School Beauty's Invincible Martial Expert

Chapter 359: Chapter 359: Another Crushing Defeat

The afternoon competitions were basically a sure win.

Tao Jun arranged all the sprint aces of the Physical Education Department on the same track just to show Xiao Han a tough lesson. Of course, Tao Jun pulled some strings behind the scenes to get these people together, but deep down, it was because he felt rather scared and intimidated.

Tao Jun had seen what Xiao Han was capable of in the morning’s race, although his teammates explained it away as a slow start and being distracted. But Tao Jun knew very well that a slow start wasn’t the main reason. The main reason was Xiao Han’s superior strength.

So, to be on the safe side, Tao Jun decided to bring all the Sprint Kings from the Physical Education Department together, figuring that even if he slipped up by accident, the others could easily take down Xiao Han. However, Tao Jun’s plan seemed rather naive; within the entire Physical Education Department, Tao Jun had the fastest sprint speed. Anyone else would be no match for Xiao Han.

At the starting line, Xiao Han and Zhang Feng were chatting. Zhang Feng hadn’t signed up for the one hundred meters event, mainly because it required a strong burst power that he lacked. He had endurance, so he opted for the four hundred meters instead. The four hundred meters not only required burst power but also endurance, and relatively speaking, endurance was more important.

“Today, we must teach them a lesson!” Zhang Feng said with a smile.

“No problem!” Xiao Han replied confidently. Having run against Tao Jun in the morning, he had a good measure of him and felt it shouldn’t be too big of a problem to deal with him.

“How confident are you?” Zhang Feng asked curiously.

“Should be no problem!” Xiao Han chuckled before adding, “Even though they’re from the Physical Education Department, I’m not any less capable than they are. The one hundred meters sprint doesn’t just depend on strength but also on luck. With good luck and strong strength, securing first place shouldn’t be an issue.”

“Heh heh…” Zhang Feng grinned and said, “That’s right, give them a lesson, so they don’t get too arrogant.”

“Hmm!” Xiao Han nodded.

The semifinals for the previous groups ended quickly, as each group’s race only took a few minutes. Soon it was Xiao Han’s group’s turn.

Even though it was Xiao Han’s turn, Zhang Feng felt more nervous than Xiao Han. He watched Xiao Han excitedly, then said, “Xiao Han, go for it. Success or failure hinges on this. If you don’t make it into the top two today, you’ll miss the finals.”

“Heh heh!” Xiao Han chuckled, then responded confidently, “Don’t worry, I’m sure to make it into the finals.”

“Go for it!” Zhang Feng said cheerfully as he fist-bumped with Xiao Han.

Their fists gently touched. Afterwards, Xiao Han immediately stood at the starting point.

Tao Jun and several boys from the Physical Education Department formed a circle, put their hands together, and then shouted in unison, “Go for it!”

Their voices were loud, drawing the attention of many who turned their heads to look.

The one hundred meters sprint event has the world’s most attention, as well as being one of the most followed sports by Shuimu University students. The one hundred meters race is all about burst power. It may seem to last only ten-plus seconds, but those seconds contain a lot of technical content, from the starting block to the first fifty meters dash, as well as the sprint in the last fifty meters.

Tao Jun went to the starting point, and the rest of his teammates also settled themselves at the starting line.

The line of men appeared exceptionally solemn, particularly Tao Jun, who wore a silent expression.

In his view, the greatest pressure came from Xiao Han. The morning’s defeat had left him feeling unusually tense. Tao Jun was always referred to as Shuimu University’s Liu Xiang, expected to join the national team in the future. Yet now, he had been overtaken, which was definitely not what Tao Jun wished for.

A smile lifted the corners of Xiao Han’s mouth.

Tao Jun kept his eyes on Xiao Han, and when he saw that confident smile on Xiao Han’s face, he felt even more uncomfortable. It seemed he couldn’t stand to see Xiao Han’s confident smile, or perhaps when he saw Xiao Han’s assured smile, he felt even more nervous. If Xiao Han looked nervous at this time, maybe he would think that Xiao Han had no hopes for this race. But this guy was not at all.

“Tao Jun, pull yourself together!” At this moment, the voice of the sports teacher came through.

“Yes!” Tao Jun quickly nodded.

Little did he know that his teacher would pop up at this time. The sports teacher also found it strange why Tao Jun would arrange all these sprint aces in one group. But when he saw Xiao Han, he immediately understood. The morning’s unsuccessful race made Tao Jun feel unprecedented pressure, which is why he took this action. Nevertheless, the sports teacher could understand; after all, being in the field himself, he could somewhat comprehend Tao Jun’s intention.

The referee had already called the competitors to get ready. He held the starting gun high.

The whole stadium was silent.

Lan Yudie stood in the stands, watching Xiao Han on the track anxiously. As she watched this scene, she felt a bit nervous and scared, as though feeling that victory or defeat would be decided in this moment. Lan Yudie murmured softly, “Xiao Han, go for it!”

“Xiao Han, come on!” Not far from the 100-meter track, Li Ruobing was also anxiously watching the scene.

Zhang Dagou had gone to compete in the shot put competition. At the field event area, he was struggling to look toward the direction of the 100-meter race. Sadly, the crowd was dense; wherever his eyes landed, he mainly saw a sea of people. Therefore, he could only silently chant in his heart, “Xiao Han, come on!”

Xiao Han’s hands were braced against the ground, his right foot’s toes pointed on the surface, ready to surge forward at any moment. He looked up at the 100-meter track ahead of him—the red track and the white lines at this moment seemed especially glaring. His eyes were squinted, and a strange smile played upon his lips.

Tao Jun was also ready. This group of students had the most standard starts of any in the 100-meter event.

Bang!

Suddenly, the starter gun sounded with a loud bang.

Eight students burst forward like unleashed wild horses. Xiao Han’s start was relatively slow; from a distance of twenty meters, his position was rather lagging. Tao Jun started quickly. He had experience with 100-meter sprint false starts. The instant the gunshot sounded, he had shot out, almost half a body length ahead.

“Good, there’s hope!” Tao Jun’s classmate shouted, “Tao Jun, come on. Show those country bumpkins what you’re made of.”

“Tao Jun, come on!”

Many people were cheering for Tao Jun. They began to shout frantically.

Xiao Han glanced left and right. Tao Jun had evidently surpassed him by a body length. However, that didn’t mean anything. Even in sprint races, the world’s 100-meter champion, Jamaican athlete Bolt, was behind in the first fifty meters. Yet, in the following fifty meters, he demonstrated extraordinary talent.

Xiao Han followed his own breathing rhythm to run, refusing to allow anyone to disturb his tempo or his stride. His brain was working frantically, secreting a large number of hormones. In this moment, Xiao Han’s limbs erupted with powerful strength. His strong and forceful thighs unleashed fierce power, and his sprinting suddenly accelerated, his frequency increasing…

“Good heavens!” Zhang Feng noticed Xiao Han accelerating in an instant.

Tao Jun was already maintaining the fastest speed he had ever achieved; he thought he could preserve the lead to the end. He was practically running with his eyes closed, ready to embrace the victory ahead. But soon he realized something was amiss.

“No!” Tao Jun suddenly saw a shadow approaching him, then, with a very faint speed, drawing level, and ultimately overtaking him by a slender margin. Even though it was only by a hair’s breadth, even such a small distance was enough to eliminate anyone in a 100-meter race. A voice inside Tao Jun screamed, “No, I absolutely can’t let him pull ahead, absolutely not!”

Tao Jun had his pride, the dignity of a strong competitor.

He had already been trampled once in the morning. In the afternoon, he firmly refused to let anyone trample on his dignity again. He wouldn’t allow anyone to surpass him in the 100-meter event, so he decided to accelerate. He increased the swing of his limbs and quickened his steps.

However, no matter how fast he was, he couldn’t catch up to Xiao Han, who was about to cross the finish line’s red tape.

Whoosh…

Xiao Han breezed past the finish line, arms spread wide as if he were a gliding bird rushing out.@@novelbin@@

Wow…

The crowd was immediately astounded. The entire audience stood up. A thunderous applause resounded.

Tao Jun qualified for the finals with the second place in his group, but he still lost, lost to Xiao Han, defeated by Xiao Han. The applause at the site was a stimulant for him, a humiliation, as if the sound of each clap was slapping painfully against his face.

Just then, Tao Jun’s sports teacher walked over with a leisurely smile, saying, “Tao Jun, that was very good.”

“I lost,” Tao Jun said, head down and hands on his hips, even though he had given everything he had, he found he still lost.

“No,” the sports teacher shook his head, saying, “The toughest enemy a person has to defeat is oneself. You have surpassed your best performance at Shuimu University. You’ve improved by 0.11 seconds. You should be happy about that.”

“A loss is a loss!” Tao Jun shook his head.

“It doesn’t matter if you lose,” the sports teacher shook his head and said, “That kid is a natural sports prodigy. I watched his race in the morning and again just now. I’ve discovered he’s the king of acceleration in the second half. With proper training, China’s track and field will gain a new star.”

“To earn such praise from the teacher, he really must be impressive,” Tao Jun acknowledged, looking at the sports teacher.

“Exactly!” the sports teacher nodded and declared, “You can’t compare with him. He’s a naturally talented athlete, while you’re an athlete who thrives on effort. Some people are born suitable for sprinting, like Bolt. Others are naturally suited for long-distance running.”

COMMENT
0 comment

Vote
3 left

SEND GIFT