Chapter 59: The Track and Field Coach's Attention!

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Throughout the first half of the race, Pan Zhanle maintained a tight hold on Wang Xiaoming. As they entered the second half, he still pressed Wang relentlessly. The gold medal in this 200-meter final was his to claim—there was no way he would let Mingge hoard all the glory!

Though he admired Mingge greatly, his competitive spirit refused to concede defeat so easily. At this moment, Pan Zhanle took the lead into the final stretch, entering the sprint phase with a noticeable increase in speed. He aimed to leverage his powerful finishing burst to distance Wang Xiaoming decisively and seize the gold outright.

Pan’s greatest talent lay in his explosive closing speed—his secret weapon, often enabling him to overtake competitors in the latter half of races.

However, just as Pan accelerated, attempting to shake off Wang Xiaoming and charge to the finish line, a figure suddenly emerged from behind. A cold sensation gripped Pan—something was wrong.

He was the one accelerating, so why was Wang Xiaoming still catching up? This man’s finishing power was even fiercer than his own?

But then again, thinking back to Mingge’s past races, hadn’t it always been like this? Slowly trailing in the early stages before unleashing a furious burst at the very end?

Pan couldn’t fathom how Mingge managed it.

His heart sank. Summoning every ounce of strength, he pushed forward with everything he had. No matter what, this gold medal was his to win.

Unfortunately, Pan had underestimated his opponent’s explosive power. Wang Xiaoming’s choice not to overtake Pan in the first half wasn’t due to inability—it was a tactical decision.

The 200-meter freestyle was grueling; Wang deliberately stayed half a body length behind Pan, conserving energy while lulling Pan into a false sense of security.

Of course, that was the post-race explanation.

In truth, Wang Xiaoming treated this competition like a game.

Armed now with multiple skills, he no longer regarded any competitor as worthy of concern.

The final fifty meters!

“Go! Wang Xiaoming is sprinting!”

“My God, he’s first again! Unbelievable!”

“It’s like a god descended upon us—terrifying!”

The commentators from CCTV shouted in excitement as the crowd erupted.

At the exact moment Pan began his sprint, Wang Xiaoming unleashed his burst with even greater intensity, overtaking Pan unexpectedly.

Harnessing all his energy, Wang surged ahead with a powerful output, clinching first place in one fell swoop.

The race ended.

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Wang Xiaoming finished with a time of 1:46.89, claiming the gold medal. Pan Zhanle’s 1:47.22 earned him silver.

Having lost again to Wang Xiaoming in the 200 meters, Pan was devastated.

It was one thing to be outclassed by Mingge in butterfly—but now, even in the 200-meter freestyle, his supposed finishing advantage was rendered useless against this man.

Pan felt like crying. He was a medalist at the World Championships, an international competitor who had seen the world—yet here he was, utterly defeated.

By the poolside, Coach Wang Mu shook his head in helplessness. He had expected Pan might lose to Wang Xiaoming, but never imagined Wang would treat this like child’s play.

Wang Xiaoming’s finishing burst rivaled any swimmer on earth—a talent rarely seen.

Even Michael Phelps, in Wang Mu’s eyes, might pale in comparison.

If that were true, this young man was truly terrifying.

Wang Mu dared not dwell further. Pan Zhanle’s loss in the 200-meter final was accepted.

But what about the upcoming races? Did Wang Xiaoming still have the stamina?

After all, the remaining events were long-distance.

Was this boy really never tired?

With that thought, Wang Mu found some small comfort. He called Pan aside and said,

“Pan Zhanle, losing this race isn’t the end. We still have the 400 meters and 1500 meters. Even if you can’t beat Mingge, you must swim with style and show your own spirit!”

“Don’t let your Mingge intimidate you into losing your fighting heart—that would be a shame!”

Pan Zhanle, burning with unsatisfied ambition from another loss to Wang Xiaoming, clenched his fists, determination etched on his face.

“Coach, don’t worry. I won’t be discouraged that easily.”

“Good. Show everyone your full strength. Let them see that besides Wang Xiaoming, the Chinese team also has Pan Zhanle.”

The 400-meter race began shortly after.

It was the last swimming event of the day—and the most anticipated.

Pan Zhanle’s talent in the 400 meters was unmatched domestically, an absolute top-tier presence.

Yet standing opposite him was the prodigy Wang Xiaoming, whose strength seemed boundless.

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The clash between these two top domestic swimming talents in the 400 meters promised extraordinary excitement.

The race was about to start.

Meanwhile, over in the athletics team…

Having just witnessed Wang Xiaoming defeat Pan Zhanle in the 200-meter final, athletics coach Zhang Chen glimpsed Wang’s athletic potential beyond swimming. This boy possessed not only phenomenal endurance but also explosive power.

This gave Zhang hope—Wang Xiaoming had the talent to shine on the track as well.

At the same time, a bold idea sparked in Zhang’s mind.

If Wang could truly beat Pan in the 400 meters, perhaps he could be invited to join the athletics team!

But was it really possible for one athlete to excel across all swimming disciplines and also in track?

Even someone as formidable as Michael Phelps was not an all-rounder; his specialty was butterfly, followed by freestyle, where he was nearly unbeatable in the butterfly.

If Wang Xiaoming truly possessed all-round swimming talent and could also perform in athletics, that would be a terrifying prospect indeed.

Yet, could this boy really be an all-rounder without weaknesses in freestyle events?

The freestyle category spanned six distances: 50m, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, and 1500m.

Could he master them all?

Zhang Chen was determined to recruit Wang Xiaoming.

Because in the swimming realm, the Chinese team still had formidable athletes.

But in track and field, it was overwhelmingly dominated by foreigners.

Once, there was a sprinter—Liu Xiang—but he was the only one.

Though Su Shen was hailed as a god domestically, he still lagged behind the world’s elite.

A sprinter like Liu Xiang was a once-in-five-centuries phenomenon.

If Wang Xiaoming joined the athletics team and received the right training, China could produce another sprinting legend.

The question now was: how to persuade Wang Xiaoming to join the athletics team?