rousseau had been running well over 10.50. What had happened in just a little over a month?

But Li Yanan fell silent again.

Dong Zijian had not told Li Yanan what Rousseau had said: that he intended to run the hundred meters in under 10.20 at the National Games.

"The national team needs Rousseau," Li Yanan said.

"He probably doesn't need the national team," Dong Zijian replied.

"If he doesn't join the national team, he won't be able to compete at the World Championships, the Asian Games, or the Olympics. For him, that would mean his athletic career can never take another step forward," Li Yanan said.

"You are right," Dong Zijian admitted, "but what good does that do?"

"He believes he is unique and indispensable, which is why he is so proud. But without the national team behind him, he is only an ordinary athlete. Fine, pass this file on to the General Administration." Li Yanan handed him a document.

Dong Zijian saw the title: National Team Roster and Training Plan for the 2005 Helsinki World Championships.

"Coach Dong, help me take a look at it," Li Yanan said.

Dong Zijian opened the file and saw a list of names, but Rousseau was not among them.

"None of your invitations have succeeded, and Rousseau has turned them all down. I think, for now, we have no way to bring him into the national team," Li Yanan said. "But please tell him this for me: the national team will always welcome him."

Dong Zijian said nothing. He merely turned the pages in silence. When he reached the final promise section, he could not help lifting his head in surprise.

"Guaranteeing one gold medal?" Dong Zijian truly was startled. Since the ninth World Championships, the country had not won a single gold in any sprint event.

"I am a businessman," Li Yanan said. "At the right time, I will offer a far more tempting price, to ensure that my partners are not disappointed."

...

December 1.

The 2004 Indoor Track and Field Invitational.

Morning heats of the two-hundred meters.

Because of the limitations of indoor two-hundred-meter track conditions, only eight athletes had been invited to this event, and the heats were divided into two groups of four.

At 11:00 a.m., the first heat, in which Rousseau was competing, officially began.

At 11:01, Rousseau won the heat in 21.10 seconds, only 0.15 seconds short of the indoor two-hundred-meter record.

The national indoor two-hundred-meter record was 20.95.

"There is a chance to break the record!" Lu Jinrong encouraged him.

Mm.

Rousseau nodded.

He was not relying on the Glass Crown, and 21.10 was a decent time.

After all, the difference between indoor and outdoor two-hundred-meter tracks was enormous.

First, the indoor race was one lap, with two bends, so speed naturally dropped. Second, according to international federation rules, to reduce the effect of centrifugal force, the curved sections were banked, with the steepest angle exceeding ten degrees.

The indoor two-hundred-meter track at Pengcheng Sports School had no such design, so Rousseau had to adapt to it first.

"How does my expression look?" Rousseau ran over to look at Ruan Mei's camera.

What appeared on the screen was still a somewhat ferocious expression.

"I am smiling..." Rousseau muttered.

"You'd better not smile. It's a little frightening," Ruan Mei said, quite pleased.

"Making fun of me is not right. I was doing this for the promotion of Lord Lu. You were the one who said you wanted a finish-line photo for publicity," Rousseau said with a frown.

"But it really is scarier when you smile than when you don't," Ruan Mei said hurriedly. "Natural is better. Don't smile."

"No, I need to practice." Rousseau, who had spent his whole life refusing to yield to anyone, began studying how to keep a smile on his face at the finish line.

Watching Rousseau chatting with Ruan Mei, and seeing how happily Ruan Mei was laughing, Tian Shiwei could not help feeling a little down. What made him even more dejected was that when he ran in the second two-hundred-meter heat, he was eliminated. Four to qualify two, and he was out.

Tian Shiwei was less suited to the indoor two-hundred meters, after all. He did not have the Glass Crown, and he had only come to the meet for the fun of it.

Before the two-hundred-meter final at 4:00 p.m., Rousseau reminded himself not to fall asleep.

Otherwise, it would be hard to perform at his best.

Lu Jinrong also kept an eye on him, telling him not to doze off.

After all, breaking both the hundred and the two-hundred-meter records was worth making a great fuss over. It would raise Rousseau's profile in the domestic sports world and increase the sports commission's attention to him.

At 2:00 p.m. that afternoon, Rousseau met someone who instantly lifted his spirits.

The country’s most famous current track and field athlete: Liu Yu, Olympic champion in the 110-meter hurdles, a legend of Chinese athletics.