The Beast and the Cage on the Track

This work describes the male protagonist, Polish veteran hurdler Jakub, who had to change his eight-step hurdles to a seven-step hurdles to win the world championship at the age of 30. As a result, he faced the trouble of reintegrating his skills and injuries. The heroine Natalia has an astonishing talent and a thoughtful mind. She has known Yakub since she was 15 years old. At the age of 21, she joined Yakub's master and became Yakub's nominal junior sister and de facto apprentice. When she was about to marry into a wealthy family, an affair with Yakub broke out, making things confusing. When facing the media, Yakub had to defend himself against the unrealistic demands that people expect them to be like beasts on the sports field but require them to be like professors in reality. This work is more realistic than "Strong Wind Blowing Buddha" and is closer to the actual life of athletes and the various pressures they face. This work shows the hardships of young people growing up and the difficulties and confusion of middle-aged people through athletes' training, competition, growth, success, fame, and failure.