Chapter 42: Win the Gold? No, We're Breaking the Record Too!

The on-scene spectators, still oblivious to what had just happened, felt as though they had merely blinked their eyes before the entire landscape of the race shifted dramatically in an instant.

The foreign fans who had been mocking Wang Xiaoming moments ago were now staring in absolute dumbfounded shock. All of this had transpired in the blink of an eye.

Wang Xiaoming’s explosive start was exceptionally fast, far beyond anyone's expectations. Of course, the true reason for this was known to Wang Xiaoming alone.

The skill [Turbo-Boosted Duck] was truly no joke. The very second he hit the water, his acceleration instantly surged from zero to one hundred!

Not only that, he didn't lose a single fraction of speed. From half a body length ahead to a full body length... within a mere fifty-meter turn, Wang Xiaoming had completely solidified his dominant advantage.

"My goodness, unbelievable!"

"Our competitor Wang Xiaoming is now leading the second-place runner by a full body length!"

"It's simply incredible! As everyone who watched the first two races knows, Wang Xiaoming's strength has always been his backend acceleration!"

"Yet who could have imagined that today, Wang Xiaoming's opening start could be this astonishing."

"Not only did he withstand the pressure of the first leg, but he has also carved out an absolute leading position for Team China!"

"The lead is still expanding, still expanding! Oh my god!"

"With a fifty-meter track, he has actually opened up a leading advantage of 0.3 meters per second over the second-place athlete from the Kangaroo Country!"

"He has created a miracle once again, once again!"

"He's approaching the wall, about to touch the wall!"

"Congratulations! Our first-leg runner Wang Xiaoming has lived up to all expectations!"

"He has directly created a distance advantage of nearly three meters for Team China!"

"46.43 seconds! Good heavens, Wang Xiaoming clocked in at 46.43 seconds for the first leg, shattering the men's 100-meter freestyle youth world record!"

"Unbelievable, simply unbelievable!"

By the end of his commentary, the CCTV commentator’s voice was completely hoarse and ruined. He was simply too thrilled, too ecstatic.

Wang Xiaoming had not only built a massive advantage for Team China, but he had also smashed the world record in one fell swoop!

One must remember that the previous 100-meter freestyle world record was 47.30 seconds, set by a Romanian athlete!

Yet Wang Xiaoming had brutally compressed that time down into the 46-second range!

Now, that old record had become a thing of the past! A brand-new 100-meter freestyle record had been born!

It was forged by none other than Wang Xiaoming, the competitor hailing from China!

Breaking two records in a single swimming competition—this could already be considered unprecedented!

The men's 4x100 relay was still ongoing. Wang Xiaoming was the first to touch the wall and was already resting. The rest of the task was now handed over to his teammates!

Pan Zhanle, swimming the second leg, had yet to dive in when the coach's voice echoed fiercely in his ears.

"You brat, if you dare give away the lead Xiaoming fought so hard to earn, I'll skin you alive when you get back!"

Hearing this, Pan Zhanle shivered involuntarily. However, when it came to the race, he naturally wouldn't hold even the slightest bit of contempt.

After all, excluding Wang Xiaoming, Pan Zhanle's own 100-meter sprint was practically peerless in this world. He was more than a full second faster than the world's second-fastest swimmer.

Initially, the coach had wanted to place him either on the first leg or the anchor leg—either to ruthlessly establish an absolute advantage for Team China right off the bat, or to anchor the final leg. If Team China fell behind early on, his duty would be to claw back the distance for the country! As long as the gap wasn't beyond two seconds, he could reel them back in.

That was the terrifying prowess of Pan Zhanle in the short-distance 100-meter sprint.

However, upon seeing the massive advantage Wang Xiaoming established in the first leg, the coach changed his mind!

He wanted to crush the competitors from other countries in one fell stroke! He wanted Wang Xiaoming's absolute lead in the first leg to be amplified even more vividly in the second leg. He intended to completely settle the match during the second leg!

Sure enough, Pan Zhanle did not let down anyone's hopes. While maintaining the lead established by Wang Xiaoming, he widened the gap even further for Team China.

At this moment, the distance between first-place Team China and second-place Kangaroo Country had stretched to four meters!

Wang Xiaoming's advantage was successfully preserved all the way through the end of the second leg.

Immediately following were the third and fourth legs. Generally speaking, as long as the third and fourth runners were professional athletes performing at their normal levels, this match could essentially be declared over.

"Hold steady, Zhang Zhangshuo! Let's go, push forward!"

The commentator's blood was boiling with passion as well. He could tell that as long as the third and fourth legs didn't drop the ball and swam at their usual level, the gold medal was securely in the bag.

Meanwhile, the spectators were clenching their fists, their hearts tightening with nervous anticipation. The previous lead was simply too massive! That only made people grow even more anxious.

Just like how people feel no disappointment if they had no hope to begin with; but precisely because the initial hope was so immense, everyone was now terrified of a letdown.

Fortunately, rising to meet all expectations, the third-leg runner Zhang Zhangshuo only let the second-place runner close the gap by a mere meter!

"Well done, Zhangshuo, excellent job. Go get some rest!"

Next up was Chen Jun'er on the anchor leg! As relatively the slowest swimmer among the group, Wang Mu had deliberately arranged him for the final leg.

Because the preceding advantage was already so overwhelming, and with the coach frantically offering reassuring words in his ear, more than half of Chen Jun'er's initial tension instantly vanished. As long as he didn't mess up, this race could not be lost!

"Bang!" The dive and kick were executed in one fluid motion.

"Keep it up, Jun'er!"

The first fifty meters were over, and Chen Jun'er had been slightly closed in on by the competitors from other countries. But to the spectators viewing from a God's-eye perspective, this tiny bit of distance was practically negligible. The second-place runner was still trailing Team China by more than half a body length!

"The final fifty meters, push through, Jun'er!"

"Hold your ground, Jun'er!"

"The gold medal is right ahead!"

Watching the shrinking gap, everyone grew increasingly excited. Chen Jun'er knew well that with his own strength, being chased down by these top-tier foreign swimmers was only a matter of time. However, it also depended on what kind of race it was.

If it were a 200-meter race, he would indeed squander the preceding advantage! But this was a 100-meter race! Your chasing speed might be fast, but so what?

The final 40 meters! 30 meters! 20 meters! 10 meters!

The distance between the second-place Kangaroo Country runner and Chen Jun'er grew closer and closer. From over half a body length down to half a body length, then to a fraction of a body length. Soon, only the distance of a single head remained!

Just as everyone clutched their fists in gripping tension—

"Grandpa is home, still trying to chase me?!"

"Slap!" As the first hand broke the surface of the water and touched the wall, the gold medal for this men's 4x100m freestyle relay was born right then and there!

The entire arena erupted into thunderous cheers and roars.

A vibrant red national flag flashed out from lane four—the lane belonging to Team China!

A massive character popped up on the giant screen!

NO.1!

First!

Gold Medal!

The Chinese swimming team, consisting of Wang Xiaoming, Pan Zhanle, Zhang Zhangshuo, and Chen Jun'er, won the gold medal in the men's 4x100m freestyle relay!

For Wang Xiaoming, this wasn't his first gold medal, so his mindset remained quite calm. For Coach Wang Mu, this also wasn't the swimming team's maiden gold; after all, Wang Xiaoming had already secured a gold medal for China in the 800-meter event. Therefore, his reaction was appropriately measured, devoid of any excessive loss of composure.

On the contrary, Pan Zhanle and the others bounced straight up into the air. Chen Jun'er, the anchor leg runner, even executed a backflip, diving right back into the water the moment he climbed ashore, waving his fists continuously to express his inner thrill and excitement.

"Let us once again congratulate the Chinese men's freestyle relay team, composed of Wang Xiaoming, Pan Zhanle, Zhang Zhangshuo, and Chen Jun'er!"

"They have once again made the Chinese Red bloom brilliantly on the Olympic stage!"

"You are the absolute best! You have created a miracle, shattering the record that Europe, America, and Australia had monopolized in this event for 64 years!"

"Now, who still dares to claim that China has no swimming champions!"

Who still dares to claim that China has no swimming champions!

This single declaration instantly ignited the atmosphere of the entire audience. The CCTV commentator took a deep, greedy gulp of oxygen after finishing these lines. He had been far too emotional; rattling off so much in one breath had left his brain slightly oxygen-deprived.

Meanwhile, back in the commentary backstage, it wasn't just the commentators—some veteran swimmers who had once worn the national flag for battle were shedding tears of emotion right then and there!

Take Fu Yuanhui, the former world record holder in the short-distance backstroke, or Guo Jingjing, the legendary diving deity, who were watching the match together alongside the swimming team. In a split second, both of them jumped up and embraced each other tightly.

Regarding the 4x100m relay, many people hadn't actually held high hopes. Originally, the best anticipated outcome was merely fighting for silver or bronze! After all, prior to winning this gold medal, Team China had gone quite a long time without claiming a podium finish in this category.

"We won! And it's a gold medal! Coach, you've finally cleared your name and raised your head high this time!" other nearby team members said to Wang Mu.

For the longest time, due to the swimming team's mediocre performances, Wang Mu had been carrying immense pressure. Crucially, swimming was among the sports that commanded the highest public attention. Facing those dismal past results and the non-stop questioning from netizens nationwide, Wang Mu had endured relentless criticism!

He had even feared that one day he wouldn't be able to bear the pressure and would simply resign from his post as coach.

Did people think athletes bore the heaviest public pressure when a match was lost?

No! It was the coach!

The curses hurled at the coach were no fewer than those directed at the athletes. This time, by standing firm against the pressure and letting Wang Xiaoming swim the first leg, he had subjected himself to countless doubts from netizens.

Fortunately, the final reality proved that his decision was entirely correct!

And as for Wang Xiaoming, this kid had genuinely handed him a massive surprise! Never could he have imagined that this boy was hiding his true depth to such an extent!

Furthermore, what they won in this competition was far more than just a single gold medal!

Wang Mu stared nervously at the total combined time displayed on the giant screen...

As the final relay time popped up on the screen, Wang Mu could finally no longer suppress the excitement in his heart and roared directly.

"Fantastic! It's broken!"

Hearing this, several other members of the swimming team also looked toward the big screen. In an instant, their eyes widened into circles!

"The world record—it's broken!"

"My god, this is terrifying!"

"Awesome! The four of them are going down in history books!"

As it turned out, Wang Mu had been suppressing his emotions all along, waiting for the final cumulative time to appear. Because the moment Wang Xiaoming finished his first leg, he had already had a premonition. This time, it wouldn't just be a gold medal; there was a high probability they would shatter the 4x100 world record.

And the facts proved just that!

3 minutes, 07.54 seconds!

Every single team member broke the 47-second barrier!

Even the slowest runner, Chen Jun'er, clocked an extraordinary time of 47.68 seconds. It was a performance that vastly exceeded their usual limits!

As for Pan Zhanle, needless to say, the 100-meter sprint was inherently his stronghold, finishing just a fraction slower than Wang Xiaoming.

"This feels amazing, absolutely amazing! Coach, if I recall correctly, the previous record was set by the Americans right at our Beijing Olympics, right?"

Hearing this, Wang Mu nodded, joy overflowing across his face. That was correct! The previous 4x100m record had indeed been set by the Americans right on China's doorstep!

The 2008 Olympic Games! 3 minutes, 08.24 seconds!

For over a decade, it had remained an untouchable mark for everyone!

Yet now, it had been smashed by them.

The record had been taken away from them on their home turf back then, and today, they took it back with their own hands!

Meanwhile, the Chinese audience at the venue was boiling with uncontrollable fervor.

"Xiaoming, Xiaoming, we can't do it without you!"

"We are the champions, we are the champions again!"

"This feels too good! This feeling is simply too amazing!"

"Hahaha, slap those little foreign faces hard and loud!"

"They love playing dirty tricks, love slandering my Brother Ming!"

"And they said Brother Ming's start was weak? Was that weak? Open your dog eyes and look properly!"
"Exactly, we just wanted to let you guys off and give you a chance initially, otherwise taking all the gold medals wouldn't be conducive to international friendship!"

"Hahaha, didn't Brother Ming say it? The single finger he held up only meant he was going to drop just one gold medal!"

The entire arena echoed with shouts of Wang Xiaoming's name. Any discerning viewer could see that Wang Xiaoming alone deserved eighty percent of the credit for this championship victory. Without his lone, dust-leaving dominance in the beginning, they could never have built such a massive advantage later on—let alone shattered the world record.

Back in China, inside Sun Yang's home.

Sun Yang was momentarily at a loss for words. The feat he hadn't managed to accomplish back then had actually been realized by these young athletes!

"Well done, you're all well done!"

"Phelps, did you see that? Did you see that? This is Chinese speed!"

Sun Yang left another message under Phelps's social media post. However, he suddenly noticed that Phelps hadn't replied for a very long time.

What was going on here? After all, even during competitions, Phelps used to personally hop online to argue with Chinese netizens. How come? Was he so stimulated that he was rendered speechless?

Sun Yang shook his head; someone like this wasn't fit for great responsibilities.

While the Chinese audience was reveling in euphoria, the spectators from other countries began weeping bitter tears in despair!

They refused to believe it! Why had Wang Xiaoming, who previously had such a pronounced weakness in short-distance sprints, changed into a completely different person overnight?

In that instant, they recalled Phelps's post:

Wang Xiaoming was doping.

Although Phelps hadn't responded in a long time by now, certain spectators who refused to accept reality completely lost their minds!

"Cheating, cheating! Wang Xiaoming is cheating!"

"The Chinese are doping, we demand a rematch, demand a rematch!"

"Impossible, this absolutely cannot be his genuine strength!"