The Autumn Sports Meet, 2025 of International Department, The Affiliated High School of SCNU (HFI) was organized on October 24-25 when the weather was autumn with the crisp breeze and the fragrance of the osmanthus in the atmosphere.

In the morning sunlight the clean red track shone, and the atmosphere was filled with the joyous music and applause as students came in the field bright- smiled and young. The youthful spirit was now completely awakened in the given moment.

The starting gun broke the quietness. In the 100-meter race of the boys they jumped at the start line like arrows which have been dashed out of the string and their steps were very strong, and the sweat gleamed in the sunshine. Wave after wave of cheers rolled over the field out of the stands. Flying past the 200-meter track of girls, there were rapid figures passing by, all the steps were full of a strong powerful determination.

The runners were in concentration at the starting line of the 3000-meter race. As the gun was fired, they started off steadily with their pace under control. At the beginning of the laps, the breathing of the leader was controlled as others closely followed. The rhythm started to disintegrate at the middle stage due to fatigue.

During the last two laps the applause of the audience increased and became more enthusiastic, the flags were waving and the voices were heard in the field. In the final lap all the competitors clenched their teeth and put in everything they had left. Once they had crossed the finishing line they leaned over to take breath and grinned fatigued smiles at each other - every one of them merited the clapping. At that, there was no better light than sweat and persistence.

At the high jump corner there was an increase of tension as the bar was raised higher. Senior Zhou Haohao student missed the first time as she tried to find the correct rhythm and takeoff angle. She did not hurry back, but simply walked to the coach to receive feedback and made minor changes to her technique and gesture with her arms.

In the second attempt she did it more steadily and touched the bar. She paused briefly, then took a deep breath, and tried to make the third attempt. Several strides, a leap, and she cleared the bar quite easily. The audience burst into cheers because she stood squarely on the mat, her worried face finally relaxing into a suppressed smile. Zhou Haohao was able to compose and focus to win first place after a few jumps.

In the long jump pit, sand was flying everywhere as students were getting their limits tested, over and over, and at the shot-put section, the heavy arc slicing through the air was a symbol of power and accuracy and on the relay track, four batons were being passed between teammates with a as-you-know-it precision - a symbol of trust and teamwork.

The sparkling soul of youth and exertion was in every start, every leap, every finish.

With the setting of the sun the athletic test was ended with cheers and laughter. There were those students with medals on the podium, and those who have not received the prizes but were nonetheless walking the field proudly.

The soil of youth was watered with sweat that day and perseverance worked on the spirit of HFI students. When one of the athletes was asked what he thought of running after the race, he said that he was not racing other people but myself.

Young people never give up and with each step into the future HFI student will continue to pursue wider horizons.

Text: Yelena Wu