The 110-meter hurdles final was the most important race on the morning of August 5, so the start time was naturally scheduled at the end of the morning event.
After several competitions in the men's decathlon and women's heptathlon, the finals of the men's triple jump and men's shot put were also completed before the final of the 110-meter hurdles.
The Chinese team did not have any athletes participating in the men's shot put final, but in the men's triple jump event, the Chinese track and field team had an athlete who made it to the final. However, the athlete who made it to the final did not have the strength to dominate the event and could only be considered a world-class men's triple jump athlete.
In the men's triple jump final this morning, this athlete from the Chinese track and field team did not perform particularly well and ultimately only finished seventh in the final.
After the men's shot put final was decided, staff finally showed up at the stadium and set up the hurdles and track for the 110-meter hurdles.
"It is now 11:35 a.m. Tokyo time, 10:35 a.m. B city time. We can see that the staff have already set up the 110-meter hurdles track. Next, the most anticipated final of the morning's race is about to begin!"
In the live broadcast room of the sports channel, even though the game hadn't started yet, Shao Minyi's voice had already become excited.
After all, if the 110-meter hurdles is just an ordinary track event for foreign track and field fans and spectators, then for Chinese spectators, it can even be called the light of track and field enlightenment for many Chinese people.
Just like the track and field kingdom road stalls today, there are many track and field fans who got into the track and field game because of the hurdles heyday more than ten years ago. Even if they were not track and field fans who got into the game because of the hurdles heyday, in their hearts, China's 110-meter hurdles is definitely an event with a completely different meaning compared to other events.
It is precisely because of the 110-meter hurdles, it is precisely because of the former hurdles king, it is precisely because of the hurdles king who was once powerful enough to stand at the top of the world and stand shoulder to shoulder with those "hurdles gods" in the Age of Gods, that many track and field fans felt the thrilling feeling for the first time in this event.
Although everything seems to have returned to the starting point with the retirement of the hurdle king, the era of the hurdle king still left many traces on China's track and field events.
For example, in track and field events, when Chinese sports school students are judged to have basically the same talent in multiple events, they will be more willing to choose to study the 110-meter hurdles event.
For example, even now, if you randomly ask a passerby on the street to recall the superstars in track and field events, nine out of ten times it will still be the name of the hurdles king.
For example, when asked what events are included in the major event of track and field, in addition to the sprint events such as 100 meters and 200 meters, most people will first think of the 110-meter hurdles.
Even in various domestic sports schools and provincial track and field teams, the 110-meter hurdles are definitely the best resource allocation event. In domestic track and field research, the event with the most papers is still the 110-meter hurdles. What's more, because of the hurdles king, the Diamond League has permanently fixed the 110-meter hurdles event in the Diamond League races in China...
All these details, which people would not pay attention to at all, when really piled up, will make people marvel - the power of just one person has left such a profound impact in an industry.
It is precisely because of the existence of the former hurdles king that domestic track and field fans are always critical of latecomers, thinking that these latecomers are not as good as the hurdles king in this or that aspect.
Soon, track and field fans discovered that if they looked at these newcomers in the same way as they did the hurdle king back then, it would be impossible to find a qualified "successor to the hurdle king", and it would also bring unnecessary and excessive pressure to those "successors to the hurdle king", causing them to always have some bad performances in the competition.
Unfortunately, track and field fans later discovered that even if they no longer looked at these latecomers with a critical eye, it was difficult for these latecomers to produce results that were even slightly satisfactory.
From once being so glorious that it could occupy a place in the 'Age of the Gods' to later failing to dominate Asia, the gap in between made countless track and field fans even afraid to pay attention to the 110-meter hurdles event for a time, and they also did not want to see any related competitions in the 110-meter hurdles anymore.
It was not until that year that Lu Mengfan gradually started to make his mark in the 110-meter hurdles event.
Although there is still a huge gap between Lu Mengfan and the former hurdle king, his stable performance in Asian-level competitions has finally given domestic track and field fans new hope in the 110-meter hurdles.
Later, Su Bai led Cui Luoheng, who had disappointed the domestic audience twice, and forcibly increased his PB by a full second during the game...
China's 110-meter hurdles enthusiasts were suddenly awakened. Afterwards, Cui Luoheng's performance in one game after another gradually put the audience, who were still worried about whether he would be a flash in the pan, to rest assured.
From the Asian Games, Asian Championships to the World Championships, Diamond League... and now the Olympics!
The word "miracle" seems to be written all over Cui Luoheng.
In yesterday's 110m hurdles semi-finals, Cui Luoheng's PB was refreshed to 13.04! You know, he is only 22 years old this year, and the golden period of track and field events is still long for him. If nothing unexpected happens, the next Paris Olympics will be the peak period of Cui Luoheng's career when he is 26 years old.
22 years old, pb13.04.
Although this result is still not as good as the hurdles champion who broke the 13-second mark at the age of 21, for track and field fans, Cui Luoheng is now definitely the undisputed successor to the hurdles champion.
It seemed that a light called miracle had already gathered in his body, waiting for the moment when it would completely shine for the world.
And will that moment be today?
On August 5, 2020, at this ordinary yet extraordinary time, countless people in front of their televisions in China were waiting for the arrival of an unknown miracle.
The audience waiting in front of the TV had been holding their breath since the game even started. Many track and field fans even clenched their fists, with sweat on their palms.
"Today's battle... It's no exaggeration to say that this may be the battle that determines whether Cui Luoheng can truly ascend to the throne." Li Sen also nervously squeezed his hands, waiting for the game to begin.
In the audience, Jiang Wentao's face was also full of unrest. Not only him, but also many staff members of the national track and field team had a trace of anxiety on their faces to varying degrees.
The Olympic final of the 110m hurdles...
This was once the most watched event for the Chinese track and field team at the Olympics, but with the lack of talent in this event, the popularity of Chinese track and field events once again fell back to the bottom.
Now, watching the 110-meter hurdles event once again appear in the Olympic finals, even the staff who usually believe in science the most have a vague illusion that the fate of the 110-meter hurdles and track and field events are tied together.
What will happen?
What will be the outcome of today's game?
Amidst this anxious wait, the eight athletes in the 110-meter hurdles final finally took to the field under the watchful eyes of the audience.
In the semi-finals, the 110-meter hurdlers who eventually advanced to the finals were Cui Luoheng from China, Clough from Spain, Van der Berg from South Africa, Jagger from the United States, McVries from Cyprus, Tanui from Jamaica, Lepvorst from France, and Vladimir, the strongest player in the 110-meter hurdles who competed as a free neutral athlete.
With the appearance of these eight athletes, the already tense and anxious atmosphere instantly became even more tense. Under the guidance of the staff, these eight athletes came to the starting blocks, and then without saying a word, they began to adjust their status, or squatted down and began to adjust their starting block angles as soon as possible.
"All the athletes have come on stage!" Shao Minyi's voice clearly showed his tense mood. "After they have made their respective preparations, the competition will begin soon!"
After nervously saying this, Shao Minyi and Li Sen began to introduce the athletes on the field one by one. Especially when introducing Vladimir on the fifth track, Shao Minyi and Li Sen both seemed very cautious.
"In last year's World Championships, Cui Luoheng lost to Vladimir, a neutral athlete from Russia." Shao Min looked at Vladimir nervously: "Coincidentally, in last year's World Championships, Vladimir was in the sixth lane and Cui Luoheng was in the fifth lane. In today's Tokyo Olympic 110m hurdles final, Cui Luoheng and Vladimir swapped positions."
In today's race, Cui Luoheng was in the sixth track and Vladimir was in the fifth track.
After a pause, Shao Minyi said in a deep voice: "So... will their final rankings in this Olympic final be swapped with their rankings in the 110-meter hurdles final of last year's World Championships?"
Shao Minyi's statement was really a bit mysterious, and he himself knew that this statement could only be used as a "coincidence". However, he believed that in this nerve-wracking moment before the game, this "coincidence" could give the audience in front of the TV a sense of "luck".
——It’s just like Qiu Wen likes to donate money to himself before his own games for good luck.
In front of the TV, quite a few viewers were full of "superstitious thinking" and went to donate charity funds to Cui Luoheng. All of these charity funds were numbers starting with 12, which was enough to show what expectations these donating viewers had in their hearts.
The atmosphere on the scene was much more intense and passionate than watching it on TV. In the audience, the number of spectators waving the Chinese national flag was unprecedentedly large. If you judge simply by the naked eye, at this moment, the audience from China actually accounts for as much as one-tenth of the audience - you have to know that this is not China's home court, but a track and field final held in Tokyo, Japan.
In the reporter photography area of the stadium, a sports reporter from China also noticed the amazing scene in the audience seats. He immediately took out his wide-angle lens without saying a word and took a panoramic photo of the scene. In the camera's frame, the bright Chinese national flag was fluttering in the stadium, and every audience member from China was paying close attention to the scene at this moment. They waved the national flag in their hands, ready to cheer for Cui Luoheng's game at any time and anywhere, and also looked forward to cheering for his victory!
Jiang Wentao in the audience also noticed this, but after noticing this, his face looked a little ugly - for no other reason, he was worried that with so many Chinese audiences and so much attention, if Cui Luoheng didn't perform well in today's final...
That might bring some public pressure to Cui Luoheng that he shouldn't bear.
Su Bai was also standing in front of his position at this time, but he did not pay attention to everything else around him. He just looked at Cui Luoheng in the field calmly, without blinking.
Before Cui Luoheng went to the backcourt, he said to Su Bai: "Xiao Bai, can you keep an eye on me during today's game?"
Facing his stubborn gaze, Su Bai finally nodded affirmatively and said, "Okay."
On the field, Cui Luoheng seemed to have remembered the agreement before the game. After adjusting his starting blocks, he squatted on the starting blocks, raised his head and looked accurately at the position of Su Bai in the Chinese athlete area in the audience. Then, after making eye contact with Su Bai from a distance, he retracted his gaze and focused it in front of his own eyes again.
He raised his head and looked at the track ahead, then looked stubbornly at the end of the track in his heart. He said to himself - he wanted to win, he had to win...
In the end, the first person to reach the finish line must be him!
Just at this moment, the big screen at the scene cut to the camera in front of Cui Luoheng that was shooting at him. It was just for a moment. After seeing this shot, the audience in front of the TV had an illusion of being locked in danger. Cui Luoheng in the picture seemed to be an extremely dangerous beast, and his eyes were full of determination and persistence in victory.
Cui Luoheng's gaze...
Shao Minyi and Li Sen were startled by Cui Luoheng's gaze in the screen. Before they could recover and say anything, the broadcast announcing the start of the race came from the scene. During the broadcast, the contestants on the eight tracks squatted on their starting blocks, supported themselves with their hands, and prepared to fight hard at the start of the race.
The final of the 110-meter hurdles at the Tokyo Olympics is finally about to officially begin!
On the race track, in the live audience seats, in the commentator's live broadcast room, and in front of thousands of televisions, everything fell silent in an instant, and then it was so quiet that one could almost hear one's own pounding heartbeat.
Cui Luoheng, squatting in front of the starting blocks, completely let go of his keen senses that once frightened him in this sudden quiet moment. He even began to feel the breathing of McVries and Vladimir on his left and right sides.
The tense atmosphere in the entire arena seemed to condense into a heavy sound, howling in Cui Luoheng's ears like a wild wind, but now he is no longer afraid of these things that may have affected his game rhythm.
His firm obsession with speed and victory, his firm desire to become strong and stand shoulder to shoulder with Su Bai, all told him - everything around him was just unnecessary obstacles, believe in yourself, you will become the strongest on this track!
In this breath-holding tense atmosphere, the start signal officially sounded over the radio.
"Everyone, take your positions."
"preparation."
After these two sounds that were extremely familiar to all athletes, there was a crisp sound of the starting gun.
"Bang."
The game...begins! ! !
Almost in a flash, the eight athletes in front of the starting line had already stepped on the starting blocks with powerful explosive force, and then used this explosive force to send themselves onto the track in front of them!
Almost no one made any mistakes among the eight players at the start of this race. With their minds highly concentrated, all eight players burst out with powerful strength and excellent condition.
The cheers and shouts from the audience swept in like a mountain torrent the moment all the athletes started running. All the cheers seemed like a powerful force rushing from this circular stadium towards the final track of the 110-meter hurdles final!
“Come on!!!! Come on!!!”
"Come on Cui Luoheng!!! Come on China!!!"
The stadium was filled with cheers that were almost deafening. Everyone was trying their best to cheer for the audience, especially the audience from China. Their shouts almost turned this scene into China's home court!
On the field, all eight players had excellent starting bursts, but among them, Vladimir and Cui Luoheng were still the most outstanding.
Vladimir, who had only given relatively conservative performances in the preliminaries and semifinals, finally let out his fangs and revealed his fierce side in the final.
In the last World Championships, his starting condition was average, with a starting reaction time of only 0.155 seconds, but today was different. He was in completely peak condition today, and his starting reaction time of 0.128 seconds was almost the best in the whole field.
The only person who was faster than Vladimir was Cui Luoheng, but Cui Luoheng's starting reaction was only 0.001 second faster than Vladimir's - although the starting reaction of 0.127 seconds was the best in the whole field, Cui Luoheng's overall condition at the starting stage was still slightly inferior to Vladimir.
It can be clearly seen from the camera footage at the scene that from the starting stage to the first three hurdles, Vladimir was completely ahead of the other players, while Cui Luoheng was just barely maintaining the second place, and even lost to Tanui of Jamaica when attacking the second hurdle.
Just this slight lag in the opening phase made the audience at the scene and in front of the TV break out in cold sweats.
"Come on!!! Come on Cui Luoheng!!!"
Countless people were cheering loudly in front of the TV, and in the live broadcast room of the sports channel, the voices of Shao Minyi and Li Sen were equally nervous and full of strong anticipation.
As if in response to this expectation, starting from the fourth hurdle, Cui Luoheng's speed between hurdles suddenly accelerated visibly. This speed increase was almost outrageous to the point of being frightening. However, when the audience saw Cui Luoheng's speed increase, a possibility that came to their minds was so great that they couldn't help but want to scream.
Speed up!
Cui Luoheng's speed increased!
He was originally in the top three, so where can he be now after he accelerates?
Is it possible?
The direction they had imagined countless times before the game, the direction that Cui Luoheng had always firmly pointed his sword towards... can they really reach it?
On the track, Vladimir originally thought that there would be no surprises in today's final - in last year's World Championships, he had seen how strong the Chinese athlete on his right was, and he understood deeply that if he did not go all out in the best condition in this Olympic game, he would most likely fail in this Olympic arena.
Just to be able to fully focus on the Chinese player in the final, he ran very cautiously and restrainedly in the preliminaries and semifinals, wanting to save his best form for the final.
This young Chinese player was good in everything. The only thing he did wrong was that he wasted too much energy and condition in the preliminaries and semifinals.
Vladimir originally thought that the excessive arrogance of this young man would eventually lead to the failure of this Chinese player - he believed that this Chinese player was able to compete with him in his prime, but he did not think that after running 13.16 and 13.04 in two consecutive games, this Chinese player would still be able to compete with him in the final on the third day!
…
Originally, Vladimir thought so, and even after the start of the race, he still maintained this confidence during the first three hurdles.
However, starting from the fourth hurdle, Vladimir clearly felt that the Chinese athlete had become faster!
How is that possible? !
Vladimir was originally known as the absolute king between the fifth and seventh hurdle families. At this stage, his hurdle-splitting speed was unmatched.
But now, the competition has reached the fifth hurdle, and the athlete from China is still getting faster and faster!
Yes...
Vladimir remembered that this Chinese athlete's fastest split speed occurred in the eighth hurdle, and he was definitely a second-half athlete.
But……
It’s only the seventh hurdle!
This should be his absolute territory, right? !
But Vladimir could feel that the Chinese player on his right was already side by side with him! ! !
How is that possible? !
How is this possible? ! ! !
In front of the TV, the audience who were so nervous that they stopped breathing when they saw Cui Luoheng falling behind in the first half, the moment they saw Cui Luoheng side by side with Vladimir at the seventh hurdle, all of them started to feel their scalps tingling and screaming! ! !
Cui Luoheng! ! !
Come on, Cui Luoheng! ! !
He rushed up! ! !
He is already on par with Vladimir, who is known as the invincible among the fifth to seventh column families! ! !
Now that he is on par with Vladimir, the next step is...
What about the eighth hurdle? !
As everyone was watching nervously and Vladimir was staring in disbelief, at the eighth hurdle, Vladimir managed to control his speed so as not to drop. However, on his right, Cui Luoheng from China had already rushed to an even faster speed!
"Overtake!!! Cui Luoheng has overtaken Vladimir!!!"
Shao Minyi's voice was completely torn and broken. That kind of uncontrollable excitement was obviously not pleasant to the ear, but it made every audience in front of the TV excited to the point of going crazy!
The eighth hurdle!
The ninth hurdle!
The last hurdle! ! ! !
After Cui Luoheng overtook Vladimir at the eighth hurdle, Vladimir tried to speed up and overtake at the eighth hurdle, but he made a mistake in his movements due to excessive anxiety and the decline in physical strength and accidentally hit the hurdle. This hit made his speed stagnate, and it was also this hit that completely made Vladimir lose his original speed advantage.
At this moment, Cui Luoheng has completely established his ultimate advantage!
"The last hurdle!!! Sprint stage!!!"
When Cui Luoheng rushed over the last hurdle, the audience at the scene had gone completely crazy, and the audience in front of the TV had already started screaming!
The last 10 meters, 5 meters! ! !
In the sprint stage, Vladimir still did not give up the desire to surpass Cui Luoheng, but finally... until the last moment, the first person to cross the finish line was still from China - Cui Luoheng!
“We won!!!!”
"Champion!!!! Champion of the 110-meter hurdles!!!"
"The champion of the 110-meter hurdles is from China - Cui Luoheng!!!"
“We won!!!”
The moment this voice sounded, countless people at the scene and in front of the TV had tears in their eyes.
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