10 Seconds of Glory

by+Chen+Xiao+and+Xiao+Bian

August 23， 2015， was a big day for Chinese sprinter Su Bingtian， who made Asian track and field history at the finish line of the mens 100m at the 2015 International Association of Athletics Federations（IAAF） World Championships in Beijing， only two hours after he clocked 9.99 seconds in the mens 100m semi-finals. Back on May 31 of this year， he clocked another 9.99 at the 2015 IAAF Diamond League meet， becoming the first Asian athlete to run the 100m in less than 10 seconds.

A Talent Beyond

In Chariots of Fire， a British film that won Best Picture at the 54th Academy Awards， the coach inspires his protégé to run fearlessly because sprinting requires neural instincts born of ceaseless efforts， excavation， and confidence.

Physically， Su Bingtian is not par- ticularly gifted in height， placing him at a major disadvantage： He appears strong， but not strong enough to compete as a top-level sprinter in Asia.

Nevertheless， Su is gifted in other realms such as consistency， which has been evident since his childhood. From his own experience， American sprinter Carl Lewis believes his secret for success lies in “knowing how to relax.” He speeded up during the first 50 meters and then relaxed his muscles： “The more relaxed the better.”

Born in Zhongshan City， Guangdong Province， in 1989， Su Bingtian was first discovered by Yang Yongqiang， his middle school coach in Guzhen， Zhongshan. “I could easily spot nervous runners： They looked around， frequently used the toilet and had trouble of sleeping before competition…. Su was different，” recalls Coach Yang. “He was born calm， enabling extreme concentration during competition.” The unknown runners talent was proven at the citys sports meeting in 2006， when he finished the mens 100 meters in 11.3 seconds， only a single second behind the winner. Still， few recognized much potential in Su， and many coaches considered him too short. His hidden talent was yet to be discovered.

Rhythm

Su Bingtian is coached by Yuan Guoqiang， who shared many similarities to Su in his youth： Standing less than 1.7 meters tall， he still set the record in Chinas mens 100 meters and then broke it twice. “There are no barriers for the 100-meter event，”the coach explains. “Therefore， the greatest limitation is the physical condition of the sprinter， who does nothing but run straight forward.” Yuan works with Su on perfectly combining his pace and stride with his physical condition.

Of course， world-class sprinting is not just a game of muscle， strength， and technique—mental fortitude is decisive in determining rhythm. “Rhythm determines the distribution of strength，” Yuan illustrates. “The perfect rhythm utilizes 80 percent of ones strength， optimizing the time.”

Since 2013， Su Bingtian has been honing his rhythm. At first， he was plagued by his own shortcomings. “It was tough to give up his strengths such as getting off the mark，” his coach recalls. Su led much of the mens 100m semi-finals in the London Olympics in 2012 thanks to his quickness off the line but was overtaken after the first 30 meters.

“That race changed my attitude about sprinting，” Su grimaces. “I decided to change my rhythm， which previously started with full strength from the mark. Now I realize that my strength must be distributed properly throughout each stage.”

Su also thanks Randy Huntington， a legendary American coach of jumping events who was hired by Chinas track and field， for much of his success. After analyzing Sus performance， Huntington pointed out that he ran too fast at the start， which led to rhythm confusion at 50 to 60 meters. Later， he worked with Coach Yuan to adjust the position of Sus feet on the starting block， aiming to help him maintain maximum speed during the second half of the race.

Such a joint effort was proven successful at the IAAF Diamond League meet. “I knew I could make 10 seconds before the pistol，” Su recalls. His rhythm was stable“like a plane taking off and accelerating faster and faster.”

Beyond the Limits

Addressing his weaknesses， Su hesitates. “My age，” he mutters. “Im 26， and my prime wont last long no matter how good I get.”

Indeed， some of his teammates have already retired. In two years， he will reach age 28 – an intangible threshold like 10 seconds for Asias mens 100 meters. At that age， most sprinters see a severe drop in speed.

Su Bingtian has always taken good care of himself， working and resting regularly： He wakes at 7：00 a.m. and goes to bed at 11：00 p.m. and doesnt smoke or drink. He doesnt practice high-intensity training.

Even so， his fatigue still piles up. In 2009， the year he first set a record for domestic Chinese track， Su won a total of 11 gold medals. The intense and heavy competition severely strained his lumbar muscles， resulting in a slowdown after the Asian Games in 2014. He was even con- sidering retirement a few months before he finally clocked 9.99 seconds.

Su Bingtian still remembers words of wisdom from Yang Yongqiang， his first coach： “There are many sprinters in China， but only a few can compete with their international rivals. If you want to make it happen， look inside yourself.”

“Now Im still working on the first 30 meters followed by the intermediate run， which are both crucial parts of the process，” Su asserts. “I can still finish within 10 seconds if Im not injured.”