Chapter 210: The 200m Sprint Final
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
If ordinary people had a fever, they could take medicine or get an injection to bring down the temperature. However, professional athletes couldn't do this, for their medication had to be handled discreetly.
In addition, the events were still going on; Zitao Wei had to face a possible doping test after the race. Unless he dropped out of the race, he couldn't take any medicine at that time.
Therefore, Zitao Wei had to fight the fever with his body, and water was the only "medicine" he could use.
However, another issue still worried Li Xue. What would they do if Zitao Wei was absent from the relay final?
Jun Xie was bound to be absent from the relay final due to his fracture. Now Zitao Wei had a fever, and without medication, it was impossible to bring his body temperature down before the relay final, which was to be held the following day.
We lost another player! Now we only have three athletes left. How should we deal with the relay? Li Xue was quite depressed.
...
The 200m sprint final was the last event of that day.
"It's almost impossible for Zitao Wei to win a medal in his current condition."
"It really is a pity. This should have been the last Asian Games for Zitao Wei, and he was performing at the highest athletic level possible."
"This is the will of the heavens. God chose to make it rain on this day so that Zitao Wei would have a fever."
The coaches in the area were chatting in low voices.
Dai Li also felt sorry for Zitao Wei, whose strength in the 200m sprint was outstanding. Zitao Wei's curve running technique was quite good, and he also had sufficient explosive force for sprinting the straightaway. He had been regarded as a promising candidate to win a medal.
However, the reality was unforgiving. Now, his body temperature was 102.2℉, so it was impossible for him to exert all his strength in the match. The coaches would thank God if Zitao Wei could even walk to the starting line and finish the full distance.
We can't count on Zitao Wei anymore. I hope Yue Zhao can bring us a miracle. Dai Li peeked at Yue Zhao.
Yue Zhao's best result was 20.64 seconds, which was a pretty good result for Asia. His record was better than the B standard of the Olympic Games, and was very close to the A standard.
However, if he wanted to win the championship with a time of 20.64 seconds in the final race of the Asian Games, luck was a necessary factor, meaning the performances of the other runners needed to be poor.
Dai Li couldn't help looking at the sky. The rain kept coming, and it seemed to be heavier than before. The track had long been saturated in rain water. The athletes' feet could easily make a visible splash, as there were still puddles on the track. Even the best drainage devices could not funnel all the water off the track.
Clark, Oneida and Jun Xie have dropped out of the race. Zitao Wei's chances are also impaired by his fever. Now it's raining again, which is also a factor of uncertainty. Maybe this will be good luck for Yue Zhao. As he thought this, Dai Li murmured to himself silently, "Yue Zhao! Come on!"
...
The Japanese Team were originally very strong in the 200m sprint, but now they were had a temporary shortage of talent. Oda Sunshine focused on his stamina in the 100m sprint, while the 200m sprinters cultivated by the Japanese Team in recent years were mediocre.
The best 200m sprinter on the Japanese Team was Gehiko Yamamoto, who specialized in the 400m run. The 200m sprint was a less important race for him. Most sprinters specialized in the 100m sprint, and took the 200m sprint less seriously; therefore, sprinters like Gehiko Yamamoto were quite rare.
The UAE athlete Sarafa was the biggest favorite to win the championship. He had defeated Oda Sunshine but lost to Sijie Yang in the 100m sprint final, and only won a silver medal. Now that he was on the track for his advantageous 200m sprint, he was, naturally, aiming to be the champion except he wasn't accustomed to races held on rainy day, for it rarely rains in the United Arab Emirates.
The athletes from Saudi Arabia and Jordan were also unable to adapt to the situation. These two countries had one runner each in the final match.
Saudi Arabia was a country with abundant money, ore, and petroleum, but with a shortage of water. Most areas of Saudi Arabia had a tropical desert climate, which was hot and dry in the summer. An air temperature of 104℉ to 122℉ was quite normal, so rain was rare in this country. When it did rain, the rainfall was very short and immediately, almost vaporized on the ground.
Jordan's water shortage was even worse than Saudi Arabia's. Jordan was one of the ten countries in the world that needed water the most. Even the famous Dead Sea was almost dried up because of the serious droughts.
Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan from Middle Asia also had one runner each in the final, but their athletes weren't competitive in the final for the 200m sprint.
...
Sarafa looked at the sky, his eyes full of misery.
Sarafa would definitely appreciate this kind of rain in the United Arab Emirates. However, during a race, Sarafa preferred a 120℉ sunny day more than a rainy day in a country that usually had a pleasant climate.
Sarafa was not accustomed to running in the rain. He thought the track drenched in rain water was too slippery and soft, making him quite uncomfortable exerting strength.
More importantly, today's temperature was too low for him.
After a lengthy warm up, Sarafa still felt his limbs were very tight, which was not a good sign for the upcoming event.
Sarafa was born in Uganda, which is a country on the equator. Although sometimes the temperature there would drop to around 70℉, people would never experience a sudden temperature drop in the subtropical areas that was too gloomy and cold. Later, he moved to the United Arab Emirates, which is a country where nobody knows the notion of "cold."
"What terrible weather! It's just so depressing!" Sarafa cursed in his mind. He looked at the Kazakhstan athlete who wasn't far away. This athlete had an obviously Russian bloodline, and his naked arms were covered with a layer of body hair.
Sarafa's eyes showed his envy. "His body hair must be quite warm," he thought.
Then, Sarafa looked to the lane on his left, where Gehiko Yamamoto of the Japanese Team was standing.
He's that famous Japanese athlete, Gehiko Yamamoto. Clark and Oneida have dropped out of the match, so he will be my strongest opponent.
Sarafa looked to the lane on his right, where Yue Zhao was adjusting the starting block carefully.
This guy is a host athlete, and has entered the final match as the first place in the semi-final. I haven't heard of him before, so he must just be a nobody. The athlete profiles said he was 26, soon to be 27. He's still unknown at his age, so I don't think I have to worry about him.