Chapter 125: An Overage Athlete
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Dai Li was astonished. He knew the detector was correct, and Gang Yang's performance did match his 374-point ability. But what Dai Li could not understand was if Gang Yang only had C-level talent, how did he acquire 374 ability points at only 18-years-old?
Under Dai Li's guidance, Haiquan Fang's ability had grown to 350 points. But Haiquan Fang had A-level talent, which indicated that he had the potential to become a world champion. C-level talent could only make a good athlete; it could not make a national champion, let alone a world champion. There was a huge gap between the best world athletes and the top national athletes.
Haiquan Fang and his A-level talent made for a gifted long jumper; Gang Yang and his C-level talent should only make for a skillful long jumper. There was a huge gap between the two—a skillful long jumper could never keep up with a gifted one, even if he had begun training two years prior.
This does not make any sense. Even as a senior-rate coach in my senior phase I could not help an 18-year-old C-level athlete obtain 374 ability points. Who is Gang Yang's coach? He is so good! Dai Li stared at Gang Yang, waiting to see who his coach was.
Gang Yang left the arena and began walking towards to athletes lounge. A middle-aged coach immediately walked up to him.
So that guy is Gang Yang's coach. He looks familiar. Have I met him somewhere before? Dai Li was terrible at remembering faces. He searched in his mind carefully for a long time until he finally recognized the man.
Shouliang Zhao! That is Shouliang Zhao! Why is he here? Dai Li was in shock. Soon, however, he remembered that Shouliang Zhao was the long jump coach for the Yuzhou City Sport Team. It was understandable why he was the coach of the Youth Team.
Wait a minute. When did Shouliang Zhao reach such a high training level? If his training ability was that good, he would have already been above coaching at this level. He would not need to earn extra money in training schools either, because he would have plenty of money from his fame. But if Shouliang Zhao does not have this much talent, why is Gang Yang so impressive? Zhao cannot possibly have the Coaching System, can he?
Thinking about this, Dai Li called on the System. "Hey, tell me, do you have any siblings?"
"I understand what you mean," the System immediately replied. "I can honestly tell you that I'm the one and only. There is not a second me."
"Then how do you explain Shouliang Zhao's behavior? How could he have improved his training ability this quickly?" Dai Li was deep in thought.
In the distance, Shoulinag Zhao was enjoying everyone's admiration.
Envy me! Admire me! Haha, I see your faces. I know, I know, my outstanding student is a great surprise to you!
Shouliang Zhao looked out into the crowd. He soon found Dai Li.
Dai Li, there you are. I must have shocked you! You will never figure out why Gang Yang can jump 7.63 meters. Take your whole lifetime to think about that. I will never tell you that Gang Yang is older than 18... Shouliang Zhao chuckled to himself.
Gang Yang's actual age was not 18, but 22. Shouliang Zhao had secretly changed his age so that they could make a big splash in the Youth Games.
This was not the first time athletes had "changed" ages. Some athletes had two ID cards—one for their own use, with their true age on it, and the other for entering competitions. There were several special cases where athletes had already thoroughly prepared by the age of only seven or eight-years-old just to ensure themselves a better future. They would not only change their age, but renamed themselves as well, so that once they were examined for qualifying rounds, they could avoid getting into trouble. Even in the national team training camp, many athletes changed their ages. There was a saying that said "the longer one has trained, the younger that person will be."
During the 1990s, it was quite easy to change ages. A few cartons of cigarettes, several bottles of wine, and a red packet with thousands of yuan in it could get you a fake age. Once the registration system became a network, however, it was much more difficult to falsify the information. But there were still holes in the system; if one had a big network, he or she would probably have a chance to do it.
Gang Yang was one of those athletes. He was 22-years-old, and was ineligible to compete in U20 Competitions. By changing his age, however, he was able to participate in U18-level Youth Games. Twenty-two and eighteen were two very different age levels, which meant that there were many physical distinctions between the two. Moreover, Gang Yang had a four-year training advantage on the other 18-year-olds, which ensured he would undoubtedly outperform the others.
Dai Li would not have been surprised if he knew about Gang Yang's true age. The age difference explained the wide disparity between the two talent levels. Gang Yang's ability points were slightly higher than Haiquan Fang's, but he was also six years older. Gang Yang definitely had a stronger figure, and had received more training than Haiquan Fang, yet he only had a very slight advantage in ability. What Dai Li had hypothesized originally was true—the gap between A-level and C+ talents was too large to overcome!
...
Continental Corporation, President's Office.
Dalu Fang stretched his arms, then stood up from his chair to overlook the view from a window in his office.
The Continental Corporation Tower stood beside the sea. Dalu Fang's office was on the top floor, facing the sea. The view was gorgeous. The weather was nice, with bright sunshine visible everywhere. The sun cast its golden rays on the calm sea, and the blue water glistened in the sunlight. However, Dalu Fang was in no mood to appreciate the beautiful nature. His mind was already thinking about the Youth Game arena.
Haiquan Fang's contest is not finished yet, is it? Mixed feelings welled up inside him.
From a business standpoint, he did not want Haiquan Fang to get a good score. On the contrary, he hoped his son would come in last place, so that he would most likely give up the long jump after a confidence-breaking event, and study in the UK just as he had planned.
Emotionally, however, Dalu Fang hoped Haiquan Fang would finish in first place, and even win a medal. As a father, he definitely wished his son all the best. Even though he did not agree with Haiquan Fang's choice at all, he still wanted to see his boy succeed.
"Haiquan Fang would look forward to seeing you there cheering for him!"
Dai Li's words flashed across Dalu Fang's mind, which made Fang fidget. He hesitated, then finally walked back to the table and pressed a button on the phone in his office.
"Get me a car. I'm going to the Civilian Sports Center," said Dalu Fang.
"Yes, Manager Fang," the assistant replied on the phone. Then he said, "Manager Fang, may I remind you that you have a meeting with the sales department?"
"Cancel the meeting! Change it to another time."