Sprint: This champion is a bit weird

Chapter 286 My life cannot be without wine, just like the West cannot be without Jerusalem
Stuttgart International Airport.

A group of black people, wearing thick down jackets and fully armed from head to toe with almost no gaps, but still shivering, walked out of the exit pushing their luggage.

"Oh my god, I hate winter!" A short and stocky black man with a beard complained and punched the person next to him: "Asafa, if you hadn't insisted on pulling me here, I should be lying on the beach enjoying the sun after training."

Asafa Powell did not dodge, but just smiled happily.

While walking, he twisted his joints from time to time to relax his body which had become stiff from sitting on the plane for too long, and looked at the European white passengers who were of different skin color from his own coming and going in the airport.

Seeing Asafa staring at a pretty blonde girl, Nesta Carter smiled and joked, "Don't just stare at her. Take the opportunity to go up and ask for her phone number so you can ask her out for some fun after the game."

Track and field sports are definitely more boring than ball sports, but for these top elite athletes, one advantage is that when they travel around the world to compete, they are more likely to come into contact with beauties from different countries with different styles.

Especially when coming to Europe to compete, compared to Jamaica where there are black girls everywhere, this place is simply like a paradise!
It’s just a little strange that I remember when Asafa Powell came to Japan to participate in the World Championships last year, he would go to the bar after training and have a passionate night with the Japanese beauties.

How come now it's just watching and no action?

Is he afraid that the blonde beauty will reject him?
"Forget it. Preparation is more important. Wenhao has already run 6 seconds in the United States. Maybe he can break the world record in the next game. I should better focus more." Powell replied with a smile.

He didn't know when it started, but every time he faced a decision, a red figure as tall and strong as himself would appear in his mind, so that without realizing it, he had subtly changed his habits.

If it were in the past, no matter whether the blonde beauty would be interested in him or directly reject him with a contemptuous look, he would not miss the opportunity to chat with her.

But now, while he is eager to try, this thought arises in his mind: If I enjoy life less and spend more time on training and preparation, will my chances of defeating Wen Hao increase?

Asafa Powell is well aware that people are like a bow and the bowstring cannot be kept taut all the time.

This was the case in the past. Before Wen Hao grew to the point where he could compete with him, no matter how fiercely Tyson Gay pursued him, Powell would not reduce his enjoyment outside of competition and training.

But now, or to say since the failures in the Osaka World Championships and the Stuttgart Athletics Finals, he has gradually begun to change his mindset.

In order to realize his dreams and to regain the honor he had the chance to win, he decided to be ruthless and temporarily give up material and spiritual enjoyment!
"It's good to have such an idea, but you still have to pay attention to the combination of work and rest, and don't put too much pressure on yourself." Coach Steve Francis said on the side.

Jamaicans are naturally casual and playful, especially the young generation today. No matter how rich or poor they are, they will hang out in bars and attend parties in their spare time. The increasingly open customs have also led to a high rate of illegitimate births in Jamaica.
Since the end of the 2007 season, Powell's lifestyle has indeed changed a lot compared to the past, so much so that Francis, the coach, initially thought he was crazy.

As winter training gradually unfolded, Francis witnessed with his own eyes that Powell took a more serious attitude than in the past and reduced his enjoyment of fun outside of training. Only then did he realize that Powell was serious.

Francis was pleased with Powell's change, but at the same time he was also worried.

Everyone has a pace of life that suits them, and if athletes in the competitive field want to exchange their talents, they must endure hardships in training that ordinary people cannot bear: constantly challenging the limits of their bodies, and even destroying their own bodies!

Therefore, the resentment, irritability, and depression accumulated during hard training often need to be released through certain channels in order to achieve the purpose of regulating physical and mental health.

"Actually, you don't need to be so hard on yourself. Take Wenhao for example. I heard that he attended a celebrity party organized by Ivanka on his first night in New York from Boston. Who knows how happy he was that night." Nesta Carter said with a smile, putting her arm around Powell's shoulders.

As the world's sprint king, Wen Hao has made a great name in the pop music industry and is also known for his romantic reputation. He is inevitably followed and reported by the media wherever he goes.

Like the party Nesta Carter mentioned, a video was circulated on the Internet the next day. The video showed Wen Hao, half drunk, almost singing half of "Shape of You" with the accompaniment of a musician's guitar.

The live performance, which was like a CD, conquered every audience at the party that night. Ivanka even gave him a kiss in public after the performance. After being reported by the media the next day, it directly triggered public opinion.

Powell shook his head and smiled: "He is him, and I am me. Maybe it is because he continues to maintain his romantic habits that I have achieved success this year?"

"My knot in my heart was indeed caused by him, but if I want to return to the world's number one throne and win the precious 100-meter gold medal for Jamaica at the Olympics, in the final analysis, I still need to defeat myself first."

"Asafa, if you can keep this mentality, then I believe you will be able to defeat him in the Olympics." Steve Francis patted his apprentice on the shoulder, then put his arm around Carter's shoulder. The three of them walked out of the airport together and headed towards the vast world.

The Flyers Club track and field training ground in Kingston, the capital of Jamaica.

Two muscular figures, one tall and one short, were running fast on the track. The warm sunshine from the Caribbean Sea was shining down from the top of the Blue Mountain, making the dark skin covered with sweat look glowing.

"Assafa should have arrived in Stuttgart by now, but I still have to stay here with the grass and the track. When will this day end?"

"Be patient, Yosain. There is an old Chinese saying, 'A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; a river is formed by the accumulation of small streams.' Even birds of prey like eagles and falcons must wait until their wings are fully grown before they can become the king of the sky." Yohan Blake said while panting.

Bolt shook his head, picked up a bottle of energy drink from the side of the track, and gulped down half of it.

"Ha - I'm very curious, Youhan, where did you learn so much Chinese? You haven't even graduated from high school yet, and your academic performance is not that good, right?"

It has been a year since Blake joined the Flying Man Club. The two men, who have long been brothers, are very familiar with each other, and Bolt knows him very well.

What impressed Bolt most about Blake was his extremely serious attitude towards training. Even on his days off, he often did not go to bars or parties with his friends, but instead trained alone in the gym or on the track.

Another very characteristic thing is that when he speaks, he always likes to add a sentence: There is an old saying in China.

I don't know how I got this disease.
“Usain, you don’t understand.” Blake took a sip of water and grinned. “Your high school grades were bad because you loved to play too much and had no talent for studying. And my high school grades were bad because I needed to devote all my energy to running, and this was the only choice.”

As soon as Bolt blurted out "Why", he remembered what he heard when Blake came to the club a year ago.

Although he was also born in the countryside, his parents were at least not poor in the local area. Especially after he went to middle school, his parents had relatively stable jobs, and his father's family also had land, so even if he lost his job, he would have the output to live on.

Blake's family can be said to be penniless. His parents don't make much money, and there are many brothers and sisters in the family. The road to poverty alleviation is a long way off. As for Blake's catchphrase "There is an old Chinese saying", if you think about it carefully, the answer is obvious.

It is well known in the club that Blake's idol is Wenhao. On the wall next to his bed in the dormitory is a large poster of Wenhao winning three gold medals at the Osaka World Championships.

In addition, Blake also played Wenhao's singles and albums in the dormitory every day. Even when he occasionally went to parties with them, he only sang Wenhao's songs.

Considering Wenhao as his idol, it is no wonder that he always blurts out: "There is an old saying in China."

After a while, several elite students of the Flying Club gathered together, waiting for coach Glen Mills to disband the team.

"Okay, today's training is over. I still have something to say before we dismiss."

Glenn Mills, with a big belly, narrowed his eyes and first looked at Usain Bolt, the tallest among the group.

"Usain, you"

"Coach, I remember that I will never drink unless it is a rest day." Before the coach could finish his words, Bolt spoke first.

Glenn Mills was stunned for a moment, then laughed out loud happily.

"Hehehe, although this is not what I want to say, you are able to consciously promise me, which is commendable. However, I hope you can be more conscious and not drink even on your days off, okay?"

Bolt's face suddenly darkened, as if he had lost his parents.

"No! Please, coach, you know, my life cannot be without wine, just like the West cannot be without Jerusalem!"

Without exception, all the students were amused by Bolt's words, and the track and field field was filled with a happy atmosphere for a while.

"Hahaha, oh my God, Usain you talk so funny!"

"Just like the West cannot lose Jerusalem. Hahahaha, with your IQ, you shouldn't be able to say such a philosophical thing, right?"

"This is what Wenhao said. When he was interviewed yesterday, he told the reporter from the New York Daily: My life cannot be without music and beauty, just like the West cannot be without Jerusalem."

"Hahaha, Yousain, you really are good at applying what you have learned!"

"."

Everyone laughed for two or three minutes before gradually stopping. Glenn Mills, the coach, did not scold them harshly, because he was also a very cheerful and kind old man in life.

"Okay, enough laughing, let's get down to business." Glenn Mills looked at Blake, the youngest of his disciples, with his belly sticking out. "The rest of you will continue with your normal training tomorrow. Yohan, pack your clothes and come with me to New York next year."

As soon as these words came out, the students looked at the junior brother curiously.

Blake looked confused: "Coach, what happened? Why do you suddenly want me to go to New York alone with you?"

Glenn Mills shrugged. "Nothing special. It's just that your recent training performance is good, so I took you to participate in an indoor race in New York. In fact, I signed you up three days ago, but I forgot about it after signing up and didn't tell you in advance, haha."

Blake smiled silently when he heard this, she didn't expect that her coach had such a lovely side.

"New York." He suddenly thought of something, and his eyes lit up instantly: "Could it be the Millrose Games?"

"What? Millrose Games?" The students also responded.

"No way, could it be?"

"Wenhao's next race is Millrose!"

"Oh my God, is Yohan going to fight the world's number one?"

Amid the discussions of his companions, Blake subconsciously looked at Bolt beside him, and saw a face full of resentment.

After a year of getting along, Blake was very clear about one thing, that is, Bolt was always looking forward to competing with Wenhao. Especially after being badly beaten at the Osaka World Championships, Bolt's expectation became even stronger.

But it turned out that he, as the junior fellow student, was the first to confront Wenhao?
"It's not the Millrose Games, but." Glenn Mills first poured cold water on him, then said, "I signed Yohan up for the New York High School Indoor Open this time. This event is affiliated with the Millrose Games, and the champion can get a direct spot in the Millrose Games."

“Only the champion can get a spot?”

"That's right. So if you want to stand on the same field with your idol, you must win the men's 60m indoor championship in the high school open championship."

Blake frowned, clenched his fists, and swore to himself.

Since the 2006 Yanjing World Youth Championships, he has regarded Wenhao as his idol. Like Bolt, he is looking forward to standing on the same track with Wenhao one day.

Now, this opportunity has finally arrived!

(End of this chapter)