Almighty Coach

“You promised Justin Alexander that you would become his coach?” Blake did not look at all happy. He looked more like a person who was in agony.

“Of course. A client approached me voluntarily, I can’t just reject the guy, right? Besides, Justin Alexander is an exceptional athlete. Now that Kittel has retired, among the current active athletes, only he can run within 9.80 seconds. With his talent, becoming the fastest man in the world among the current active athletes isn’t a difficult task. He will come and sign the contract tomorrow.” Dai Li looked at Blake and asked, “Why do you have this expression? You look a little unnatural.”

“I just never thought that Alexander would find you,” Blake said with an insincere tone.

Dai Li did not notice Blake’s tone and said directly, “I went to Holly’s shooting range and met him coincidentally.”

“What I mean to say is, how did an athlete of Alexander’s level find you? Have you ever thought about the fact that he is a world class sprinter? So he should be looking for a world class sprinting coach,” Blake said as if he was reminding Dai Li.

“I’m also a world class sprinting coach!” Dai Li said with confidence.

“I’m not questioning your ability. I know that your training ability in sprinting is not inferior to any other world class sprinting coach, but do other people know? Does Alexander know? He should have only just met you, right? And he already wants you to become his coach, don’t you think that it’s peculiar?” Blake said.

“Randy, do you have something you want to tell me? Do you feel that there is something wrong with Justin Alexander?” Dai Li looked at Blake like he understood something, but not really.

“Before you made a promise to Alexander, you should already know that he was suspended for using performance enhancing drugs, right?” Blake asked immediately.

Dai Li nodded. “I know. The news mentioned that he was found to have used performance enhancing drugs, so the Anti-Doping Committee of the International Olympic Committee suspended him for eight years, but because of his good behavior, being punctual and disciplined in submitting his medical report to the Anti-Doping Committee, a total of four years was deducted from his original sentence. So the total period of his suspension was shortened to four years.”

“Then you probably didn’t know that this was the second time he was tested to be using performance enhancing drugs, right?” Blake stated.

“The second time?” Dai Li’s brows instantly furrowed together. “From what I know, according to the rules of the Anti-Doping Committee, to be found using performance enhancing drugs a second time should mean a lifetime ban, but he was only suspended for eight years.”

“When Alexander was 20 years old, he was found to be using an amphetamine. This drug significantly stimulates the central nervous system. Because of that, the Anti-Doping Committee decided to give him a two-year suspension. However, he appealed the decision, stating that he used the drug to treat his ADHD, so he was exempted from punishment,” Blake said.

“Amphetamine is a kind of stimulant that provides mental stimulation. It’s a low-level stimulant, and even a test strip would be able to uncover it. No athlete should be using this kind of mental stimulant anymore nowadays, right? No matter how stupid Alexander is, he wouldn’t need to use something so rudimentary. Perhaps he really used it to treat his ADHD. Otherwise, there would be no way he would take this sort of low-level stimulant,” Dai Li justified for Alexander.

“But Alexander was already around 20 years old. He entered the University of Tennessee with a full scholarship. The University of Tennessee is a first-class national university. Do you think a full scholarship recipient of the University of Tennessee has ADHD? Besides, when Alexander was in university, he was the champion of the university sports association’s 100m sprint event for six consecutive years. If he really had ADHD, would he have been able to accumulate so many achievements?” Blake rebutted.

Dai Li couldn’t help but frown. He used to be the sprinting coach of a university, so he obviously knew it was improbable for people who had been admitted into universities to be diagnosed with ADHD, not to mention getting a full American scholarship.

ADHD is, in itself, a type of mental disorder. Its main characteristic is that the attention of the individual is disproportionate to the age and development of the individual. Children with ADHD are unable to focus their attention, their studies are terrible, and they are bad at doing most other things, including sports.

Dai Li did not deny the fact that geniuses exist everywhere. For example in school, there would always be a classmate who never studied but always did well in exams; in art, there would always be a student whose studies were terrible, but when it came to music and art, they were highly talented.

But it was different in sports. Although these so-called geniuses do exist in all kinds of sports, sports geniuses have no shortcuts. No matter how much of a genius an athlete was, he had to focus on training to achieve good results. Just look at the experience of famous world-class athletes; hard work and sweat are sure to be found every step of the way. No athlete would dare say that they don’t train regularly and succeeded just from their talents alone.

So to indicate that Alexander suffered from ADHD while being capable of becoming the champion of the university sports association’s 100m sprint event for six consecutive times was impossible. The track and field of the US was considered to be the best in the world, and universities in the US did not lack world-class athletes. To be able to retain the championship six years in a row meant that his level was amongst the top ten in the world. A person who suffered from ADHD wouldn’t have been able to focus on his training, let alone reach the level of the world’s top ten.

So for an athlete of Alexander’s standard, the excuse of using amphetamine to treat his ADHD was not a good one.

Dai Li remained silent as Blake who was in front of him continued, “You are also a professional, and you should know that the half-life of amphetamine is between two and 24 hours. The kind of test strip that you mentioned just now would have difficulty discovering the drug if the user ingested it within two hours. Besides, the technology from ten years ago wasn’t as advanced as it is now, and the races of a university sports association can only be considered to be amateur. Their urine test capability wasn’t really high. It was normal for them to not find anything. If they really couldn’t detect anything, then amphetamine was really an effective item.”

“What you mean to say is that Alexander had always been using amphetamine, but due to the limitations of the urine test in amateur races, he was never found out. That was until he entered international competitions, where he was met with more advanced urine test techniques. It was then that he was finally detected?” Dai Li asked.

“I have no evidence, but that is what I personally think happened.” Blake tilted his head and pondered for a while before continuing, “Four years ago, Alexander was again found out to be using performance enhancing drugs, this time he used THG. It shouldn’t be a stranger to you, right?”

Dai Li nodded. “THG, Tetrahydropregnenone, a type of synthetic steroids, it can also be called the ‘muscle gain drug.’ The molecular compound is actually the derivative of synthetic testosterone, a type of stimulant specifically prohibited by the International Olympic Committee. I heard that this thing has been used more than the Beta blockers.”

“Now you understand. At first, it was the low-level amphetamine. Later, it was the high-level THG. Justin Alexander has always been using performance enhancing drugs. That’s why I feel that you shouldn’t have promised him. If he were found out to be using performance enhancing drugs while training at our place, our reputation would be affected, and your personal reputation too. You should know that as a coach, reputation is vital,” Blake said.

“When Alexander comes to sign the contract tomorrow, we should add a disclaimer clause. And we should also additionally note that if he were to use performance enhancing drugs, we have the right to terminate the contract unilaterally,” Dai Li immediately said.

Blake shook his head. “You still haven’t understood what I mean. What I want to say is that this is trouble, and you don’t have to get involved in it.”

“Randy, I am biased against athletes who use performance enhancing drugs, but I feel that we should give Alexander a chance. He is a very talented athlete. He made mistakes before, and he has already been suspended for four years; he has received his fair share of punishment. As long as he is sincere in wanting to change, to never use performance enhancing drugs ever again, why shouldn’t we help him!” Dai Li said.

Dai Li was, of course, not suddenly filled with benevolence. He was just reluctant to let go of Alexander’s talent. As a coach, when met with a talented athlete, it was indeed tough to let them go and give up.

However, Blake responded, “You’ve misunderstood what I meant. I am not prejudiced against Alexander, I only feel that he is a problem. My question remains. Why did Alexander find you and not the other coaches? Alexander was, after all, a sprinter who was second only to Kittel. If it wasn’t for Kittel’s dominance, Alexander might have already won several dozen world championships. He is an athlete who is among the best of the best, and finding a top-class track and field coach shouldn’t be that hard, right? You know that Alexander has extreme talent, but do you think that the other top-class track and field coaches would deny Alexander’s talent?”

“Do you know the reason? Why didn’t he look for other coaches?” Dai Li asked.

“It’s not that he didn’t look! Alexander definitely went to other coaches, but he was rejected. They didn’t want to coach Alexander,” Blake said firmly.

“Why? Alexander has such talent, are those coaches willing to give up? You’ve been a boxing coach, you should know how it feels. When a coach sees an exceptionally talented athlete, he would never just let go,” Dai Li refuted.

“It’s because Justin Alexander was found to be doping. Twice.” Blake held out two fingers.

“Indeed, he’s used performance enhancing drugs as an athlete, and twice. His integrity should be questioned,” Dai Li answered.

“You’ve been to the US for a few years, but you still haven’t understood sports in America. It’s not about personal integrity.” Blake subconsciously looked out the door. He only spoke after he was certain no one was outside. “You should know the urine test rules of the Anti-Doping Committee, right?”

“I know. For example, in the sprints of the Olympic Games, any athlete who made it into the final is subject to a urine test. The collected samples are separated into bottle A and B. Sample A will be tested while sample B will be stored. The minimal time for the sample to be stored is eight years. During this period, the sample will be randomly picked to be tested. Athletes who did not make it into the final are subject to a randomized urine test. Apart from that, the International Olympic Committee also conducts spot check urine tests, and the Anti-Doping Committee will suddenly appear to have a spot check while athletes are training,” Dai Li answered.

“That’s right, but there is a hidden rule in the urine test of the Anti-Doping Committee. Any athlete who was previously found to be doping, as well as athletes who are suspected of doping, they pay special attention to. Take for an example the Olympic races that you mentioned; if Alexander didn’t make it into the final, but because he used to dope, it would be almost certain that he would be chosen to be tested. And then for the spot checks that you mentioned, the Anti-Doping Committee would come to the US, and nine times out of ten they would conduct a test on Alexander,” Blake explained.

“I understand. Those who have a criminal record are naturally to be focused upon. I do think that it’s fine since I don’t plan on giving my athletes any performance enhancing drugs. The Anti-Doping Committee can do whatever test they want!” Dai Li said without a bother.

“You won’t use it, but what about the others?” Blake then continued, “Can you guarantee that the other coaches aren’t giving their athletes any performance enhancing drugs?”

Upon hearing Blake’s words, Dai Li opened his mouth in shock. He had a very daring guess in his mind.

“You mean to say that those so-called top-class track and field coaches, the reason they are worried about the spot check urine test is that they are afraid that Alexander would bring them down since he would attract the attention of the Anti-Doping Committee?” Dai Li asked immediately.

“I can only say the same thing. I don’t have any direct proof. I can only hypothesize.” Blake lowered his voice and said, “Alexander already has the special attention of the Anti-Doping Committee, and it is a given the Anti-Doping Committee will conduct a spot check on him. When the officer from the Anti-Doping Committee arrives, wouldn’t it be a waste of time to only conduct the test on Alexander? Would he not also conduct the test on the other athletes on the way? If some coach had given his athlete performance enhancing drugs, then wouldn’t these ‘on the way’ checks get detected? From this perspective, wouldn’t this Alexander be a time bomb buried right next to you?”

“I understand what you mean. Alexander is definitely subject to a spot check urine tests, and the coaches who use performance enhancing drugs on their athletes are worried about being dragged into the tests, so they rejected Alexander. But there are so many outstanding track and field coaches in the US, Alexander should be able to find a coach who is willing to coach him, right? Unless everyone is using performance enhancing drugs, but how is that even possible?” Dai Li shook his head as he finished his sentence. He looked doubtful.

“What’s there to be impossible?” Blake laughed scornfully. “That’s why I said, you’ve been in America for a long time, but you still don’t understand sports in America.”

Dai Li initially thought that Blake was only joking, but after seeing Blake’s expression, he instantly realized that he was not kidding.

“Is what you said true?” Dai Li asked in disbelief.