Chapter 302: Chapter 302 - Gold Medal

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

“Liu Weichen has an advantage when it comes to the sixty-meter dash because he’s in the fourth lane right now. To his left, Anthony, the renowned American sprinter—who’s the current world champion—is on the third track. Anthony is also Liu Weichen’s main rival today.

“Liu Weichen, who’s making a comeback after recovering from his injury, is being extremely careful. Earlier, Liu Weichen was doing his warm-up exercises very earnestly beside the track. His coaches are probably even more nervous than him. It was a very huge blow for Liu Weichen to rupture his Achilles tendon when his career was on the rise. However, the fact that he’s making a comeback after only a few months is a huge encouragement to all the athletes out there.

“Ever since Anthony became the world champion, he has participated in many social and media events. He probably hasn’t had much time for systematic training… Aside from Anthony, Jacob from Russia who’s in the first lane is also a strong contender for the sixty-meter dash. His personal best is 6.49 seconds, which is faster than Liu Weichen’s 6.55 seconds.”

In the lounge, most of the doctors slowly became quiet.

The sixty-meter dash would be over in a few seconds, and no one wanted to miss that fleeting moment.

Yu Yuan finally understood what was going on, and she said in a soft voice, “Doctor Ling was the one who operated on Liu Weichen’s Achilles tendon.”

“Of course, why else would we watch the competition?” The plump 221-pound doctor who was holding a bottle of beer sneered. “Unfortunately, they would neither mention Ling Ran’s name nor talk about the Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center.”

“There’s no need for that. The Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center is a hospital. Patients with ruptured Achilles tendons would definitely seek this information from other sources. There’s no need for the commentator to state the name of the center.” Even though Yu Yuan had just woken up, her brain functioned pretty well.

The doctor next to her also agreed. “She’s right. It’s not like we’re selling fast-moving consumer goods…”

*Bang!*

“The exciting sixty-meter dash has begun. The fastest off the starting line is… They’re reaching the finishing line… You can do it, Liu Weichen… Liu Weichen wins the gold medal!”

“Gold medal!

“Liu Weichen wins the gold medal!”

The commentator’s voice went a few pitches higher, drawing the attention of all the distracted audience members in the lounge back to the television screen.

Yu Yuan quickly raised her head and happened to catch the scene of an Asian breasting the tape at the finishing line.

Even though the doctors could not see the scene clearly when the television first showed it, the scene was then replayed in slow-motion, and everyone got a good view of it.

“Liu Weichen has won the gold medal in the IAAF Indoor Championship. He achieved it in 6.45 seconds, setting a new personal best…

“Liu Wei has made a successful comeback after his injury!

“The third gold medalist in the IAAF Indoor Championship has just been born, and this is also the third gold medal that the China team has obtained!

“Congratulations, Liu Weichen. Congratulations, China’s track and field team.”

The group of young doctors widened their eyes while the chief physicians’ jaws dropped.

“It ended?”

“Liu Weichen won?”

“His Achilles tendon can really work wonders.”

The television commentator tried his best to let his imagination run wild. “After four months, Liu Weichen, who underwent a dangerous Achilles tendon repair surgery, has made an excellent comeback. He has outdone himself, and the gold medal is a befitting reward for him…

“The members of China’s track and field team are leaping for joy. For China’s track and field team, a gold medal in the sixty-meter dash is an extreme honor. Liu Weichen completed the race in 6.45 seconds, which is also a new record for China when it comes to the sixty-meter dash!

“This is unbelievable. Injured Achilles tendons usually spell death for the careers of athletes, especially track and field athletes. Many renowned sprinters—both Chinese and foreign—have had no choice but to retire because of Achilles tendon injuries. Liu Weichen has not only broken this curse but also set a new personal best. This is what we call true sportsmanship. Let’s pay our tribute to Liu Weichen and China’s track and field team!

“Liu Weichen is holding up the national flag of the People’s Republic of China, and the red flag with five stars on it is fluttering in Brussel’s sky… Liu Weichen is pretty emotional. Indeed, Liu Weichen must have worked very hard behind the scenes to be able to make a comeback after his injury…”

On the track, Liu Weichen’s eyes were already watery, and his face was stained with tears.

He knew that countless cameras were capturing his “weak side” right then, and that his image would be simultaneously propagated by the media all over the world. But he really could not hold back his tears anymore.

Liu Weichen also knew that if he had not won the gold medal that day, there would not be so many cameras pointed at him. No one cared about ordinary athletes.

Due to that, he saw no point in putting on a strong facade after having proved his ability again.

Liu Weichen suddenly had an epiphany. He used to care about his image a lot. He had always wanted to adopt the persona of a good boy, and he basically succeeded in doing so.

However, the moment he ruptured his Achilles tendon, that persona and image became absolutely meaningless.

He could scarcely catch his breath because of the pressure from the advertising agencies and the repercussions that would ensue if the clauses of his commercial contracts with them were breached. Aside from that, his team was also pressuring him, and the media was making a big deal out of things, causing him further strain.

The moment Liu Weichen won the gold medal, all that pressure, turmoil, and worries about breaching contracts disappeared like smoke in the air.

Liu Weichen slowly circled the track. He then took a picture together with his teammates while he held the national flag up.

He turned to look at the timer. The number “6.45” looked extremely eye-catching.

Liu Weichen could not help but smile.

There were tears in his eyes and a smile on his face. Those were true tears, and his smile was sincere. That was the state Liu Weichen was in at the moment.

Liu Weichen gently kicked his leg outward. He was feeling very good about himself because his Achilles tendon did not pose him any problems at all. In truth, when he was running with all his might during the competition, he was not even thinking about his Achilles tendon in the slightest.

It was the type of dash Liu Weichen had desired for months but did not dare to try. Just one hour ago, Liu Weichen was still worrying about whether his Achilles tendon was going to be able to handle the intense competition.

Competitions and training were, after all, different.

Liu Weichen jumped on the spot a few times and tiptoed to reconfirm that there was no problem with his Achilles tendon before he breathed a soft sigh of relief.

In the blink of an eye, the joy on Liu Weichen’s face became more and more apparent.

His coach jogged over and embraced Liu Weichen. “You did a good job. You ran well, really well.”

“I’m in pretty good condition today.” Liu Weichen flashed a slight smile.

“It’s more than good! You really astonished me. Even the bureau gave me a call.” The coach grinned happily and asked, “How does your foot feel?”

“Pretty good.”

“That’s great, that’s great.” The coach breathed a sigh of relief. “If that’s so, we can arrange for you to continue your high-intensity training.”

Liu Weichen hummed in agreement. He then continued to strike poses in front of the reporters’ cameras.

After only a short while, the reporters had already captured many photographs.

From beginning to end, the coach stood beside Liu Weichen to accompany him. The coach had a very earnest expression on his face.

After the reporters left one after another, the coach spoke in a very emotional way, “Next, we’ll have to make a proper schedule of the competitions that you’ll be participating in—”

“I want to go to Shanghai,” Liu Weichen cut the coach off.

“There haven’t really been any major athletic event in Shanghai lately…”

“I want to see Doctor Ling so that he can examine my Achilles tendon again.” Even though Liu Weichen spoke those words in a simple and straightforward manner, there was a grim determination in his tone.