454 The Former Ruler of the 400-meter Sprin (1/2)

”What? Jimmy Aylwin plans to came back?” Blake said in surprise, but he was also a little excited.

Dai Li nodded. ”Yes, Taylor told me that Aylwin invested a lot of money in shale oil and he suffered heavy losses. So he wants to came back and participate in the Olympics again, and he wants me to help him to return to his competitive condition.”

”Oh my god, I think it must be the most sensational sports news of this weekend! He won the championship in the Olympics three times. With such brilliant achievements, as long as he will be in the next Olympics, there will be some top sponsors for him!” Blake exclaimed.

Jimmy Aylwin was a white track and field athlete who focused on the 400-meter sprint.

Black athletes had an absolute advantage in sprint events, whether in the 100-meter sprint, the 200-meter sprint, or the 400-meter sprint. Especially in the World Championship and the Olympics, almost all the finals of sprint events were monopolized by black athletes.

But in the finals of the 400-meter sprint, the ruler was a white man named Jimmy Aylwin.

Jimmy Aylwin also had a similarly brilliant record in the World Championship. He participated in two World Championships, and each time he was the champion of the 400-meter sprint and the four-by-400-meter relay. In addition, he also won numerous championships in many tournaments, such as the IAAF Super Grand Prix, the IAAF Golden League, and the IAAF Diamond League.

The 400-meter sprint was less popular than the 100-meter sprint, so Aylwin didn't enjoy the same reputation as Kittell, ”the world's first fleet-footed runner.” But Jimmy Aylwin was a household name in the United States, and he was even more influential than the NAB superstars.

Aylwin's fame was due to the rise of sprinting in Central America and the Caribbean in recent years.

America had been the ruler of sprinting since the beginning of 1980s, but due to the rapid rise of Jamaican sprinters after the 21st century, Jamaican sprinters competed with American sprinters in several years.

Then the top sprinter, Kittell, suddenly appeared, and his ability overwhelmed all the other sprinters, which also gave American sprinters a fatal blow. After that, American sprinters had never won the championship as long as Kittell participated.

Apart from Jamaican, countries in Central America and the Caribbean also paid attention to sprint. The ethnic talent of the black athletes, the natural environment, and the unique climate in Central America and the Caribbean created a large number of top sprinters. Such small countries as the Bahamas, Grenada, Trinidad, Tobago, Saint Kitts, and Nevis were able to challenge American sprinters in the International arena. There was a time when American sprinters couldn't win the fourth place if Justin Alexander didn't participate in the match.

But America was still the ruler of the 400-meter sprint, because they had Jimmy Aylwin. His ability was far more than other 400-meter sprinters; thus, he was the idol of many Americans.

People like to praise winners. An athlete, no matter how excellent he is, can never be successful if he doesn't win the game all the time. For example, Justin Alexander could never be the winner as long as Kittell participated in the game, even though Justin continuously created better records and constantly renewed the record in America.

Because Jimmy Aylwin was always the winner, he was more popular than Alexander. From the perspective of others, Alexander could be regarded as a world top athlete, while Jimmy Aylwin was a ”great” athlete.

More importantly, Jimmy Aylwin was a white.

White people dominated mainstream American society, and the elites in American politics, economy, culture, entertainment, science, and other industries were white. The vast middle class in America was white, and even in the sports industry, the most influential athletes were not the black superstars in the NBA, but the white quarterbacks of the NFL.

As a white, Jimmy Aylwin had congenital advantage in gaining influence, and the function of this influence was to attract sponsors, in particular the top advertising sponsors. Aylwin had won three championships in the Olympics, so as long as he passed the qualification trials in America and entered the Olympics, he could easily get millions of dollars in advertising sponsorships.

Blake was very excited when he found out Jimmy Aylwin planned to come back, and he asked Dai Li in a hopeful tone, ”Would you like to help him?”

”Helping these athletes who have been retired for several years return to their competitive condition is very difficult. Aylwin is now 34 years old. Sprinting has a strict requirement for physical condition, and very few athletes can hold up to 34 years old. You know that age is a terrible enemy for athletes.” said Dai Li.

”So, you won't help him?” Blake said disappointedly.

”No, I just want to emphasize the difficulty. Because it's so difficult, I will charge more money!” Dai Li paused and said with a smile, ”As usual, I want a revenue share for the next three years!”

For Dai Li, Jimmy Aylwin was definitely worth three age-reduction cards.