Chapter 70: High Jump and the 100-Meter Race

The East Asia Youth Games held in Macao City attracted significant attention from local residents. On November 1st, the old stadium, which could accommodate ten thousand spectators, was packed to the brim. Many families brought their elders and children to witness this grand sporting event.

Russo was among the crowd, watching the competition. That morning, several indoor events such as high jump and gymnastics were taking place in the auxiliary hall of the old stadium. The women's high jump final began promptly at 9:00 a.m. Russo saw Juno warming up; the athlete before her was Japanese.

Currently, the East Asia Youth Games’ high jump record was held by a Japanese athlete, standing at 1.92 meters. However, the record holder was not the one competing just before Juno; Japan’s advantage in high jump had waned recently, and Korea had produced many talented athletes in the past two years, claiming several achievements.

The Japanese athlete before Juno ended with a final jump of 1.84 meters. Not impressive—Russo knew Juno’s abilities well; 1.84 meters was no challenge for her.

As expected, Juno chose to start at 1.84 meters, displaying immense confidence. The audience cheered her choice, sensing the young girl’s hunger for victory.

Juno cleared 1.84 meters in a single attempt. Afterward, she whispered a few words to her coach, who then spoke with the referee. The bar was raised directly to 1.87 meters.

Applause filled the venue as Juno began her run. She cleared the bar cleanly and beautifully. Lying on the mat for a few seconds, gazing up at the sky, she then executed a lively somersault to get up.

She ran over to her coach, and they discussed for quite some time. The coach went to speak with the referee, who, after repeated confirmation, adjusted the bar to 1.93 meters.

There was no live commentary, or at least the audience couldn't hear it, but many spectators carried radios, listening to commentary as they watched.

At this point, the commentator marveled at Juno’s choice:

"Juno, the athlete from Southern Guangdong Province, has chosen to directly challenge the high jump record at the East Asia Youth Games. Although her previous results have been excellent, this is still a risky move. If she had opted for 1.90 meters, based on her current performance, she would almost certainly have secured the gold medal. But at 1.93 meters, if she fails, her valid result would only be 1.87 meters—still outstanding, yet risking the loss of the championship and the gold medal. Clearly, Juno's ambition now reaches beyond mere victory; she aims for the record itself. This record, set at the 2000 Osaka Games by Tomomi Imada, stands at 1.92 meters.

We see Juno preparing now. Listeners, let's give her a round of applause and cheer—let’s hope our young female athlete breaks the Japanese high jump record!"

Amid cheers and applause, Juno, bathed in the golden morning sunlight, ran toward the bar. This was a height she had never reached even in practice. But she believed she could cross it.

In that brilliance, Juno leapt with all her strength.

...

In the afternoon, Russo and Juno strolled through the old streets of Macao City. The city, with its century-long history, brimmed with nostalgic dreams and local delicacies at every corner.

Despite indulging in many delicious treats, Juno still seemed a bit dissatisfied.

That last jump.

If she had managed just one more centimeter, she wouldn't have hit the bar.

Russo, noticing Juno’s distracted air despite her hands full of food, asked, "Do you regret it?"

"Regret what?" Juno replied.

"Choosing 1.93 meters for your final jump, and ending up with the silver medal," Russo said.

Juno hadn’t cleared 1.93 meters on her last attempt, so her best was 1.87 meters. The Korean athlete took gold with 1.88 meters; Juno’s 1.87 meters earned her silver, and the Japanese athlete’s 1.84 meters took bronze.

Russo knew Juno could usually clear 1.90 meters—she had gold medal potential.

"But when I took my second jump, I had this inexplicable feeling that today I could break the record, could jump 1.93 meters. The feeling was so vivid, as if a sacred light shone upon my face," Juno described, her face still glowing with hope and innocence.

"So I don’t regret it. I think this feeling might be a sign, meant to come true at the National Games or the Asian Games," Juno concluded.

"Our national team missed a gold medal that should have been ours," Russo said, still feeling it was a pity.

"That’s why I’m counting on you to make up for it," Juno told Russo. "Otherwise, if our country falls behind by one gold on the medal tally because of me, I’ll have to jump into the sea."

"Alright, your gold medal is in my hands now. I’ll win the 200 meters, which nobody expects, and make up for the gold everyone expected from the women’s high jump. One in, one out—it still balances out," Russo replied.

"If you win gold, you’ll be my deity," Juno said, pressing her palms together. "Oh god, grant my wish—let me win a gold medal in the East Asia Youth Games’ 200 meters!"

"Alright," Russo laughed.

...

That night, on the first, Russo heard from Tian Shiwei about the national team’s results in the 100 meters.

Zhang Zhen took bronze.

Tian Shiwei finished sixth in the final.

"Zhang Zhen’s really impressive. His preliminaries time was 10.41 seconds, and he ran 10.38 in the final, but that guy from Kazakhstan, Alihan, clocked 10.35. He looks so mature—I suspect he’s thirty-eight, not eighteen. Japan’s Masafumi Fujimitsu won first place with 10.31 seconds. That guy’s a monster—so fast."

Tian Shiwei ran 10.49 in the preliminaries and 10.45 in the final, also remarkable, but he didn’t boast about his strength, clearly recognizing the gap.

10.31 seconds...

That was the kind of performance needed to win the 100 meters at the East Asia Youth Games.

Russo would eventually return to run the 100 meters, and this "eventually" was scheduled for this month in his plans. He engraved that result in his mind, marking it as one of his goals to surpass.

...

"Yes, Zhang Zhen took a bronze," Dong Zijian reported the results to the leaders at the central bureau. Evidently, the leaders were not fully satisfied, since this would be the only gold point for the national sprint team at the Games.

"For the 4x100 meters event, the possibility of gold is slim. Our athletes’ overall performance in the 100 meters isn’t as good as Japan’s or Kazakhstan’s, so we might get a bronze," Dong Zijian continued, clearly responding to questions from the other side.

After hanging up, Dong Zijian turned to Li Yan, "Two bronze medals—the central bureau leaders think that’s barely acceptable."

Li Yan said, "That’s what we expected. The kids on our team are still far from world-level, but this isn’t the final result. Don’t forget, we still have the 200 meters."

"You’re pinning your hopes on Russo?" Dong Zijian remarked, suddenly finding it amusing—because the central bureau’s dissatisfaction put Li Yan’s contract in jeopardy, and yet Li Yan was placing his hopes on an athlete he had once treated unfairly.

"My investment and hope are both in Russo," Li Yan corrected Dong Zijian.