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Chapter 487: Chapter 327: 800 Meters
"The Dragon and Horse" had not even officially appeared before it was over.
Zhang Chi stayed on the sidelines, watching indifferently, as he overwhelmingly outperformed Wang Longlong; only his participation could secure an award.
After Wang Longlong was replaced, he went to the field with Dan Kaiquan to cheer.
The 4x100 relay was a popular event. Due to the high number of participants, many acquaintances came to cheer, resulting in crowded viewing areas along the racetrack.
Class 8’s station was not far from the track, where one could watch while seated. The class leader, Huang Zhongfei, still led the girls in cheering.
On the racetrack, Dan Kaiquan held the final position.
School loudspeakers permeated the air, "To the 1x400 meter athletes, once the roc rises with the wind in one day, it ascends 90,000 leagues. Even if the wind ceases and it comes down, it still stirs the deep blue sea..."
Dan Kaiquan, hearing those verses, looked towards the forward left competitors and gradually calmed his mind.
The starting gun sounded.
Zhang Chi grabbed the relay baton and quickly dashed forward. He was on the inner lane and naturally started a bit behind the others. But Zhang Chi was fast and gradually caught up.
The 100-meter distance vanished in a blink.
Hu Jun watched when he could, "This doesn’t look good!"
Yang Sheng said, "This time the opponents are quite strong, they took the lead right from the start."
Soon, the baton was passed to the last runner, the most intense part of the race.
Lu Qiqi stood on the track shouting, "Come on, come on!"
It wasn’t just her; the classmates of the competing athletes were all yelling, their voices merging into one.
Dan Kaiquan performed excellently, but unfortunately, the rivals had too much of a lead in the last one hundred meters for him to catch up.
In the end, Class 8’s time was frozen at 52 seconds.
After the first round ended in defeat, several returned dispirited.
Huang Zhongfei consoled them, "You all did very well. The winning team was all sports team members. It’s normal to be outpaced."
Yang Sheng said, "Their last runner was an athlete, the one in the white shirt. He just finished his sports exam; he scored a perfect 11.3 seconds in the hundred-meter."
"Being outrun is normal."
Dan Kaiquan originally wanted to say something but remained silent in the end.
Even singled out, Dan Kaiquan couldn’t outrun that high school athlete.
He gave his all and managed only 11.8 seconds.
Still, an 11.8 was remarkable, even Jiang Ning managed just 11.9 seconds.
With this in mind, Dan Kaiquan felt much better.
He said, "Jiang Ning, after this relay, it’s the 800 meters. You and Brother Nan, do your best."
"Definitely some athletes will compete."
Jiang Ning sat on a stool, "I’ll do my best."
...
The 800-meter race was about to begin.
Jiang Ning put down his playing cards and clapped his hands, "Time to go, no more games."
Yang Sheng reluctantly replied, "Let’s continue after your run."
"Are you still playing, Geng Lu?" Yang Sheng asked her.
"No, I’m going to cheer for Jiang Ning."
Class 11s station.
Xu Yan earnestly instructed, "Luo Jun, the 800 meters is your strength, you must bring back a prize."
The sports day had been going on for a day, and by this afternoon, Class 11 hadn’t yet had any standout participants.
Previously, Bai Han who excelled in high jump, could win championships in ordinary schools by jumping 170, but unexpectedly many strong competitors appeared.
Talking about the 800 meters, Luo Jun shook off his gloom, regaining his confidence and expressed enthusiastically,
"I won the championship in the 800 meters in junior high."
"I’ll lead the girls in our class to cheer for you," Xu Yan said.
Beside him, the dark-skinned Gu Tai joked with a cheeky grin, "As long as you’re here, class leader, it’s enough."
Xu Yan responded, "Get lost."
Class 1.
Wei Xiu Yuan addressed his classmates like a drill sergeant, loudly declaring, "Our Class 1 has always been looked down upon."
Du Chuan, nicknamed [Presidentially Appointed Gaokao Expert], was puzzled, "Why’s that, Lao Wei?"
Wei Xiu Yuan explained, "Because we’re top students."
He earnestly continued, "People prejudice against top students, thinking we’re nerds who only know how to study, so they look down on us."
"But that’s not true. Confucius once said to persuade others with virtue, yet he stood six feet tall, robust and powerful, imposingly majestic with strong martial arts skills!"
Dong Jiayi listened to his relentless prattle and asked, "Wei Xiu Yuan, what are you trying to say?"
Wei Xiu Yuan raised both hands and shouted, "Break the prejudices, reshape our image!"
There was silence below.
"What’s the matter with you all?" Wei Xiu Yuan was puzzled, wondering why they weren’t fired up.
Wasn’t it supposed that after his motivational speech, everyone should be pumped up, howling and rushing forward?
Lin Zida: "Boring."
Du Chuan: "Indeed."
At that moment, Dong Jiayi walked from the spectators’ stands to the leadership seating.
She was dressed provocatively, in a mini skirt, a tiny belt, and a short-sleeved shirt, revealing a section of her fair waist.
Upon her appearance, the male students in the class stared at her.
Especially the academic achiever, Du Chuan, who while ogling, pondered whether there was dust in girls’ bellybuttons.
Dong Jiayi smiled enchantingly, "Let me say this, if our classmate wins a prize in the 800 meters, I’ll dance a spicy dance on the track for him!"
The boys were moved, but became shy, afraid to speak lest they were thought lechers.
Only Wei Xiu Yuan felt a rush of ardor, wishing he could sacrifice his liver and brain:
"Jiayi, wait for me, I will definitely bring back the prize."
Dong Jiayi glanced over her classmates, feeling it was not enough, and added fuel to the fire:
"If our class doesn’t win a prize, I’ll dance for Class 8 instead."
Class 1 students exploded with excitement!
...
On the field.
Jiang Ning, following the referee’s instructions, took his place at the starting line, surrounded by a crowd of people. A quick count revealed fifteen students.
That’s nearly half more than the usual number of runners in an 800-meter race.
Guo Kunnan, from the same class, was placed in the same group as Jiang Ning.
Guo Kunnan was perplexed; Wei Xiu Yuan from Class 1 was staring at him with eyes blazing like flames.
It made Guo Kunnan unnerved.
"What’s going on?" he wondered cluelessly.
At the starting line.
Dan Kaiquan pointed at a tall student dressed in white and said to his friends: "Isn’t that the athlete we saw in the relay race?"
The athlete, who ran exceptionally fast, was something Dan Kaiquan could only dream of catching up to.
Zhang Chi said, "This batch of students, they are all just his backdrop."
Dan Kaiquan agreed with him: "Jiang Ning is skilled, but his luck isn’t great."
Yang Sheng counted and said, "Out of fifteen people, four are athletes."
Geng Lu refused to be pessimistic; she disliked when others talked down, "What’s so special about athletes? Didn’t Jiang Ning perform far better than the athletes in high jump earlier?"
Zhang Chi sneered: "What do you know? Athletes might not focus on high jump in their physical tests, but the 1000 meters is their forte, and what does Jiang Ning have to win with?"
Yang Sheng remained silent.
Zhang Chi was right; athletes trained relentlessly in sports with strict guidance from coaches, giving them a huge advantage over regular students.
To put it bluntly, athletes participating in sports meets was almost like wolves among sheep.
However, it wasn’t a definitive rule.
Jiang Ning stood composedly, overhearing the conversation among his peers.
Because Xue Yuantong was in Guo Ran’s office, Jiang Ning had his Divine Sense switched on all the time, which also allowed him to hear Class 1’s conversation.
The starting gun fired.
With a loud "bang!"
The men’s 800 meters race officially began!
On the red plastic track, fifteen silhouettes dashed out instantly.
The announcer’s booming voice filled the air:
"From the gladiatorial combats in the Ancient Roman Arena to the athletic competition at the modern Olympics, sports have always been a thrilling element of human society...
Push forward fearlessly, never give up. Go for it!"
Twenty meters into the race, Jiang Ning was already leading.
Geng Lu covered her chest, jumped up, and shouted loudly: "Jiang Ning, I’m waiting for you at the finish line!"
After one hundred meters, Jiang Ning continued to lead the pack.
Zhang Chi, still a skeptic about him winning, knowledgeably said:
"800 meters isn’t like 100 meters; starting too fast will burn his stamina for sure!"
Two hundred meters into the race, Jiang Ning pulled 30 meters ahead of the second runner. From the spectator’s angle, thirty meters was a considerable distance.
Luo Jun from Class 11, racing in the same batch, kept pace with the athletes.
’It doesn’t matter, I will sprint in the last 200 meters!’
’Everyone will witness the miracle!’
’I want the class rep to get me a Red Bull!’
Students lined up thickly along the track, continuously shouting, "Go, go!"
The loudspeaker continued its inspirational announcement:
"To Jiang Ning of Class 1 Grade 8, during all tear-filled moments, what comes to my mind is your victory."
Someone laughed: "What an audacious cheer!"
As Jiang Ning blazed past the first 400 meters, meeting students from Class 8, he waved his right hand and slowed down slightly along the track edge.
Yang Sheng understood Jiang Ning’s gesture and swiftly leaped up to high-five him in mid-air.
"Slap!"
Jiang Ning didn’t break his stride, accelerated, and rapidly increased the gap shortly.
On the track, his figure left others far behind.
Athletes raced desperately behind him.
The enthusiastic students on the sidelines shouted, "So fast, he’s so fast!"
Especially the girls, who screamed as if they were possessed.
Geng Lu had jumped too late; otherwise, she should have been the one to high-five him.
She was overjoyed beyond words: "Jiang Ning is amazing!"
Zhang Chi, who initially doubted him, had now shut his mouth.
Spectating students exclaimed: "Terrifying; those behind him are all athletes!"
"He left the athletes half a lap behind; they can’t catch him!"
"What kind of monster is he!"
"Have you noticed? His running posture is so cool!"
Luo Jun paced himself, completing 600 meters, and with only 200 meters left, it was time to burst forth!
Charge! A 200-meter sprint!
Surpass everything!
However, as he began to sprint, he saw someone had already reached the finish line.
Luo Jun: "What the heck?"
"1 minute 53!"
"1 minute 53!" the referee announced the time.
The school’s loudspeaker declared: "Congratulations to Jiang Ning from Class 1 Grade 8 of Fourth Middle School, who has set a new 800 meters record of 1 minute and 53 seconds!"
