Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Everyone in the stadium looked aghast. What had happened that day was something they had never thought possible.
The person who emerged victorious from the 400m sprint's "group of death" was a para-athlete who had lost both his legs!
"Is something wrong with my eyes? Was the first person who ran past the finish line the 'blade warrior?' But he's disabled! He doesn't have legs, and he only has a small part of his calves. A person without legs ran faster than people with legs?"
"What's going on? Isn't this the 'group of death?' Why is a disabled person in first place? What were the other seven contestants doing? Were they imitating a tortoise? Why would they let a disabled person get first place?"
"Fixed race. This must be a fixed race! How else can a disabled person top the group! The other seven contestants must have been bought!" announced a person who had read a lot of mystery novels.
At this moment, the results of the contestants appeared on the electronic display.
There was no doubt it was the "group of death"; every athlete was capable of advancing through to the official race, and as such, their results were at the standard of the official race. Many finished close to 45 seconds, and there were even some who made it within 45 seconds. Compared to this group, the results of the previous three groups were miserable. Judging by the standards of the world championship qualifier, these sort of results would only appear in the US.
And ranked first was Phillip. His time was 44.72 seconds!
"44.72 seconds, he actually managed to produce this kind of result! And the results of the other athletes are actually really good. It's not that the other athletes made concessions, or that the race was fixed... That 'blade warrior' is really fast."
"I remember in the last Olympic Games, the worst result that made it into the finals was 44.79 seconds. Doesn't that mean the 'blade warrior' has the ability to make it into the finals of the Olympics?"
"Now, all I want to know is how fast this 'blade warrior' can run! Is his performance today his limit?"
"You would know just by coming to watch the race tomorrow. He's in the first place, so he has already advanced through to the official race tomorrow!"
...
Oliver was the second runner to cross the finish line. However, his expression was filled with regret and disappointment.
I've actually lost to a disabled person! At that moment, it was like Oliver had lost his soul. He looked like a zombie who had no thought.
It wasn't just Oliver; Rudy Jackson, Marcus Garcia, Joe Christian… The other contestants in the group all had the same desolate expression.
They were all professional athletes, and they were the superior members of the bunch. Although losing races was a common occurrence for them, losing to a para-athlete was completely unacceptable.
44.72 seconds! How is he so fast? He's so fast even without legs! Oliver finally saw Phillip's result.
44.72 seconds. Oliver only managed to achieve that during training. In official matches, Oliver had never achieved such a result before.
At that moment, the contempt that Oliver had felt gradually turned into fear. Oliver looked at Phillip like he had seen a "demon lord."
...
Lopez paced back and forth in his office, looking as though he was struggling internally.
Finally, Lopez made a decision. He grabbed his phone and dialed the number of Williams, the CEO of the American Track and Field Association.
"Hello sir, it's me, Lopez. There's something I need to report to you. Do you remember a Barron Phillip? That 'blade warrior.'"
Before Lopez could finish, Williams asked, "You still haven't settled things with that guy?"
"No, no. We accepted his registration promptly after your instructions yesterday, and he also came and took part in the competition," Lopez answered.
"Alright, noted. You don't have to tell me how you actually did it. As long as he stops causing us problems," Williams said impatiently.
"Yes, sir. I am not sure if this is him causing trouble for us, that's why I am reporting this to you." Lopez paused and then continued. "He's advanced. That disabled person actually made it through the qualifiers!"
"What did you just say? Advanced? He's a disabled person, he doesn't have legs! He's advanced despite that?" Williams asked in a peculiar tone.
"And he has actually advanced as the first place of the group. That is why I'm asking you for instructions. Should we let him participate in the race tomorrow? He is a disabled person after all. We could let it slide if it were just the qualifiers, but tomorrow's race is the actual selection for the World Championship in Athletics. There's even a live broadcast. Are we going to allow him to get on the field and compete against our country's best athletes?"
"Lopez, couldn't you have just assigned him to a tougher group?" Williams had instead started to assign blame.
"Sir, I already put him in a 'group of death,' but he still made it through. His time was 44.72 seconds. Based on past results, if this result were in an official race, it would be enough to get him into the final."
"You mean to say that there's a chance we'll see him in the finals?" William asked in disbelief.
"If he maintains this kind of form, we can't exclude the possibility!" Lopez answered honestly.
"To h*ll with this! Lopez, why don't you just tell it straight to my face that he can get into the top three and book a spot to the world championship. He would then represent the United States of America in the upcoming World Championship in Athletics! What would the world say? They would say, 'Oh, look, the almighty United States, number one in track and field, could only send a cripple to participate in the race'!" Williams said anxiously.
"Sorry sir," Lopez said. "Should we just deny him the right to compete in tomorrow's race?"
"Deny him the right to compete? Is your brain rusty?" Williams demanded. "A disabled person successfully advancing through to tomorrow's official race, do you think that the journalists will let something as rare as this slide? Who knows, that 'blade warrior' might be in an interview with them now! If you don't let him compete, how will the public view us?"
"Then what should we do?" Lopez asked.
"By now, we can only react by not responding," Williams said helplessly.
...
Just as Williams had predicted, Phillip was indeed in a special interview with journalists.
At a location not far away, Dai Li and Stephen sat together. Dai Li held a coffee cup in his hand, and Stephen was scarfing down a piece of takeout pizza.
"It sure is tough for you guys in this business. To delay your meal by so much, just so you could get in touch with these journalists," Dai Li said.
"Many people think that agents are like vampires, sucking off the blood of athletes just so we can live in luxury. But where in the world can you find a job where you only count your money at home?" Stephen laughed in a self-mocking manner. "The competitiveness between agents in the US is very high. There's always someone new joining the industry, and at the same time, there are also people that change their industry. The truth is, the market is only so big. It's just like the pizza in my hand; if I eat another piece, someone else will have one piece less, and those who don't get any will starve."
"As long as Phillip maintains his current form, I don't think you'll have to worry about starving again." Dai Li inadvertently looked at Phillip, who was in the middle of an interview.
Stephen nodded. "Yeah, I've already decided to leave the apartment I'm currently renting so that I can purchase a house of my own. To tell you the truth, I'm really starting to regret it now."
"Regret what?" Dai Li asked.
"Regret that five percent!" Stephen sighed helplessly. "Looking at the current situation, Phillip's endorsement income from this year's advertisements alone could exceed a million dollars, and for everything that exceeds 500,000 dollars, I have to give you 5%. I will be losing tens of thousands of dollars to you just like that. Did you know that this day would come?"
Dai Li did not deny it. He nodded and said, "That's right, I knew that Phillip could compete against normal athletes. It was only that his potential hadn't been developed."
"Your prediction was spot on." Stephen swallowed a bite of pizza and said, "So, for tomorrow's race, do you think that he will make it through?"
"The official race is separated into the preliminary race and the final race. You are asking if he can make it into the final, or obtain a spot in the world championship?" Dai Li asked.
"I want to know both answers," Stephen said as he wiped the pizza sauce off his face.
"24 contestants will take part in the preliminary race. Excluding the 12 athletes who advanced through the qualifiers today, there are another 12 seeded contestants. These 12 seeds are the top athletes of the US, and among them are past world championship contestants as well as past Olympic contestants. There are also contestants of the diamond league. These 24 contestants will be vying for the final eight spots. According to the rules, the top two of each group and the top three of the two best-performing groups will advance to the final race."
Dai Li looked towards Phillip, who was seated not far away, as he spoke. "If the grouping isn't too bad, I don't believe Phillip will have too much problem advancing into the final race. However, when it comes to going to the world championship..."
"The possibility isn't high, right?" Stephen asked.
Dai Li nodded. "Only the top three are allowed to participate in the individual events, and the fourth-placed athlete is allowed to take part in the 4x400m relay race. That means that among the eight contestants in the final, half of them will appear on the stage of the world championship. The probability looks to be rather high, but for Phillip, it will be really hard; the opponents are too strong."
As he said this, Dai Li couldn't help but sigh. "Among the 12 seeded contestants, two of them can run within 44 seconds. Those two have technically already taken up two spots. Another three of them can run within 44.5 seconds. The rest of them are no less capable than Phillip. It is impossible for Phillip to stand out in the race. Unless he creates a miracle!"