Chapter 379: A Small Test (2/2)

”So, you see it too?” Dai Li asked with a big grin.

Stephen nodded. ”I'm probably not mistaken, right?”

”If you can see it, then there's no mistaking it,” Dai Li stated.

Each contestant had their own tracks in the 400m sprint. At the beginning of the race, the starting position of the outer side of the track was further forward, while the starting position of contestants at the inner side of the track was positioned considerably further back. Everyone had a different starting position, so from the surface, the ones located on the outer side of the track would look like they were in the lead.

Insiders would generally be able to differentiate the actual positions of the athletes; however, outsiders would probably only be able to identify the actual positions of the contestants in the last 100 meters.

However, right then, even an outsider like Stephen could tell that Philip was a lot faster than the rest. That meant that Philip's advantage was indeed very obvious.

The truth was, in the eye of an expert, Philip's pace was not inferior to normal athletes who were average. For a para-athlete, that was an incredible feat.

As a para-athlete, it was natural that their pace was slower than normal athletes. In the 400m sprint of the T43/44 class that Philip was in, the result of the fastest male para-athlete could not even compare to the result of a normal female athlete, and when compared against the results of male athletes, it was a no contest.

Philip was like a completely different being. Although his current pace still could not compare to top-notch athletes in the 400m sprint, if he were to compete against a normal athlete, then there was at least an actual chance for him to win.

The pace of a normal athlete, when put in a race among para-athletes, would be like the Fuxing Hao high-speed train meeting a traditional green train; the speed and pace were simply incomparable. When Philip reached the final stretch of the race, which was a straight track, the four other contestants were still struggling in the middle of the previous bend.

”He is certainly worthy of being the world record holder for the 100m and 200m events. Even when it is the 400m event, he maintains his huge advantage. The victor has already been decided, the key is to see if Philip can also break the world record for the 400m sprint!” announced the commentator.

”I think that there's no doubt that Philip will also break the world record for the 400m event. His result might be close to 46 seconds,” another commentator mentioned.

”46 seconds? If I remember correctly, a result like that would be very close to the B standard of the Olympics. In the group stage of the previous Olympics, one-third of the contestants' results were over 46 seconds.”

”Quick! Look! Philip is already close to the finish line, he's leading the others by at least two seconds, and he has passed the finish line! Let's congratulate Philip for winning, and his result is… oh, my God, it's 45.51 seconds!”

The timecard at the finish line displayed the number ”45.51”. The result was without a doubt a world record in the T43/44 class, but more importantly, if the result were put in a race for normal athletes, it would have reached the A standard of the Olympics! There was no polite way to say this but, even in the world, most professional athletes wouldn't have been able to achieve that result.

”My eyes are not deceiving me, right? 45.51 seconds. Wasn't the A standard for the Olympics only 45.55 seconds? That means that Philip is capable of taking part in the Olympics, and he is actually a disabled person! I wouldn't believe this if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes! The performance of a para-athlete is actually on par with normal athletes!” The excited voice of the commentator rang powerfully within the stadium.

It was impossible for normal audiences to remember the A and B standards of the Olympic Games. However, after the introduction of the commentator, everyone thought that Philip was amazing.

Stephen turned his head and looked towards Dai Li with a shocked expression on his face.

”You knew. You already knew this would happen, right?” Stephen asked.

”I told you earlier, Philip is terribly talented!” Dai Li paused briefly and continued, ”I am his coach, do you think that I already knew?”

”But regardless, he is still disabled. He doesn't have any legs, how could he be as fast as normal athletes!” Stephen exclaimed as his voice quivered with excitement.

Dai Li did not answer, he only stared quietly at Stephen.

At that exact moment, Stephen recalled what Dai Li had mentioned earlier, that there was an important race the following month.

Just now Coach Li said that it was the selection for the world championship in athletics. He was referring to a race for normal athletes! Stephen's thoughts suddenly went into chaos.