Domination in America, Starting from being a Boxing Champion-Chapter 874 - 626: Sprint and Long-Distance Race Competition_2

The coaches immediately persuaded him to switch to sprinting, as he is only 19 years old, very young, with immense potential, and his running technique is quite rough; improvements could significantly enhance his performance and eventually bring glory to the nation on the 100-meter track.

Link said that he needs to train for Boxing, Shot Put, and Javelin every day, and with time being so tight, he doesn't have time to practice running events, only using running as a warm-up exercise.

The coaches said it would not be a problem, suggesting that he should first train for two years, and in the end, choose whichever event he performs best in, also mentioning that sprinting receives the most attention at the Olympics and its significance surpasses any other event.

While he was discussing with the running coaches, Coach Li Yabing and Coach Daily barged into the office and raised objections on the spot upon hearing that the running coaches were trying to recruit him.

Link has already secured Olympic spots in Boxing, Shot Put, and Javelin, and the next step is to participate in the Olympic Games and bring glory to the country; this is the time to focus on training for these three events, rather than dispersing time and energy on others.

The running coaches presented Link's results in five running events, comparing them with Asian and world records, and mentioned that Link has never received professional training for running, like an uncut gem, asserting that if he were trained, his results would be truly astounding.

Coach Li Yabing and Coach Daily were also surprised by his achievements and couldn't understand how an athlete, who competes with his hands, could show such powerful capabilities in sprinting too?

Link stuck to his original stance, explaining that running over ten kilometers daily as a warm-up accumulates over time, making him faster and faster.

The group could only marvel at his athletic genius.

However, to ensure his success at the Athens Olympics, Coach Li Yabing and Coach Daily disagreed with him training for other events, suggesting he consider taking up sprint training after the Olympics.

Link agreed.

The sprint coaches also recognized the importance of the Olympics and did not want to delay, yet they couldn't let go of Link's demonstrated strength and potential in running.

For this reason, the coaches reported Link's achievements back to the National Track and Field Team office through the college.

When the coaches and leaders of the National Track and Field Team saw Link's results, they were both shocked and delighted, and somewhat incredulous; they all knew who Link was and were aware of the extraordinary abilities he displayed in Boxing, Shot Put, and Javelin.

It came as a surprise to hear from Sports University that Link was also a skilled runner, and with the right training, he could have a great chance of excelling in the National track and field disciplines.

The leaders of the National Track and Field Team knew that this was a matter of great importance that could not be treated lightly.

Therefore, the National Track and Field Team decided to appoint several professional coaches to act as judges at the City College Students Track and Field Competition to see exactly how well Link performs in these five events and assess his potential.

Some leaders also prepared to take time to watch the competitions on-site; if Link were indeed a treasure, his future accomplishments in these events would be a valuable political achievement for them as leaders.

"Link, you say you can't focus on training for Boxing and Shot Put, so why are you also singing and running? Can you manage all of these?"

After leaving the office, Coach Li Yabing commented.

"I can manage; it's all sports training, adding a few events isn't a big problem."

Link said.

"Don't underestimate it; training too hard increases the burden on the body and can lead to injuries."

"I understand, I'll be careful."

Link nodded, explaining that he chose this time to showcase his talent in running to prepare for pursuing sprint events in the future. If all goes well, breaking several world track and field records and winning multiple Olympic Gold Medals at the 2008 Olympics would not be a problem.

By then, he would become the athlete with the highest achievements in China's sports circle.

Moreover, in the sports world, track and field events provide quicker earnings, including rewards from competitions such as the Olympics, World Championships, Track and Field League, IAAF Diamond League, and Track and Field Grand Prix, with each event's prize money exceeding 100,000 US Dollars. Participating in multiple events would not only bring fame but also wealth.

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The City College Students Track and Field Competition was held from April 10th to 12th at the Sports University Athletic Stadium, Beijing University Athletic Stadium, and Shuimu University Sports Hall.

A total of 78 colleges from the city sent athletes to participate, including Sports University, Beijing University, Shuimu University, Science and Technology University, Renmin University, Beijing Film Academy, Central Drama College, Communication University, Normal University, Agricultural University, etc., with 934 people participating in 42 track and field events.

Link participated in the 100 meters, 200 meters, 1500 meters, 5000 meters, 10000 meters on behalf of Sports University, with the main events held at Shuimu University Sports Hall.

In the 100 meters preliminary, Link left others in the dust with a time of 10.82 seconds, ranking first in the preliminaries.

In the subsequent final, his performance improved even further to 10.63 seconds, smoothly winning the championship in the 100-meter event.

In the stands, the leaders of the National Track and Field Team excitedly praised Link's results again and again.

However, the coaches frowned non-stop while watching, mainly because Link's starting stance was too rough, as if he had never been professionally trained.

This made the coaches even more excited because the less professional training Link had received, the more it showed his immense potential.

Many astute coaches rushed to find related leaders from the sports department before the competitions ended, vying to become Link's track and field coach.

In the 200-meter preliminary, Link's result was 22.53 seconds, ranking third in the preliminaries, just slightly behind athletes from Beijing University and Shuimu University.

But in the 200 meters final, Link quickly adjusted and ran an astonishing 21.87 seconds, nearly reaching the Olympic A standard.

And he smoothly won the championship for that event.

"Another championship, darling, you're so amazing."

In the stands of the gymnasium, Zhang Zilin shouted excitedly.

"Wow, you even called him 'darling', what's next? Are you going to start calling him 'husband'?"

Yu Na, who was wearing a duckbill cap, teased from the side.

"That's a possibility."

Zhang Zilin said, looking sweetly at Link on the podium.

"Tell me how you two met. The last time I saw Link, he was just an ordinary college student. In the blink of an eye, he's become a superstar and a National Team athlete. You've really found a treasure."

Yu Na said, curious and envious.

"It's nothing special, last year I was training at Sports University, and I saw him fighting with someone. He got punched and his nose bled. I handed him a tissue, and after that, we slowly got to know each other. At first, I didn't realize how impressive he was."

Zhang Zilin laughed.

"Yes, your man is amazing, a real treasure of a guy. But you should be careful. The better the man, the more women there will be eyeing him. Make sure no one steals him from you."

Yu Na kindly reminded her.

"No worries, these days Link is either attending classes or training. He doesn't have many friends of the opposite sex, so it should be fine."

Zhang Zilin said.

"Better safe than sorry. A man like Link is too rare. Not only is he handsome, but he's also talented and an athletic champion. Sometimes even if he doesn't flirt with other girls, there will still be girls throwing themselves at him... Look, there are a few girls bringing water to Link, haha, I told you to be careful."

While talking, Yu Na pointed at the track. As Link was leaving the podium, several good-looking women approached him with water and towels, with some holding umbrellas and others asking him for autographs and photos.

"Maybe they're from the Sports University's student council."

Zhang Zilin blinked, hesitated for a moment, then took Link's bottle and towel and went down.

"Having an excellent boyfriend like Link, Zilin will have her hands full in the future, right Juan'er?"

Yu Na asked, but when she didn't hear any response, she turned to see her friend Du Juan also staring at Link under the stands, without blinking an eye.

"What are you so engrossed in watching?"

Yu Na waved her hand in front of Du Juan's eyes.

"Wasn't watching anything."

Du Juan shifted her gaze and her cheeks flushed with color.

Yu Na hummed lightly, wrapped her arm around Du Juan's shoulder, leaned in, and whispered something in her ear.

Du Juan's face turned even redder, pushing her away and telling her not to talk nonsense.

Yu Na laughed out loud, and when she saw Link and Zhang Zilin coming up, she proactively stood up to let the couple sit down in the middle seats.

Yu Na asked Link how many more matches he had.

Link said he had three more, with fewer participants in the remaining three events which were also more exhausting, so there were no preliminaries, just the finals.

Yu Na asked when he was going to release a new album and said she liked his songs and hoped she could be the leading lady in his music video.

Link said that's possible and he would probably release his second album at the end of the year.

Yu Na asked how he managed to be so great at both sports and music, commented that he had a good image, and maybe he could even become a movie star if he tried acting.

Link smiled and said he had too much on his plate at the moment to consider acting in movies.

Yu Na then started joking about his relationship with Zhang Zilin, making the atmosphere very lively.

When the competition began again, Link turned his attention back to the event.