The Genius Decided To Live An Ordinary Life [EN]: Chapter 275

The quarter-finals, where 40 athletes are divided into 5 groups of 8 to compete.

Because the athletes are assigned based on their records and rankings, those with better preliminary records avoid stronger opponents. Given the stage, it’s clear that every athlete is a formidable competitor. However, in a race where even 1/100th or 1/1000th of a second matters, a small difference can be considered a genuine difference in skill.

In the van on the way to the stadium, Jinhyuk praised Jin Seon-gyu as the best sprinter.

– “I’d like to hear the world’s strongest’s goal first?”

Jin Seon-gyu, who was tapping the starting block with his Taegeuk King Foot [a nickname referring to his powerful running style], chuckled.

‘That cheeky brat…’

The more he thought about it, the more he laughed.

He throws out a lame joke and then looks at his senior’s reaction, his eyes as innocent as a child who has done a good deed and is waiting for praise.

He’s big, generous, and that too is big… a very cheeky brat!

Anyway, he’s big in every way, but the more I see him, the cuter he is, so Jin Seon-gyu couldn’t help but laugh at his terribly unfunny grandpa humor. Because he’s like a kid.

– “Senior, since you like to bet, shall we make a bet? You know, like those questions that are hard to ask even if we’re close. The person with the better record gets to ask any question and the other has to answer. How about it?”

Even after making the suggestion, Jinhyuk slightly lowered his head and looked up at Jin Seon-gyu with wide eyes. Like a curious child.

Why not bet?

Why is it so exciting and fun?

When he was hanging out with Carl Lewis, Jonathan, and other members of the US team, betting on long jumps with drinks, he seemed to have enjoyed it with a silly smile like this.

‘That cheeky brat. He knows me too well.’

It felt like his blood pressure, which had calmed down after the cool-down exercises, was rising again.

If he measured his pulse now, it would probably be around 120 beats per minute.

One of the reasons why Jin Seon-gyu was called a genius since childhood.

A body that isn’t affected by rapidly rising blood pressure.

Any athlete runs after sufficiently raising their body temperature and blood pressure, but when they stand at the starting line, their pulse gradually slows down. But Jin Seon-gyu’s maintenance time is long.

‘It’s just hard to get it up.’

It’s a factor that’s hard to control even though he knows he’s being controlled by psychological factors. People’s minds and thoughts don’t change easily.

‘He said I don’t need suggestions like ‘I can do it,’ right?’

That cheeky brat said that.

That Jin Seon-gyu is the kind of person who just needs to do it.

Foolishly, stupidly, ignorantly. Just do it.

He said that people who are trapped in the frame of being a genius and burdened by the expectations of those around them end up letting go of themselves and living carelessly. That’s how they become lazy geniuses.

– “Many people think I just fell out of the sky, but if you were to find someone who has run more than me on this planet, it would probably be marathon runners. And even among marathon runners, there wouldn’t be many, right? I’m not a genius like you, senior. I’m someone who sticks to one thing ignorantly.”

That cheeky brat.

Just how much has he run?

That insane recovery ability must have come from running and running again.

– “I ran to survive.”

As he said that, Jinhyuk’s eyes became wistful.

The sprint.

The most primal exercise for survival, such as chasing prey and running away from predators.

It is when humans run that they realize and appreciate the existence of their heart, lungs, and muscles.

‘Thank you.’

Whew! Whew-!

He lightly jumped, taking the power out of his arms and keeping his feet together, using only the elasticity of his ankles.

Come out, gas. Pshhh-.

The freshness he gained from recovery training and sauna was greater than the fatigue he had gained in the morning.

‘Taegeuk King Foot, kyu ready.’

Jinhyuk, who hadn’t answered the question about his goal, had asked back.

[On your mark.]

When he placed his hand on the track, he felt the daily temperature range of Atlanta on the track, which was lukewarm unlike in the morning.

– “Do we have to wait until the Asian Games?”

That cheeky brat.

[Get set.]

That young brat dares to act like a teacher to his senior, who is like the sky-.

[Ta-aang!]

“Nyaaaa-!”

Thud thud thud-.

With a cat’s roar, Jin Seon-gyu’s quarter-final sprint began.

***

Jinhyuk’s lips curled up as he watched Jin Seon-gyu, who was dashing out like a colt stung by a bee. A centaur in a movie, if he had to find the most similar comparison, Jin Seon-gyu resembled the mythical creature with the upper body of a human and the body of a horse. Not in appearance, but in his running style.

He even snorts like a horse at the starting line.

‘He runs well, as expected.’

He had watched the video of Michael Johnson’s 200m race at the last World Championships countless times.

He was amazed and amazed again at how he could run in that posture. It was a running style that even sprinters who were used to short-distance sprints couldn’t easily imitate.

‘I almost hurt my back trying to copy it.’

But Jin Seon-gyu also runs with a form that is impossible to imitate.

It’s similar to other Korean athletes in that he starts with his body bent, but the upper half of his body, including his chest, doesn’t shake at all, as if it’s fixed in place.

The Taegeuk King Foot cuts through the wind in that posture.

‘There’s no loss of power. That power goes entirely to his legs.’

Jin Seon-gyu’s heightened confidence feels like it’s firmly fixing his upper body.

Like a King Kong showing off his chest.

‘Run, run.’

From behind, it’s hard to tell who’s ahead.

So, the athletes watching from behind focus on the feet that are moving across the track when observing the progress of the previous group.

Whose feet are ahead.

‘Nice! 2nd place!’

If the track had been longer, he would have been first.

Blue shoes on the left and red shoes on the right spun around like cans in a can fire game before crossing the finish line. Right after the first place crossed the finish line.

[Ta-aang!]

Jin Seon-gyu touched the ground again this time.

Jinhyuk applauded the hunched back of someone who had done his best in every moment, every race.

Quarter 1.

1. Boldon. TRI. 9.95s

2. Jin. KOR. 10.10s

3. Asahara. JPN. 10.19s

4. Nkansah. GHA. 10.24s

5. Aliu. NGR. 10.26s

…

It’s not bad, even though he’s 0.15 seconds behind Ato Boldon of Trinidad and Tobago.

The somewhat cool temperature must have had an effect. Ato Boldon also seemed to have given his all, but his record was lower than usual.

He beat Ghana’s Eric Nkansah, whom Jinhyuk had secretly evaluated as a dark horse, and proudly took 2nd place. Just making it to the semi-finals is a historic event.

Everyone evaluated Jinhyuk as a dark horse, but Jinhyuk rejected that evaluation.

‘I’m not dark.’

It was a match that clearly dispelled Kim Hyung-tak’s concerns. Nobuharu Asahara of Japan, who was the strongest in Asia until Jinhyuk appeared, was also pushed back by Jin Seon-gyu and barely secured his place in the semi-finals.

In the quarter-finals, where 15 athletes, 3 from each of the 5 groups, advance directly to the semi-finals, only one 4th place finisher can be saved.

Since Nkansah has a good record, he can expect to advance to the semi-finals after comparing his record with other athletes.

Aliu of Nigeria, who competed against Jinhyuk in the preliminary round, was eliminated in 5th place by a narrow margin, even though he had a better record than in the preliminary round.

‘Korea must be going crazy.’

Wouldn’t almost all the citizens be watching the live broadcast?

Since their own athletes were participating, they naturally broadcast the preliminary rounds live, and even after the games were over, they said they replayed them several times as specials.

‘What’s a festival anyway?’

If everyone enjoys, cries, and laughs together, that’s a festival.

With a pleased feeling, Jinhyuk’s lips showed no sign of coming down.

Kkyaaaa-!

The lion’s roar that has now become the signal of the Centennial Stadium.

Yujin’s presence is so clear wherever she is.

Jin Seon-gyu, who had already stood up, was waving his hand in that direction.

‘See, you can do it if you try.’

After sharing his emotions with the coaching staff through hugs, Jin Seon-gyu turned his body towards Jinhyuk.

Thumbs up.

It was the best praise Jinhyuk could give.

Jin Seon-gyu responded by raising his thick thumb, which suited his King Foot.

Thumbs up.

***

Linford Christie of Great Britain.

The grandpa sprinter.

The monster.

[Ta-aang!]

Old soldiers never die.

But they didn’t disappear either.

In the beginning, he was heavily competing for the lead, but at the finish line, he made eye contact with Donovan Bailey, the Rocket Man of Canada, and crossed the finish line at the same time.

‘Donovan’s mid-race acceleration is scary.’

His ability to push forward after 60m was excellent.

If he hadn’t slowed down at the end, the first place would have clearly gone to Donovan.

Quarter 2.

1. Christie. GBR. 10.03s

2. Bailey. CAN. 10.05s

3. Drummond. USA 10.17s

4. Tuffour. GHA. 10.18s

5. Wymeersch. BEL. 10.37s

6. Adeniken. NGR. 10.38s

7. Guims. FRA. 10.43s

8. Madonia. ITA. 10.43s

It was unusual that all the powerhouses of track and field gathered as if it were the finals, even though it was the second preliminary round.

Moreover, the athletes were all strong contenders, with no one to be overlooked.

Following the monster and the rocket man, Jin Seon-gyu’s close friend Jonathan Drummond dramatically secured his place in the semi-finals.

‘Jonathan seems to have done his best, but he still can’t catch up.’

The gap is clearly visible to those who are watching without running themselves.

Preliminary rounds, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and then the finals. Which athlete is ahead, and which athlete is behind.

But no matter how much he looks at it, he doesn’t understand those numbers.

A difference of 0.01 seconds.

‘Is the dark horse Nkansah eliminated?’

The record of Emmanuel Tuffour of Ghana, who finished 4th in the 2nd group, is better.

It’s a coincidence that the two athletes are from the same country.

Quarter 3.

1. Fredericks. NAM. 9.93s

2. Ezinwa. NGR. 10.08s

3. Thompson. BAR. 10.14s

4. Stewart. JAM. 10.19s

…

In the 3rd quarter, Frank Fredericks of Namibia, a strong contender for the championship, easily marked 9.93 and took 1st place, and Davidson Ezinwa of Nigeria, who always does his best, crossed the finish line with a comfortable lead over 3rd place. He also seemed to have been affected by the temperature, as his record was lower than in the morning.

Thompson, a law student from Barbados, also secured his place in the semi-finals without allowing the 4th place athlete to catch up.

‘Hehehe-, it’s fun.’

The Chinese athlete who finished 7th and was packing his bags looked displeased at Jinhyuk, who was grinning, but he had no interest in him.

Was his name Chen? Goodbye, shimiya- [a casual way of saying goodbye in Japanese].

Since there aren’t many people in the quarter-finals, they warm up and wait behind the starting area.

While other athletes try to ignore the race, Jinhyuk crosses his arms and activates tourist mode.

Michael Marsh, who was in the same group as him in the 5th group, seemed dumbfounded by Jinhyuk and muttered as he passed by.

“Thorn, warm up. You’re too nervous.”

“……Yeah-”

Me, nervous?

He wondered what he meant and looked around, making eye contact with some of the spectators who were looking at him worriedly.

‘Ah, I might look like that.’

An athlete doing knee lifts, an athlete taking deep breaths with their arms wide open, an athlete twisting their neck left and right, an athlete rotating their shoulders.

Jinhyuk was the only one standing tall and watching, so it was understandable that he was misunderstood.

He smiled at them and waved his hand lightly.

‘Everyone! It’s much more fun to watch from here!’

TV viewers only see the uniform images captured by the camera, and the spectators only see from a fixed angle from their seats.

‘It’s like I came to the Olympics to see this.’

Jinhyuk, who can move from place to place in the stadium without any interference, can enjoy the dynamic backs of the athletes racing.

The front and side views can be seen later in the replays.

– “I’ll give meaning to being able to watch the Olympics inside the stadium.”

What a guy named Odair da Costa from the 8th preliminary group said was plausible.

His country’s name was also the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe? It was a name he had never heard of in his past life, and he said it was a small island nation in front of Africa.

Costa failed to overcome his poor condition in the preliminary round and was eliminated after exceeding 11 seconds. However, it was surprising that even from a small island nation with a population of 200,000, he had participated in the 100m event at the Olympics.

“Thorn, it’s my turn.”

Dennis Mitchell of the 4th group passed by and tapped Jinhyuk’s butt.

“Okay, do your best-.”

“What?”

“……Good luck, Allen.”

He covered up his mistake by calling him by his middle name in a friendly way.

‘Damn, why is my English coming out in a dialect?’

The thirty-one-year-old ace of the US team smiled and gave a thumbs up at the trivial mistake and walked away.

Quarter 4.

1. Mitchell. USA. 10.09s

2. Green. JAM. 10.11s

3. Markoullides. CYP. 10.23s

…

The 4th group was anticlimactic.

Among the athletes with heights of 175cm and 176cm who led the race, Dennis Mitchell, who was 1cm shorter but had slightly longer legs, took 1st place. Dennis Mitchell didn’t accelerate from the beginning and ran the race skillfully, staying about half a step ahead of the 2nd place athlete.

Michael Green of Jamaica, the world’s strongest in the indoor 60m race, nicknamed ‘Cockroach’, showed a truly puppy-like early spurt, but it was not enough to catch up with Dennis Mitchell’s rampage, which remained unchanged from the beginning to the end.

‘If senior had been in the 4th group, he might have taken 1st place.’

No matter how he thought about it, it seemed like chasing the tyrant Ato Boldon would be so hopeless for the mood-driven Jin Seon-gyu that he wouldn’t even be able to perform at his best.

Jin Seon-gyu’s height is 177cm, and if the three of them were lined up, it would be a perfect picture.

While taking in all the races and excitedly engraving various impressions in his mind like a child, Jinhyuk heard a sound that made his mood sink.

[Quarter five, ready.]

Here we go.

[We will now continue with the final race of the night.]

Ladies and gentlemen, continue, blah blah.

As he passed the 6th lane and headed to the 5th lane he was assigned to, the real ace of the US team, who was already there, opened his unusually taciturn mouth.

“Good luck, Thorn.”

“You too.”

Michael Marsh.

The athlete he would definitely meet in the 200m as well.

Jinhyuk’s lips curled up slightly.

Because he could clearly feel the tension of Marsh, who had to run against an opponent who was clearly stronger than him.

‘It’s an easy group.’

Perhaps it was because he had seen them so much and become familiar with them.

They were clearly world-class athletes, but at some point, they started to look ordinary.

[We will continue the race shortly-.]

Hey, hurry up!

Those short and slow guys are slow to enter too.