Chapter 374: The Big Debut
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Max frowned after seeing the words on the signboard, "Coach Lee's Physical Fitness Training Center" as he drove past the gym.
Someone actually rented that gymnasium! When and where did such a rich person come from? What kind of person is actually willing to accept such high rent? Max thought, feeling slightly annoyed.
Max and Dai Li were in the same line of work; he had also opened a physical fitness training center, and his "Ironman" training center had a bit of fame in the northern parts of Los Angeles. Many athletes and affluent individuals would visit him to have a customized physical fitness training course made.
Apart from the physical fitness center, Max also owned two gyms and a swimming complex. He operated a bodybuilding club and a swimming club as well.
Max had always intended to expand his business, and he had been keeping an eye on that gymnasium. It had a great location and sufficient space. It was just that it wasn't cost effective because of the high rent, which deterred Max from making a move. However, Max had not given up on it because he hoped that no one would move into the gym due to the high rent, which meant that a price reduction was only a matter of time.
So when Max saw the signboard with the words, "Coach Lee's Physical Fitness Training Center," he felt as though something precious had been taken away from him.
Max dialed the number of his real estate agent.
"I happened to pass by the gymnasium today and saw that it has already been rented out. Do you know who's renting it?" Max asked.
"It was a Chinese man, who could also be a new immigrant," the real estate agent answered.
"There's a Chinese guy working in the physical fitness training industry? What about the price? Did he really accept such high rent?" Max continued inquiring.
"No. As far as I know, he accepted the second proposal, the one you wouldn't accept," the real estate agent replied honestly.
"He's willing to provide free training to para-athletes? What an arduous and fruitless job." Max curled his lips in disdain.
"Mr. Max, to be honest with you, I don't think that this condition is harsh. After all, you get a reduction in the rent. If you had been willing to accept this back then, the gymnasium would have long ago become a training base for the Ironman Training Center," the agent said. It was natural for the agent to want to tie up a business deal quickly since he would be able to earn an intermediary fee from it.
"I open physical fitness training centers, not physical fitness training charities!" Max exclaimed. "Besides, when you train a para-athlete, even if you do a great job in training them, what's there to be achieved? Among those who are disabled, half of them support themselves through relief funds. They wouldn't be able to afford the course fee! If you ask me, the training center of this Chinese man won't last more than a year!"
...
At the exact moment in Seattle, a para-athletic game was underway.
Despite Seattle's location on the west coast, this para-athletic game had managed to attract many para-athletes from the east.
Thanks to low-cost airlines spread throughout the US, traveling thousands of kilometers had become extremely easy and convenient. Moreover, considering the income of an average American, the aircraft of a low-cost airline was the equivalent of a traditional "green train" in China. Because airfares were very affordable, even low-income groups could afford to buy a ticket from low-cost airlines.
What's more, the para-athletes who arrived to participate in the competition were mostly burly men with tattoos on their body, their bodies burned or scarred.
"They are like me; they're also soldiers who retired due to injury. I think that most of them probably spent some time in Iraq!" Philip said.
Apart from a one-time insurance compensation, soldiers who retired due to injury also received a decommissioning allowance for disabled military servicemen from the government each month. That was why their economic conditions were slightly better than normal unemployed individuals.
The US encouraged disabled soldiers to participate in para-athletic games. After all, the earliest para-athletic games in the US originated from the United States Armed Forces. During the second world war, the wheelchair basketball teams formed by disabled soldiers were quite popular for a time. A wheelchair basketball association was even specially established after the second world war, and it organized tournaments throughout the US. It could be said that the history and heritage of the US National Wheelchair Basketball League wasn't that much inferior to the NBA.
For decades, the US waged war all over the world, and a large number of disabled soldiers appeared after each war. Many of the disabled soldiers soon became para-athletes, and in the next two upcoming Paralympic Games, the performance of the US team would be exceptional. When the US stopped waging war for a couple of years, the performance of the US team in the Paralympic Games would also drop.
Take the Iraq War for example. Although it had been more than a decade since the war ended, US military operations in Iraq were still ongoing, and the number of injured and disabled soldiers kept increasing. After numerous troops withdrawal, the number of soldiers stationed in Iraq still exceeded 5000, and the war had created a large number of para-athletes in the US.
Compared to the other para-athletes, Philip was a rookie. He had played football before, and it hadn't been that long since he started training in track and field.
Philip, who was standing on the track, looked extremely nervous since he kept glancing left and right. It was, after all, his first time taking part in a competition.
"Hey kid, you look awfully nervous. You should take it easy, just treat this as a practice!" said a big bearded caucasian man beside him.
"That's right, the important thing is to just to participate. Don't worry about winning or losing," said a brown-haired man on Philip's other side as he patted Philip on the shoulder. He then continued and said, "To be honest, I think that grouping both the T43 and T44 class together in a competition is rather unfair. But since we're here, the objective is not to beat the other competitors, it is to overcome yourself".
The two men who spoke were both in the T44 para-athletics classification. In a para-athletic game, the T43 and T44 class actually competed together, and occasionally even the T42 class would be included. Compared to the T43 class, the disabilities of the T44 class were less severe. The T43 is an amputation performed on both legs, below the knees but above the ankle or through the ankle joint; however, the T44 is an amputation performed on one leg, below the knee and above the ankle or through the ankle joint. To put it in simpler terms, one is a disability on both legs while the other is a disability on one leg.
Theoretically speaking, a person with a one-leg disability should run faster than a person with a two-leg disability. Among the contestants, Philip was the only one from the T43 class, so his nervousness was instead interpreted by others as a pessimistic view on the outcome of the race, which had led to the advice and encouragement from the other contestants.
People tend to sympathize with the weak. In a group of people with disabilities, the one in the worst situation would get the most sympathy. The others had only lost a leg while Philip had lost both his legs, so Philip, who had lost both legs, had suddenly become the target for sympathy.
...
"The Men's 100m sprint of the T43/T44 class is about to begin. The athletes are all ready. As you can see, there is an athlete who is from the T43 class".
As the commentator spoke enthusiastically into the microphone, he took a quick glance at the information he held in his hand before speaking again. "The T43 class athlete is called Barron Philip. According to the information on my report, he only started sprint training a month ago, and today is his first official sprint race. Let's wish him good luck and hope he performs well!"
The excited tone of the commentator brought a wave of applause from the crowd. In truth, everyone present felt that Philip, who had lost both his legs, was the weakest among the contestants. Everyone believed that he would only be left behind by the other contestants and finish the entire race amidst encouraging applause. He would show the indomitable spirit of disabled people.
On the stands, a young father pointed towards Philip and spoke to his son, "Jimmy, do you see that man? He has lost both his legs, but he didn't choose to stay in a wheelchair; he chose to wear a prosthesis and walk and run like an ordinary person. He can even take part in track and field competitions."
"Then can he run very fast?" the child asked innocently.
"He has one leg less than the others, so he'll be the slowest among all the contestants, but he will cross the finish line like everyone else, and he will complete his goals," the father answered with confidence.
At that moment, the race started at the sound of the starting pistol. The contestants began running.
A person with no legs has no Achilles tendon, so the explosive force generated from stomping the ground during the start of the race was reduced. Athletes in the T44 class had at least one leg, so at the beginning of the race, they could generate the explosive force of a leg by stomping the ground using their remaining leg. Philip, who had lost both his legs, could not produce any extra explosive force at the start of the race.
His acceleration at the start was slower, so in the first 30 meters of the race, as expected, Philip lagged behind.
Last place and lagging behind everyone, it suited everyone's perception of Philip. After all, how could a person without both legs run faster!
The father turned his head and continued speaking earnestly, "Jimmy, he's currently lagging behind, but he still has his indomitable spirit, which we should all learn. When faced with a problem, do not compromise. You have to learn to face it head on and overcome it. For him, it doesn't matter if he can win. Just by being out there in the race, he has already won."
That father had begun instilling inspirational chicken soup ideas in his son. Similar situations were happening simultaneously throughout the stands.
Americans were always good at practical education. A good example would be when teaching the Chinese concept of Zi Qiang Bu Xi. The standard practice in China would be for children to read an article from a textbook, followed by writing a review. Alternatively, students would answer questions with standardized answers, the belief being that children would understand the concept just by getting the correct answer. Americans, on the other hand, would prefer to let their children learn through personal experiences, and the para-athletic race was a good example. To the parents, allowing their child to observe the determination and spirit of the para-athletes battling on the racetrack was an excellent opportunity for education.
However, the boy named Jimmy shook his head. He pointed towards the racetrack and said, "Daddy, you're wrong. He's not the last one, he's now the third, second, oh, no, he's in the first place!"
His father looked where his son pointed.
The race had reached the 60 meter mark, and Philip had made it to first place.
"What happened? How did he get into first place!"
...
The crowd went wild. The only athlete who had no legs had somehow made it to the front!
People loved it when the weak rose. Philip coming up from behind, going from last to first place, awoke people's sympathy for the weak. Philip successfully ignited the passion of the audience.
"Come on! Charge forward!"
"Charge, charge through the finish line!"
At that moment, without a doubt, Philip was the focus of the entire stadium.
...
On the racetrack, the brown-haired man who consoled Philip earlier had been left far behind. He could only see Philip's back.
That rookie sure runs fast! The brown-haired man sighed lightly in his heart, but he immediately realized in the next second that Philip was a T43 class athlete, each of his legs equipped with a prosthesis.
How is that possible! He doesn't have any legs, and I've only lost one. How is he running faster than me, and by so much!
As he thought about that, he couldn't help but look down. He wanted to make sure that Philip did indeed lose both his legs.
Although the black colored cheetah-style prosthesis was made of carbon fiber, under the sunlight, it emanated a metallic glow, as if it was a pair of sharp blades.
Blades! The word flashed through the mind of the brown-haired man.
...
"Oh my God, Philip is coming from behind! He is surpassing the other contestants, he's leading! He's getting faster, and his lead is getting wider and wider! He has crossed the finish line! Philip! Philip won, he has achieved victory!"
The roaring voice of the commentator livened up the atmosphere in the stadium, where many like him had begun to shout.
"I did not expect that. The winner is actually Barron Philip! You have to know that among all the contestants, he was the only one in the T43 class! He was the only one without both legs, but he has somehow managed to beat everyone, and he completely dominated the other contestants! When he was making his final dash, the other contestants were already far behind him!"
"Let's take a look at Philip's performance, 12.16 seconds, it's been confirmed, it's 12.16 seconds! According to the information in my hand, the world record for the 100m sprint in the T43/44 classification is 12.20 seconds. That means, just now, right in front of us, Barron Philip set a new world record!"
The tone and voice of the commentator kept rising, and as he said the phrase, "set a new world record," his voice reached its highest decibel.
The atmosphere also climaxed, and the cheers and screams were all woven together in the stadium. At that moment, even if a person were to scream at the top of his lungs, he would still not be able to hear his own voice.
"A world record, I couldn't have misheard that, the commentator said a world record just now!"
"Who is that guy with no legs? I've never seen him before. Did he just break the world record?"
"Barron Philip, I remember they introduced his name before, he's called Barron Philip!"
"Barron Philip?" A journalist quickly wrote the name down on her tablet.
...
The world record for the men's 100m sprint for the T43/44 class had been broken, and although most people hadn't the slightest clue what the T43/44 class was like, everyone knew that the man who set the new record had lost both his legs.
A 12.16 second result was not even enough to be considered a grade two national athlete in China, and in a nation that excelled in track and field, the number of people who were faster than that couldn't even be counted. Some might even find it embarrassing to announce that their time was 12.16 seconds. However, because this was the result of a person who had lost both his legs, the situation was completely different.
Before the race, Barron Philip was a nobody.
During the race, he appeared out of nowhere and stood above the rest.
After that day, more and more people would come to know and remember his name.