Chapter 588: The Champion is Mine
The venue was packed, a sea of human heads in every direction. Even though a fifth of the audience had been arranged to be there, the atmosphere was indeed very lively.
In the front row of the spectator area were the VIP seats.
The so-called VIP seats were particularly spacious.
In the front row, a girl dressed in a white long dress stood out as somewhat of an oddity, her face covered with a mask, her hands clad in white gloves. She walked somewhat slowly, with a middle-aged man beside her, holding her hand and sitting down with her in the VIP seats.
"Dad, when will it start?" Liu Yiyi looked at her father.
"Soon, soon," Father Liu smiled reassuringly at his daughter, then said, "It's about to begin, are you feeling uncomfortable?"
"Wearing the mask makes it a bit hard to breathe," Liu Yiyi smiled and said, "I want to take off the mask."
"You can't do that!" Father Liu shook his head and said, "With so many people here, taking off the mask could lead to catching germs easily, so keep it on. Although it's uncomfortable, safety comes first, understand?"
"Mm!" Liu Yiyi nodded, deciding to keep wearing the mask to avoid worrying her father.
Father Liu held his daughter's hand, the surrounding area relatively empty, but looking at the crowded space behind them, his heart skipped a beat. The mere thought of his daughter being in such a crowded place made him panic.
However, he was relieved to have secured a spot in the front VIP seats beforehand.
Before long, the opening ceremony began.
Speeches were given by officials from the National Sports Bureau, followed by the Executive Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial Government. The consecutive speeches took half an hour. After that period, the opening ceremony officially started. The thrilling anthem for the athlete procession played, with the host team entering first. Guided by the event hostesses, the group quickly made their way into the venue. Xiao Han walked at the end of the crowd.
The head of Shuimu University's Physical Education Department led the way at the front, cameras capturing the moment, as numerous media outlets had arrived on the scene. This was a national competition, after all, which many media hoped to cover competitively.
Xiao Han casually walked at the very back, not interested in jostling for camera attention. Moreover, Xiao Han wasn't someone who liked to show off; he preferred peace and quiet.
"I see Xiao Han, I see Xiao Han," Liu Yiyi excitedly pointed at Xiao Han at the back of the group.
"Who's Xiao Han?" Father Liu asked curiously.
"He's my classmate," said Liu Yiyi excitedly.
"But aren't those entering now students from Shuimu University?" Father Liu asked, puzzled, "Aren't they your schoolmates?"
"Yes, yes!" Liu Yiyi said excitedly, "I'm just so happy... That's why…"
Father Liu didn't respond, but he made a mental note of the name Xiao Han. Someone who occupied his daughter's thoughts and concerns must hold special significance for her.
The athlete procession continued for over an hour. Afterwards, the opening ceremony came to an end.
Once the opening ceremony was over, preparations at the venue got underway. The competition's events were about to start.
The 100-meter dash was the first of these events. Shot put and javelin were occurring at the same time.
The spectators who had come to witness the event were all looking forward to the 100-meter race; in any country, the sprint events, and especially the 100 meters, were always highly anticipated.
Liu Yiyi sat in her seat, eagerly awaiting the 100-meter event, because she knew that Xiao Han was participating in it.
......
After the athlete's opening ceremony concluded, Xiao Han immediately began preparing for the 100-meter preliminary race. The preliminaries were held this morning, and the final would be tomorrow morning. These races were very important.
"Xiao Han, good luck!" Lan Yudie watched Xiao Han excitedly.
"Mm!" Xiao Han nodded and said, "I will definitely do my best."
"You have to make it to the finals," Lan Yudie said earnestly.
"Mm!" Xiao Han smiled slightly.
Lan Yudie's lips curled into a smile, then she said, "Well, I'm off to my own event. Let's both give it our all."
"Sure!" Xiao Han spread his arms and hugged Lan Yudie.
After a warm embrace, Lan Yudie quickly ran off with her bag. Not far away, Li Ruobin watched Xiao Han with a cheerful smile. As the woman who understood and admired Xiao Han the most, she wasn't upset by this scene at all; instead, she felt a heartfelt wish for Xiao Han's success.
The head of the Physical Education Department came over, "Xiao Han, the 100-meter preliminaries are about to start, you better go check in."
"Mm!" Xiao Han nodded.
He wasn't optimistic about Xiao Han. Or rather, he wasn't optimistic about the two students from Shuimu University who were participating in the 100 meters. There were only two people taking part in the sprint events this time: Xiao Han and Tao Jun, who had been defeated by Xiao Han at the school track meet.
The head of the Physical Education Department faced his own pressures too. Shuimu University had always been weak in sports, and being the host this time, he naturally hoped to win medals, possibly even multiple ones, to justify himself upon returning. He had thrown all his energy into two events, the 5,000 meters and the shot put, which were where his greatest hopes lay.
As for the sprints and other events, he felt they stood no chance, so he decided to devote his attention elsewhere.
Xiao Han and Tao Jun went to report at the track.
After registration, the order of the races was quickly determined: Xiao Han would run in the third heat, and Tao Jun in the fifth.
Today, the two were comrades rather than adversaries, so there was a certain cordiality between them.
"Xiao Han, good luck!" Tao Jun high-fived Xiao Han encouragingly.
"Mm!" Tao Jun nodded, then said, "Let's both do our best."
They nodded excitedly.
Tao Jun's mouth curved into a smile, and then he said, "Strive to break into the finals."
"Yeah!" Xiao Han nodded and said, "You too, bring out your best strength. Don't hold back at all!"
"Definitely," Tao Jun said, patting his chest.
Tao Jun was actually very nervous. He used such movements to release the pressure in his heart and alleviate his inner tension. The gesture was effective, as the tense atmosphere vanished in an instant.
The starting gun sounded, and the first group of athletes dashed out like untamed wild horses.
Watching the fierce competition among the athletes on the field, the audience couldn't help but be swept up in the atmosphere, cheering loudly.
Tao Jun looked at the crowd and excitedly said, "I didn't expect this year's athletes to be even stronger than last year's."
"Really?" Xiao Han laughed upon hearing this and said, "Then you'll need to explode with your own power even more. Tap into your potential!"
"Yeah!" Tao Jun nodded.
The first and second groups of athletes quickly finished their races. It was time for the third group to take the stage.
"Xiao Han, go for it!" Tao Jun shouted.
"Heh heh…" Xiao Han chuckled, his expression extremely calm.
Tao Jun looked at Xiao Han's calm and collected demeanor and felt a tinge of envy. He envied how relaxed and composed Xiao Han was before such a competition.
Xiao Han walked to the starting line and then raised his hands high.
"Xiao Han!" Liu Yiyi shouted.
Because she was positioned at the front, with nothing obstructing her view, Xiao Han immediately heard some noise as she shouted. He quickly looked toward the source of the sound and indeed, in the front row, he saw Liu Yiyi.
Xiao Han revealed a smile.
Xiao Han's gesture was captured by the cameras, and a curious reporter asked, "Excuse me, what does this gesture mean? If I'm not mistaken, isn't this gesture considered provocative in the West?"
"Yes!" Xiao Han nodded. He smiled at the microphone and said, "I just want to tell all the athletes participating in the hundred meter and two hundred meter events this: The championship is mine!"
Xiao Han's voice spread through the microphone, across the venue's broadcast system and speakers, reaching the ears of everyone in the audience.
Wha…
The scene was suddenly filled with astonishment.
The place with ten thousand people instantly fell silent, each person surprised beyond belief.
"Blowing his own trumpet!" someone soon yelled out loud.
"Damn, who is this guy? I've never heard his name, nor have I seen him before. He's really boasting big time."
The crowd burst into mockery and cursing.
All the students from the Physical Education Department of Shuimu University had come to watch the competition, along with some representatives from other departments. Even Shuimu University's own students felt their faces burning with embarrassment at Xiao Han's words.
"Hey, why do I feel so embarrassed?"
"Me too; although Xiao Han is powerful, saying such things feels like he's just blowing his own trumpet."
"Exactly, where does that leave people like Li Changjun and Zhao Sibao?"
The students from Shuimu University didn't dare to speak up, only whispering among themselves in private.
Li Changjun and Zhao Sibao were the champions and runners-up of last year's and the previous year's sports meets, respectively, with outstanding results. Last year, Li Changjun even set a new record at the National University Sports Meet with a time of 10.30 seconds, making him the favorite for this year's sprint events.
Yet now, Xiao Han had made such a bold statement, which indeed made many feel uncomfortable.
"Let him die!"
"Those who boast like that are doomed!"
At this moment, the students from Fudan University, where Li Changjun was from, chanted in unison.
The venue instantly descended into chaos.
The security guards immediately stepped in to keep Fudan University's students quiet, threatening to expel them from the premises if they did not comply. Only then did the venue calm down. This involved personal attacks and insults, which could easily provoke a brawl between two universities, potentially leading to an uncontrollable situation.
"Do you really have that much confidence in yourself?" the reporter quickly followed up.
"Yes!" Xiao Han nodded.
"Then what time do you think you can achieve in the preliminaries?" the reporter hurriedly asked.
"No, you should be asking what time I can achieve in the finals!" Xiao Han said with a slight smile.
The reporter was initially stunned, but as he was about to continue his questioning, the venue's staff quickly ushered him away because the third group's race was about to start. The reporter could not be allowed to disrupt the smooth running of the event.