Chapter 11: Yes, Just Winning the Gold Is Enough (Additional Update—Contract Secured, Everyone Rest Assured and Enjoy)-O Renascimento de Su Shen no Mundo dos Esportes(Zifeng 01)

At 11.18 seconds, Su Shen shattered the original middle school 100-meter record of Xiangshan City.

And it was said that this time, he ran after retaining his student status from a higher grade.

The runner-up was Lu Yiqiang, who ran in lane four beside him and came from Chuyun County No. 1 Middle School in Xiangshan City. He clocked 11.72 seconds in the final, which coincidentally matched the winning time of the previous city middle school 100-meter champion from his last life.

Su Shen vaguely recalled that last time he ran 11.75 seconds, so this was an improvement of 0.03 seconds—clearly a result of his influence. Such progress is common in track and field events.

A numb yet exhilarating sensation rose within Su Shen. Though gasping for breath, the feeling of surpassing his physical limits and setting a new personal best in an official competition was simply... exquisite.

He had succeeded—this time, he performed better than before.

Though both were first-place finishes, they were entirely different achievements.

Moreover, this time record was originally expected only after four months of training at the sports school, yet he had attained it ahead of schedule.

Su Shen was very pleased with this performance, but before he could catch his breath and let the lactic acid fade, Yang Yongqiang ran over and gave him a fierce bear hug.

“Xiao Tian, Xiao Tian! You did it! You made history for Xiangshan City!” Yang Yongqiang was almost incoherent, utterly stunned that he had coached a talent who broke a city record.

For an ordinary physical education teacher, a city record is a significant achievement.

But Su Shen soon calmed from his excitement and said, “Teacher Yang, if you keep this up, I’m afraid I’ll suffocate.”

Yang Yongqiang felt a bit embarrassed but quickly filled with joy again. “Xiao Tian, you’re incredible! You’re now the fastest middle school student in Xiangshan City’s history.”

Though before the competition, Su Shen had never reached this level—running on a coal slag track without the excitement of opponents or big events—overall, he had performed beyond expectations, breaking his physical limits early and setting a personal best in an official race.

At that moment, the loudspeaker in the gymnasium suddenly blared:

“Congratulations to Su Shen of Guzhen Junior Middle School for breaking the Xiangshan City middle school 100-meter record with a time of 11.18 seconds.”

The announcement repeated three times before ending, followed by a scrolling message on the electronic screen congratulating Su Shen on refreshing the city’s 100-meter middle school record.

Immediately, even the TV reporters rushed over to conduct an exclusive interview with Su Shen.

Although he had accepted interviews before, his enthusiasm last time was nowhere near as high as now.

Breaking a city record did indeed bring different treatment.

“Su, how do you feel about breaking the Xiangshan City middle school 100-meter record?”

“Su, could you share your feelings about winning the gold medal?”

“Su, is your age accurate? Are you really 15?”

…

A barrage of rapid-fire questions, accompanied by flashing cameras and video recorders, created a scene even Yang Yongqiang had never witnessed. He was momentarily stunned, unsure how to respond.

But for Su Shen... it was a piece of cake.

So easy.

“I think I should thank my parents, my alma mater, and Teacher Yang who has guided me all the way. They are the people I am most grateful for.”

“The gold medal is wonderful, but I see it as motivation to train harder and strive for even greater heights in the future.”

“My age is accurate. You can check with the school, my elementary school, or my birth certificate anytime—I welcome that.”

…

Yang Yongqiang watched Su Shen speak calmly and fluently, somewhat dumbfounded. Honestly, he himself wouldn’t be able to maintain such composure and smoothness, even having lived decades longer.

This was truly... a waste of a lifetime.

Could this be what they call a genius?

He had never seen one before, but now he had, and it was quite a blow.

Ning Debao, who had walked over from the stands intending to help out, found no need to intervene. Su Shen handled it effortlessly, like a seasoned veteran in front of cameras for over a decade.

Seeing that Su Shen had no issues, Ning Debao instead began chatting with Yang Yongqiang.

“Yongqiang, was he really a rural kid before? It’s not that I don’t trust you, but this kid is just too... steady. If he hadn’t told me earlier about ‘breaking a record’ like some hot-blooded student, I’d suspect he came from some celebrity family, used to cameras since the womb.”

“Well, Sister Ning,” Yang Yongqiang smiled wryly, “I really don’t know either. But I can vouch for his family situation—I raised him personally. He barely ever came to Xiangshan City before, just lived in the village and town. I’ve checked his family conditions; there’s no way he had such resources. His recent growth in the past six months has just been too fast. Even I, his coach, struggle to keep up. Maybe…”

“That’s what genius looks like.”

“So you mean his growth happened mostly in these six months?” Ning Debao nodded firmly after Yang Yongqiang’s confirmation, forced to believe that Su Shen truly was a “genius.”

Such composure under pressure for an athlete means…

Outstanding psychological resilience.

This is absolutely a top-tier competitive advantage for elite athletes.

Of course, that’s assuming he can reach elite athlete levels.

Geniuses come in all kinds of grades. Maybe he’s a genius in Xiangshan City, but on the provincial, national, or even Asian stage, he might still be just an ‘above-average’ talent. Ning Debao remained clear-headed, not letting his impression of Su Shen cloud his judgment before more achievements come.

Moreover, in the city sports training team, many athletes aspire to break this record—there are quite a few.

For middle schoolers, such standards are rare, but among high schoolers, not uncommon.

Still, he admired Su Shen’s performance without a doubt.

After the interview, Su Shen freed himself and greeted Ning Debao and Yang Yongqiang, reverting to the sunny athletic youth he used to be. Ning Debao found it remarkable but kept it to herself, instead saying to Su Shen, “Looks like I have no choice but to recruit you. Your coach Yang has already praised you to the skies.”

Su Shen shook his head with a smile but spoke calmly, “Coach Ning, Teacher Yang, don’t tease me. This is just a city-level middle school sports meet, and I only broke a city record. Xiangshan City isn’t a major sports hub, and compared to other cities’ middle schoolers nationwide, I’m still far behind.”

After winning the championship and breaking a record, a middle schooler could say this so calmly? Truly remarkable.

Especially since Ning Debao noticed Su Shen was showing some physical discomfort from going beyond his limits—proof that this was his first time surpassing it, breaking his personal best in competition today.

She had just confirmed with Yang Yongqiang that even accounting for track and shoe factors, this was an outstanding breakthrough score. And yet, his mindset remained so steady?

Ning Debao had never seen such a young athlete before—it was deeply impressive.

“You actually know that Xiangshan’s results aren’t much, so you must follow these news updates often,” Ning Debao asked.

“Yes, Coach Ning, I often watch these kinds of reports,” Su Shen nodded. “For example, the current national middle school record was set by Zhao Haohuan from Guangdong Province at the National Middle School Games in August 2002, with a time of 10.35 seconds. He was only 14 and a half years old, half a year younger than me. The previous record was 10.86 seconds back then. Three months ago, Zhao Haohuan broke his record again in the capital with 10.32 seconds. At 14, he was already close to the Olympic B standard.”

“So I’m still far behind. Improving by 0.01 seconds in the 100 meters gets increasingly difficult. Teacher Yang often uses Zhao as an example to push me. All the top national middle school athletes have broken the 11-second barrier; I still have a long way to go.”

Ning Debao nodded more deeply, feeling that Su Shen was truly humble despite his talent—such a kid was rare and must be recruited.

Not to mention, this guaranteed a future spot on the provincial team.

“Zhao Haohuan is a good target for you. Just don’t stop progressing,” Ning Debao started to say, but then hesitated, as if the national athletics community deliberately ignored the super talent Zhao Haohuan.

It was almost comical that the national athletics federation initially refused to recognize his records.

Later, his name faded into obscurity, known only to track enthusiasts and historians. Su Shen understood there were certainly some twists and turns in the story, but he was clear that with Zhao Haohuan blazing the trail ahead, even his own talent wouldn’t seem too abrupt.

After all, 14 and a half years old with 10.35 seconds in the 100 meters was a level he could never hope to catch, since he turned 15 at the end of August. His breakthrough today was 11.18 seconds, which was still unstable, and on paper, their talent levels were very far apart.

But Su Shen was in no hurry about that gap.

Because his true goal was to serve the sub-10-second realm in the future.

Of course, he couldn’t say that now—he might get beaten up for it.

…

“Good luck with the 200 meters in two hours. Don’t push yourself too hard.” Ning Debao knew what it felt like for a young athlete to just break physical limits; there would surely be aftereffects. The 200 meters might be tough.

Su Shen knew this attempt was risky, but for faster 100-meter speed, he couldn’t resist.

For him, the 100 meters was the ultimate obsession.

If there was a chance, he wouldn’t give it up lightly.

If he didn’t break through now, it might be a long wait before the next opportunity, and at the sub-10-second level, missing a chance could mean years of stagnation or even regression. Outsiders might find this unbelievable, but having experienced such lows, he knew the pain well.

Besides, he had already fulfilled his original goal. Now running the 200 meters was a lighter load, no pressure at all.

“Xiao Tian, it’s okay. Breaking the city 100-meter record is already great. If you don’t do well in the 200 meters, that’s fine too,” Yang Yongqiang said on the side, worried about Su Shen’s pressure.

“Yeah, I know, Teacher Yang,” Su Shen replied. “I’m not aiming to break records in the 200 meters—just want to win gold.”

Yang Yongqiang: …

He suddenly felt his own thought process couldn’t keep up with this 15-year-old disciple.

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