The Mighty One, Please Spare Me
The training ground for the Track and Field team features a standard 400-meter running track surrounding a lawn.
Running, throwing, jumping—the athletes are sweating profusely.
Of course there are female athletes.
Look, that girl threw the discus dozens of meters away; she's strong and powerful.
"Shen Qi, you're here." Li Taimeng over to greet Shen Qi.
"Hmm, what do we do now? Where's the coach?" Shen Qi looked around.
"There, there, all of them." Li Taimeng pointed left and right.
"How many coaches are there in total? There must be around 10?" Shen Qi quickly estimated, judging that those over 30 years old were all coaches.
"As expected from the School of Mathematical Sciences, Shen Qi, you're spot on. Our team has exactly 10 coaches, covering long-distance running, sprinting, throwing, and jumping. Each coach has their own role," Li Taimeng said.
"There must be over forty team members?" Shen Qi asked again.
Li Taimeng: "Including you, there are 48 people, men and women, basically all of them are here."
"That's incredible! Are you a sports scholarship student?"
"No, I got into Peking University with a score of over 640 on the college entrance exam. Long-distance running is my hobby. I just ran casually during my sophomore year and made it into the school team, where I got a second-level athlete certificate," Li Taimeng said casually.
"Awesome!" Shen Qi gave a thumbs up. Yanda University is full of talented people from all its departments. "Aren't all of our team members second-level or first-level athletes?"
"Most of them have first-level athlete certificates, several are master-level, and there's even one international sports expert. Look, it's that female team member who throws discus," Li Taimeng said.
"Then I don't understand. Our team is strong and well-equipped, what use am I?" Shen Qi asked, puzzled. "I'm a level four athlete, I don't have a certificate."
"Our team is strong in throwing and jumping, in field events," Li Taimeng explained. "Before 2010, Yenching University's sprint and long-distance running were also super strong, but now they're not. They're a weak team; they can't even outrun Renmin University, let alone Tsinghua University."
"Teacher Wu said that our track and field team is open to all kinds of talent, and he's mobilizing us team members to look for promising students currently enrolled at Yenching University to join the team. I think you have a lot of potential, Shen Qi, so I'm introducing you to our team. Come on, let me take you to meet Teacher Wu."
Li Taimeng took Shen Qi to see the coach.
Along the way, Li Taimeng gave a brief introduction to the history and present of the Track and Field team.
Track and Field team once had a glorious history and also provided track and field talents for the national team.
Both being college students, Li Taimeng used a set of data to illustrate his point.
On the men's side, Yenching University's men's 100-meter record is 10.23 seconds, set at the 2005 National Athletics Championships.
That 10.23 seconds is incredible; even now, it would be the level of a top athlete on the Chinese men's Track and Field team.
There are fewer than one active Chinese male 100-meter sprinter who can run under 10.30 seconds.
In long-distance running, Yenching University has also produced outstanding athletes. The team record for the men's 5000 meters is 13 minutes and 55 seconds, set at the 2010 National Athletics Championships. With this result, one can enter any national men's Track and Field team.
The most impressive record of Track and Field team is probably 45.76 seconds in the men's 400 meters.
No active Chinese male 400-meter runner can achieve this time. A Chinese male athlete running the 400 meters in under 46 seconds is considered exceptionally good domestically.
Shen Qi loves working with data. He quickly calculated that the Track and Field team, especially the track and field team, used to be a formidable force!
It's worth mentioning that none of the track and field stars who set those incredible records within the Yenching University team chose sports as a lifelong career. They retired after completing their undergraduate studies to pursue master's and doctoral degrees; they were all academic superstars, athletic academic superstars.
The emperor's throne rotates, and this year it's Tsinghua University's turn.
Shen Qi knew this fact: his high school buddy Xu Rui won the national runner-up title in the 100-meter dash, but he couldn't make it into the Shuimu University Track and Field team and ended up going to the University of Science and Technology.
The track and field stars from Peking University have either graduated or retired, leaving behind a group of weaklings struggling to maintain the former glory of Peking University's track and field events.
Especially in long-distance running, look at this, the current Yanda long-distance running team is built around second-level athletes, with only one first-level athlete.
A level two athlete is only considered an amateur, one of the better amateur athletes.
A first-level athlete can barely make a living through sports, but it's not an easy job.
Perhaps only by training to the level of a master athlete or international sports expert can one find a way out.
"Teacher Wu, this is Shen Qi, a freshman in the School of Mathematics, and the 5000-meter champion of the long-distance running festival." Li Taimeng brought Shen Qi to Teacher Wu.
Teacher Wu is not old, in her thirties, and belongs to the Department of Physical Education.
The physical education teachers and coaches of various sports at Yenching University all belong to this department; the Department of Physical Education is a college-level department.
"Hello Shen Qi, let's get started now that you're here. Let's warm up." Teacher Wu led the long-distance running team in warm-up exercises.
The long-distance running here actually refers to middle-distance running, which includes four individual events: 800 meters, 1500 meters, 5000 meters, and 10,000 meters.
Teacher Wu is in charge of training the men's middle- and long-distance runners in the team. He doesn't have many trainees; including Shen Qi, who just joined, there are only 5 people in total.
Marathon and race walking are another category, belonging to road races, and are not under Teacher Wu's jurisdiction.
Li Taimeng specializes in the 5000 meters, while the other three specialize in the 800 meters, 1500 meters, and 10,000 meters respectively.
After warming up, Teacher Wu noticed that Shen Qi didn't seem to have any particularly outstanding abilities. He asked Shen Qi, "You're also focusing on the 5000 meters, right?"
"Either is fine, either is fine," Shen Qi said.
"5000 meters and then another 10,000 meters?" Teacher Wu asked again.
"Anything is fine, anything is fine, I'll follow the coach's instructions." Shen Qi kept a low profile after joining the team.
"Shen Qi, the school's long-distance running festival is a recreational event; our school's Track and Field team didn't send any participants," Teacher Wu said seriously. Then, with a wave of his hand, he gave instructions. "You Tao, Li Taimeng, Shen Qi, the three of you will start with a 5000-meter race. Show your best form and strongest ability; I need to record your results."
Li Taimeng's main event is the 5000 meters, but he can also compete in the 10,000 meters. He is a junior in the Department of Sociology.
You Tao's main event is the 10,000 meters, and his secondary event is the 5,000 meters. He is a sophomore from the Law School.
Shen Qi's main event is tentatively set at 5000 meters, and his secondary event is unknown. He is from the School of Mathematical Sciences and is a freshman.
Both of his senior classmates obtained Level 2 Athlete Certificates, while Shen Qi did not have any sports-related certificates.
"On your marks! Go!"
Teacher Wu gave the starting command and simultaneously started manually timing the odometer.
Shen Qi, Li Taimeng, and You Tao started running together in the same lane, with Li Taimeng leading the way and Shen Qi and You Tao following closely behind.
After running 3000 meters, the formation changed, and Li Taimeng's running pace slowed down significantly, with Shen Qi taking his place as the leader.
In the final 2000 meters, Shen Qi maintained his pace throughout the race and launched a sprint on the last lap.
Li Taimeng and You Tao were more than 50 meters behind Shen Qi and couldn't catch up.
When Teacher Wu stopped the clock, he was surprised. "Shen Qi is good, 15 minutes and 55 seconds."
Li Taimeng and You Tao both achieved times of 16 minutes and 5 seconds or more.
The qualifying time for a second-level athlete in the men's 5000 meters is 16 minutes and 10 seconds. Li Taimeng and You Tao are both just barely above that level.
Shen Qi, who came from an unorthodox background, broke into the 16-minute mark as soon as he joined the team.
In sports, whether you're self-taught or formally trained, results are everything.
"Come here, Shen Qi." Teacher Wu's attitude towards Shen Qi changed noticeably, and he said in a gentle tone, "Shen Qi, welcome to the Track and Field team. From now on, you will train with me to prepare for the Capital University Student Athletics Meet in May."
"Alright!" Shen Qi was full of fighting spirit. The Capital University Track and Field Games was a grand track and field event for university students throughout the capital.
"Shen Qi, I've assessed your 5000-meter ability. You're at least qualified to participate in the Capital University Track and Field Games. No need for high-intensity training today. Tomorrow at the same time, I'll assess your 10,000-meter ability," Teacher Wu said.
"Okay! See you tomorrow, Teacher Wu! I've got an idea, I've got an idea!" Shen Qi said and then ran off in a flash.
Inspiration struck! Another mathematical inspiration!
Running anywhere doesn't matter; find inspiration in the Track and Field team, and inspiration will come quickly.
This is a treasure land, Spiritual Energy Resurgence and is abundant.
Watching Shen Qi's retreating figure, running away inexplicably, Teacher Wu asked Li Taimeng, "You said Shen Qi is from the Mathematics Department?"
"Yes..." Li Taimeng replied, a little embarrassed, after all, Shen Qi was someone he had introduced to the team. Li Taimeng's negative emotions increased by 1.
"No wonder." Teacher Wu has been studying and teaching at Yenching University for over a decade; this is truly an eye-opening experience.