Dropouts

This is the last group of matches.

First place, Zheng Ai, 11.46 seconds

Second place, Zhou Xinwen, 11.50 (pb)

Third place, Quchi, 11.69 (pb)

Li Tianfei hugged her and said, "It's amazing! You passed the 11.70 second barrier just like that."

Her tone was full of admiration, and she was not dissatisfied with the fact that Qu Chi was younger than her.

Because in sports competition, strength is paramount.

When Qu Chi competed with her for the first time, he was still a child who could not outrun her.

Now, he is an excellent player whose best result surpasses hers.

Qu Chi stared at the results on the electronic screen in a daze.

Strictly speaking, she wasn't actually looking at the screen. She was recalling the scene from the previous game. She had heard in the past that some record-breaking players seemed to be assisted by God in their extraordinary performances. In the previous game, she seemed to have encountered such a metaphysical scene.

That wasn't an illusion, even though it probably lasted less than ten seconds.

But that was not an illusion. Her limbs seemed to be flowing with a technique and rhythm that she should not be familiar with, as if she had practiced it thousands of times in her dreams. The absolutely superb sprinting technique appeared in her.

Is that... a state that sports science can't explain? However, even in this state, there's no way to surpass Zhou Xinwen. Is that the reason she broke away from that state in the last ten meters?

Li Tianfei thought Qu Chi was looking at the results.

Because she is also an athlete, she understands how a competitor feels when he sees a genius and is surpassed by the genius.

She was still smiling, but her tone was filled with melancholy and envy that she could no longer conceal.

"Really, that's amazing."

Qu Chi turned his head slightly and saw tears glistening in her eyes.

In the sprint track, talent really determines everything.

Even though they train longer, they can only watch the genius shine with envy.

"Zhou Xinwen! Zhou Xinwen!"

In the audience, the audience who loved Zhou Xinwen were already shouting her name crazily. That result once again broke the national youth record. If they knew that Zhou Xinwen had achieved a result of 11.43 seconds in her usual training, they would probably be even more crazy.

"Oh my god! He ran under 11.50 seconds! Could he have broken the world junior record too?!"

"Haha, don't be so arrogant, it's still early for the world's first time, 11.00, still a full 0.5 seconds short!"

"We women's 100 meters have stood up!!"

On weekdays, the track and field event that attracts more attention is of course the men's 100 meters.

People are familiar with the record of men's 100 meters, but for women's 100 meters... hearing the results of 11 seconds, which are far away from the 10-second zone in our perception, the audience always lacks a bit of passion.

But now it's different! They have a genius that can attract the attention of the whole world!

A genius who can run under 11.50 seconds at the age of fourteen!

Let's put it this way, the grade standards announced last year:

12.33 is a national first-level athlete.

11.70 is a sports athlete.

11.33 is an international athlete!

Zhou Xinwen is almost reaching the threshold of becoming an international female player!

But she is only 14 years old this year...

Qu Chi was speechless, then he started laughing as he looked at the record that was close to the top.

Really, I’m so envious.

Li Tianfei was envious, and she was envious too.

When a genius like that appears in his project, who wouldn't wish that genius was himself?

Unfortunately, their talents determine their upper limit, and the birth of a genius is the end point for most people.

Qu Chi let out a light breath and stared at Zhou Xinwen waving to the audience, lost in thought for a long time.

Until Li Tianfei pulled her and said, "Let's go, it's time to leave."

They left the track side by side.

Then, Qu Chi heard her say, "Let's add each other's contact information later. I'm about to retire, and I don't know if we'll have the chance to see each other again in the future."

Qu Chi looked at her suddenly: "Retire?"

"Yeah, I'm in the adult category now, but I can't run any good results... My mentality is not good, and my condition has been declining. Instead of watching myself get nowhere, I might as well find something else to do while I'm still young."

Qu Chi felt like someone had placed a huge stone on his heart, and he didn't know what to say for a long time.

comfort?

Or a blessing?

Li Tianfei tilted her head, blinked, and held back her tears.

He forced a smile and said jokingly, "Don't look at me as an older athlete in the sprint event. In other industries, I'm still young!"

"...Really, are you going to retire?"

Qu Chi looked into Li Tianfei's eyes until he felt the pain in his own eyes, then he realized that he was crying too.

Why, why are you retiring?

They are so young, why can't they run faster than others? Why do they have to leave the competition?

The audience cheered.

In the exit passage, Li Tianfei hugged Qu Chi tightly and said her final goodbye.

"Xiao Quchi, you are my idol! You must, must run well, okay? I want to see you run farther, farther. I will go to see you, really..."

There was an uncontrollable cry in her voice. She was supposed to be the elder sister, but she was crying with tears in the arms of Qu Chi, who was younger than her.

She really couldn't bear to leave.

She retired because she failed. She did not defeat the track, and she also lost to time.

Qu Chi listened to the intermittent crying and looked up. It was a bright day, but she felt cold.

Qu Chi silently let Li Tianfei hold him, and his tears stopped after taking a few deep breaths.

At least, today is not her retirement day.

But Qu Chi still feels very tired, if not today, then someday in the future.

Like Li Tianfei, she will leave this track with reluctance, regret, and helplessness.

Li Tianfei controlled her emotions and wiped away her tears with great difficulty, but she felt a little embarrassed in front of Qu Chi.

"Oh, why did I make you cry? Don't worry, I'll be fine. There's more to this world than just running, right?"

Li Tianfei pretended to be strong and pulled Qu Chi off the stage.

There was another final to be held in Quchi later, so Li Tianfei seemed a little guilty.

She couldn't control her emotions just now, but it was not good that she caused Qu Chi to lose his composure.

Athletes need to be excited to perform well.

Qu Chi said goodbye to her and repeatedly emphasized that he would have a good rest and would not affect the competition before he gave up.

When she found the coach of the provincial team, she had already returned to her usual quiet and silent self.

I saw the coach and said hello.

Zhou Xinwen happily congratulated, "Sister Qu Chi! Congratulations on advancing! You ran so fast just now, I really felt like you almost caught up with me!"

Qu Chi raised the corner of his mouth: "Congratulations, you broke the PB again."

Zhou Xinwen smiled foolishly, showing her big teeth.

He Yuntong knocked her head and scolded her with a smile: "Alright, hurry up and rest. The finals will be in four hours. If you don't stay calm, I'll call your mother."

Zhou Xinwen shrugged: "You really love to complain."

After a giggle, she went to rest.

Qu Chi stood there for a while, and He Yuntong looked at her, obviously having something to say.

Seeing Zhou Xinwen walking away, she took the initiative to speak:

"Coach, what's up?"

He Yuntong said with satisfaction: "It was a very good run."

"Thank you, coach."

"Do you have any energy left? I saw you were really aggressive in the preliminaries."

Qu Chi paused for two seconds: "Not bad, I'm not tired now."

He Yuntong hesitated for a moment. "Really? That's great. Play well. Just play at your normal level in the finals. The team doesn't force you to run like crazy."

"coach."

She shouted, and He Yuntong stopped talking.

"Coach, I'll run as hard as I can, just for myself."

He Yuntong's expression was strange and complicated as he looked at the girl who was only three years older than his disciple but had a mentality that even mature players could hardly match.

He actually didn't have any other thoughts. He was shocked when he saw the previous match. He actually saw the aura of a famous general who looked vaguely familiar from Qu Chi's performance.

This is just a preliminary round.

Zhou Xinwen was able to easily break the PB because she has just entered the period of rising performance and there is still a long time in the future for her to continue breaking records.

In other words, Zhou Xinwen did not run desperately.

But given Qu Chi's condition, he kept wondering if he had used too much force.

As Qu Chi’s current training coach, he also has the obligation to care about the players’ physical and mental health.

But Qu Chi did not listen.

She did not feel tired. Although she did run 100 meters, in her mind, the first 90 meters were easy and comfortable. Although physical fatigue still came over her after the race, she was able to adjust quickly as she was mentally relaxed.

Besides, she felt that it was good to try her best. At that moment, she didn't have to think about anything and just had to run.

Even if she tried her best, she couldn't outrun Zhou Xinwen. She could accept the loss.

He Yuntong couldn't persuade her, and Qu Chi looked up at him calmly.

"Coach, can I go and rest now? I have a game soon."

He Yuntong was in a complicated mood: "Okay, go ahead."

He is a professional coach and knows that Qu Chi is stuck in a dead end, but this situation is a must for every athlete who encounters a genius.

What's more, Qu Chi was once known as a genius girl for several years, so it is normal that the current situation is even more difficult for her to accept.

Maybe after she returns, she should ask her previous training coach to help her with her psychological counseling.

*

In the audience, Qin Chengmo shouted "Qu Chi" and waved a banner, but unfortunately Qu Chi seemed to have left with the contestants she knew.

It doesn’t matter. There is another game later, and I don’t know if Qu Chi will notice him then.

Just now, everyone around here was cheering for Zhou Xinwen, drowning out his voice, making it difficult for Qu Chi to hear his cheering.

Let’s change the venue for the afternoon show.

Qin Chengmo watched Qu Chi leave, then turned back to look at the electronic screen as if he was about to disappear.

He quickly took out his cell phone and recorded Qu Chi's results.

I broke my PB.

Qu Chi is really an excellent athlete.

It should be very happy.

Qin Chengmo thought about it, with a smile in his eyes, and moved the photo into an exclusive album.