When Su Bai and his companions returned to the Asian Games Village with an aftertaste of excitement, the official Weibo account of the National Track and Field Team had just posted the good news about the Asian Games 400m event on Weibo.
National Track and Field Team: [#Jakarta Asian Games Track and Field Moment# In the Asian Games men's 400m semi-finals which ended at 9pm Jakarta time tonight, our athletes Zhang Ziyi and Qiu Wen won the qualification for the Asian Games men's 400m finals with the first and second place in their respective semi-final groups! This is the first time in the history of my country's men's 400m sprint that two athletes have entered the Asian Games finals at the same time. It is also the first time that an athlete has entered the finals as the first in the semi-final group! Let us sincerely congratulate these two athletes who have made history for our country's 400m event, and also wish them well, hoping that they can create another miracle in the final! 】
This period is the peak period for Asian Games topics. Compared with the news of winning gold medals in other events, the good news of the men's 400-meter sprint seems to be just 'two athletes entered the finals at the same time'. It doesn't seem to be a big deal. Most passers-by just glanced at this news. But for those who really understand the event of track and field, such an achievement is a remarkable progress!
The domestic track and field community, especially some track and field teams, were all excited after seeing the national team's results. Among them, the members of the S Province Track and Field Team were so excited that they wanted to hang an exciting banner outside the track and field team's base immediately after watching the live broadcast of the game.
[Did you see it?] This is the first time that two members of the national track and field team have entered the final of the men's 400-meter sprint at the same time! One of the players is from our team! 】
[Did you see it?] The coach who brought such great results to the national team in the 400m event is also from our team! 】
He Yishen, Zhao Heping, and Li Peisheng, director of the S Province Track and Field Team, were watching the live broadcast with the smiles of satisfied old fathers.
They all watched Qiu Wen switch from the 100m and 200m events, and saw his unsatisfactory performance before the switch and then explode after the switch. The change in the gap in between was like witnessing the birth of a miracle with their own eyes.
On the Internet, after the official Weibo account of the national track and field team pushed the message, this news had originally been drowned out by other Asian Games-related information, but suddenly the number of readers of this message skyrocketed and attracted a lot of passers-by.
It turned out that the track and field fan who had previously been arguing with passers-by on Weibo directly bought a fan headline for this news, and no one knew what else he bought, but in short, compared to before, the discussion on Weibo became much more heated.
When you click on the Weibo page of the track and field fan whose Weibo name is [大圣跑得快], you can see that he has already retweeted a Weibo post released by the national team.
The Monkey King runs fast: [Zhang Shuai is awesome! ! Xiao Qiu is awesome! ! ! Without saying anything more, I went downstairs and ran a lap to calm down. This Asian Games 400m semi-final was the most exciting run I have ever seen our domestic athletes run in my life! I admit that the previous interview with Coach Su may not have been an exaggeration. Half of the goals given by Coach Su have now been achieved, and I am now looking forward to the other half! As long as the remaining half of the goal can be achieved... no, as long as our 4*400m relay team can make it into the top four in this competition, all the bets I made will be fulfilled one by one! Let’s buy some headlines and hot transfers for our national team today. No doubt about it, Zhang Shuai and Xiao Qiu, come on in the final tomorrow! Come on Chinese sprint! ! 】
As soon as this track and field fan’s content was published, many passers-by remembered the bet between passers-by and track and field fans that had been popular on Weibo not long ago. After looking back, everyone realized that - oh, both athletes of the Chinese team had entered the finals in the 400-meter sprint event, and this seemed to be the first time in history!
Passersby who had tasted the melon before all laughed out loud under the 'Great Sage''s' Weibo, and as well-known die-hard fans in the track and field circle, after 'Great Sage' posted the post, most of the track and field fans in the track and field circle also joined in the fun, wishing him a smooth video shooting, but he returned the favor with a series of angry expressions as if they were being hit on the head.
While the results of the 400-meter event were being discussed enthusiastically on the Internet or in China, Su Bai and others were already sitting in the small restaurant in their building in the Asian Games Village. This time, it was not only the 400-meter athletes of the track and field team and old acquaintances such as Wang Shen and Cui Luoheng, but also Jiang Wentao, Pei Jinan, and Wang Ting who came back on the same bus and did not have enough fun chatting on the way, so they all came to this small restaurant together.
The staff of the national team went out to help collect a lot of ingredients in the morning. At this moment, Zhang Ziyi, Qiu Wen, Pei Jinan and a dozen others were chatting in the restaurant, while Su Bai was busy in the kitchen of this small restaurant.
The ingredients in the kitchen were all purchased directly from the Asian Games logistics-related working group by the national team staff who received the purchasing needs at noon. There was no need to worry about the safety of the ingredients. After purchasing a part of them according to the list listed by Su Bai, some local specialty ingredients such as coconuts were also included.
At this time, it was already past 10 o'clock in the evening. Coaches like Pei Jinan didn't care. Considering the athletes' condition the next day, Su Bai only planned to make some simple, time-saving, easy-to-digest, and non-irritating food to fill everyone's stomachs and replenish their energy.
In the restaurant, Pei Jinan and a few others were chatting and they started talking about Su Bai who was still in the kitchen.
"Oh, we brought Coach Xiaobai, but we didn't expect that we also brought a team chef?" Jiang Wentao turned his head and glanced at Su Bai who was busy in the kitchen, his face full of smiles.
Hearing Jiang Wentao's words, Zhang Ziyi also laughed and added: "Maybe he is not only a chef accompanying the team, but also a chef for the state banquet accompanying the team."
"Wow! State Banquet Chef?" Jiang Wentao raised his eyebrows. "It seems like you think highly of Coach Su's cooking skills!"
Hearing this topic, Qiu Wen, who was originally a little depressed, immediately raised his head and chest and said: "Our Xiaobai is awesome at cooking!"
After Qiu Wen said this, several 400-meter athletes around him nodded one after another - during this period of training, it was because of Su Bai's cooking skills that they were unable to completely classify him as an angel or a devil.
You could say he is an angel, because after Su Bai joined the national team, his first move was truly unforgettable. You could say he is a devil, because he is always the one for midnight snack every night, and the taste is so delicious that people can’t stop eating.
Pei Jinan also smiled at the side: "You know what, Wu Shengping went to the S Province Track and Field Team for a few days before, and when he came back, he praised us, saying that the S Province Track and Field Team has a chef who is really amazing. It's not just his cooking skills, but even his vision for 400-meter runners is amazing."
Needless to say, the person Wu Shengping was talking about was naturally Su Bai.
"Haha, then we have to look forward to Coach Su's cooking skills!" Jiang Wentao also laughed when he heard this.
As we were chatting and laughing, more than ten minutes passed, and gradually, a faint aroma began to come from the direction of the kitchen of the small restaurant. It seemed to have the sweet smell of coconut and some other fresh aromas.
From the moment the aroma of food wafted from the kitchen, the conversation among the people in the restaurant became a little distracted. Qiu Wen, who had been a little listless, seemed to be gradually awakened by the food and regained his spirits.
When Zhang Ziyi saw Qiu Wen regain his spirits, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
In tonight's game, Qiu Wen not only won the qualification for the finals, but also broke the 46-second mark. The two good things of qualification and personal PB refresh happened at the same time, but Qiu Wen has been a little depressed. Zhang Ziyi originally thought that Qiu Wen was depressed that he could not take the first place in the group, but Qiu Wen's concern was not about this.
[Well, this is only my first year training for the 400m event. I should be very happy to have such a result. I just regret that I thought too much before the competition... Xiaobai told me before that I should not think too much and just focus on the competition. Just now in the semi-finals, after I stopped thinking about other things, I felt that my running condition was much better...]
[Alas, I just regret it. If only I hadn’t thought so much in the beginning…]
That's right...
Zhang Ziyi originally thought that Qiu Wen was upset because of his grades or ranking, so maybe he could comfort him. However, the reason Qiu Wen was upset at this moment was purely because he was competing with him, so it was difficult for him to get a word in.
Fortunately, Qiu Wen seems to have recovered now.
On the side, Wang Shen, who had nothing to do with Su Bai's project and was just a freeloader, noticed Zhang Ziyi's concern for Qiu Wen, so he smiled and moved closer to Zhang Ziyi, patted his shoulder, and said to him, "Don't worry about Qiu Wen. He was born in the Year of the Dog. If he has anything unhappy, he can just eat a meal made by Xiao Bai. If there is any problem that can't be solved by one meal, another meal will do the trick."
…
Although Zhang Ziyi felt that what Wang Shen said was a bit outrageous, when he saw Qiu Wen staring at the back kitchen of the restaurant, he felt deeply that what Wang Shen said was true.
While Zhang Ziyi was daydreaming, he saw Cui Luoheng out of the corner of his eye - this guy who followed him all the way to the cafeteria and didn't say anything along the way.
But, at this moment... seeing that he had a serious face, but his eyes were also glancing at the kitchen, Zhang Ziyi, as an ordinary human being, suddenly felt that there might be more than one guy born in the year of the dog in the track and field team.
…
Wait, these two people who were born in the Year of the Dog were brought by Su Bai from the S Province Track and Field Team, so maybe this is the characteristic of the members of the S Province Track and Field Team?
The aroma in the kitchen is not particularly strong and greasy. Perhaps it is because coconut is used in today's ingredients, so the air in the entire restaurant is covered with a faint coconut fragrance, occasionally mixed with a hint of lemon sourness, bringing a different kind of stimulation to this sweet fragrance.
When Su Bai started cooking in the kitchen, he chose simple and easy-to-prepare meals, so that when all the food came out of the pot it was not too late.
When the midnight snack he prepared himself was served on the table in the restaurant, everyone present could no longer wait and immediately picked up their own portion of the snack and started eating it.
This simple midnight snack consists of three dishes, namely sweet and sour lemon shrimps, coconut milk egg custard and a bowl of seafood noodles. The lemon shrimps are all cut open by Su Bai. The backs of the delicious fat shrimps are opened and spread out, and a layer of specially prepared sweet and sour sauce is poured on them, which looks bright in color. There is also sea salt dipping sauce next to the plate.
These shrimps are tender and fresh. When you bite into them, the meat is chewy and bouncy, with a hint of lemon scent. Combined with the sweet and sour sauce, it is very refreshing and appetizing.
Egg custard is a dish that Su Bai often makes. It is simple and nutritious and does not burden the stomach. It is perfect as a supplementary meal during the midnight snack time. The difference between this egg custard and the previous ones is the addition of coconut milk. The light aroma of coconut milk and the taste of eggs are perfectly blended. It has the sweetness of coconut milk and dilutes the slight fishy smell of eggs, making it more palatable.
Among the three meals, the only one with a larger portion is the last one, the seafood noodles. This seafood noodles is made with squid tentacles, fresh shrimps, clams, and green vegetables. The seafood noodles pursue the word "freshness". The refreshing soup base is matched with fresh ingredients that are cooked to perfection. Just take a sip of the hot soup, and the fresh taste of the soup will rush into your mouth at the same time.
There is a hint of white pepper in the soup. When you drink it with the slight peppery taste, you feel like it is early summer, when a layer of fine sweat breaks out all over your body after a vigorous exercise. It is so refreshing.
Take a sip of the hot and delicious seafood soup, then eat a bite of the chewy and springy round noodles, and eat the equally chewy squid tentacles in the soup bowl. The tender and smooth taste is so tempting that you can't stop eating.
A bowl of seafood noodles, a portion of sweet and sour lemon shrimp, and finally a serving of coconut milk egg custard. There are obviously not many ingredients, but the taste is indeed layered and different.
Among the people present, some like to eat noodles, occasionally with sweet and sour lemon shrimps, which are sometimes hot and sometimes refreshing, and finally have a mouthful of coconut milk egg custard. Some people like to pick up one dish and finish it, then change to another one to continue eating.
But no matter which way they ate it, they all enjoyed it very much and always felt like they wanted more at the end.
When Jiang Wentao first listened to the discussion of the track and field team, he thought that everyone was exaggerating. However, after eating the meal prepared by Su Bai, he finally understood - how could this be an exaggeration? It is true that only after you have tasted a meal yourself can you feel the charm of these foods.
Only after scraping the last spoonful of coconut milk and egg custard from the coconut shell did Jiang Wentao put down the spoon and look at Su Bai with emotion.
"Coach Xiao Su, your midnight snack is amazing!"
Pei Jinan and Wang Ting, who were sitting next to him, had just finished eating. After Wang Ting finished eating, he immediately thought of something and turned to look at his beloved disciple Zhang Ziyi.
"...Ziyi." Wang Ting looked at him and said, "What you meant just now is that Coach Xiao Su prepares these midnight snacks for you every night?"
Zhang Ziyi finished the last mouthful of soup in his bowl. When he heard Wang Ting's question, he was stunned for a moment, then nodded.
Wang Ting silently continued to look at his beloved disciple, with a subtle look of envy on his face.
Even Wang Shen, after finishing his meal, turned to look at Su Bai with a smile: "Xiaobai, why don't you see if I have any talent for sprinting? Why don't you take me in as your disciple?"
Wang Shen was obviously joking. As soon as he said this, Jiang Wentao next to him scolded him and said "nonsense".
After Qiu Wen finished the food in front of him, he looked at Su Bai eagerly: "Xiao Bai... I am mentally traumatized today. I think I need two midnight snacks to heal my traumatized heart!"
As he spoke, he raised his hand and made the number 2.
Seeing Qiu Wen acting so pitifully, Zhou Xu couldn't stand it anymore and said with a smile, "Xiao Qiu, you feel hurt that you advanced to the semi-finals as the second in your group. How is Mike Knight, who you surpassed, going to survive?"
In today's game, McNight's performance in the first half was already very good. His final semi-final result was 46.03 seconds. It can be said that if it were not for Qiu Wen's overtaking and Qiu Wen's performance exceeding his expectations, then as long as he maintained his initial state, McNight would definitely be able to break the 46-second mark of this season in tonight's game.
The result was that Qiu Wen's condition improved rapidly in the middle of the race, which caused McNight's condition to become unbalanced. Although his final result was good enough to enter the finals, he still failed to break the 46-second mark of this season, which was quite regrettable.
Qiu Wen's train of thought was particularly clear at this time. He seriously shifted the blame: "I was hurt because I was not in a good enough state at the beginning. It has nothing to do with others, so Mike Knight's problem should not be blamed on me!"
Zhang Chang also laughed when he heard this: "Eh? Xiao Qiu, that's not right. Why did I see someone staring at Roger after the semi-finals?"
Qiu Wen was still full of justice after hearing this: "Roger is an opponent I must defeat in the future! Wait until I remember what he looks like, and then I can identify him and defeat him!"
In the restaurant, because of the great victory in the 400m semi-final tonight, the atmosphere between everyone seemed very relaxed and harmonious. When Su Bai turned his head inadvertently, he saw Cui Luoheng's calm face. When he heard Qiu Wen's words of shifting the blame, his eyes seemed to move slightly, as if he was thinking about the meaning of this sentence, and it seemed that in just a flash, the look in Cui Luoheng's eyes became more determined.
That night, after having supper, everyone returned to their dormitories and prepared to have a good rest.
The staff of the Asian Games Village helped to clean up the kitchen waste, so Su Bai didn't have to go through too much trouble. He went to the coaches' dormitory floor with his fellow coaches Wang Ting, Pei Jinan and others.
On the way back to the dormitory, Pei Jinan's eyes were still filled with anticipation: "Coach Xiao Su, tomorrow night is the 400m final. Do you think that since both Zhang Ziyi and Qiu Wen have entered the finals, do we have a chance to win a medal in tomorrow's race?"
In the past, Pei Jinan would never have dared to think about winning an Asian Games medal in the 400-meter sprint. However, after Zhang Ziyi and Qiu Wen both ran under 46 seconds in the semi-finals, and especially after Zhang Ziyi broke his personal best and ran 45.52 seconds, even Pei Jinan could not help but start to see if he could touch the three medals he had longed for in this event.
When Su Bai heard this question, he fell into a brief silence.
He certainly knew how long Asia had been craving for a top-tier medal at the Asian Games in the 400-meter sprint, but one of the charms of competitive sports lies in its infinite possibilities.
After the three semi-finals in the evening, the final list has been officially determined. The ranking order according to the total score of the semi-finals is: Anans (Indonesia, 45.28 seconds), Roger (Qatar, 45.31 seconds), Zhang Ziyi (China, 45.52 seconds), Lakasa (Bahrain, 45.52 seconds), Qiu Wen (China, 45.90 seconds), Reginald (Indonesia, 45.96 seconds), McKnight (Bahrain, 46.03 seconds), Aso Yota (Japan, 46.05 seconds).
Judging from this ranking, Zhang Ziyi seems to have qualified to compete for medals, but the fact is, in this list, only Zhang Ziyi and Qiu Wen have pb noted behind their results, which means that other players have not run their best results, and their best results are likely to far exceed Zhang Ziyi's pb, just like Mike Knight, whose rhythm was unbalanced because of Qiu Wen in tonight's game.
After reviewing the list of finalists again, Su Bai finally frowned and said, "Stability. Tomorrow night's final will mainly depend on how stable the performance of each contestant is."
"It is foreseeable that the fact that two players from our team have made it to the finals is unprecedented and will certainly alert other players. They may even overestimate our strength, which will stimulate their competitive state and lead to better results than we expected."
Hearing Su Bai's words, Pei Jinan's face also became serious - among athletes, the stimulation and promotion of competitive state are relative. Zhang Ziyi and Qiu Wen will be excited about coming to the Asian Games and run better results than before. Other players will also be wary of Chinese players because of their performance.
Pei Jinan, Jiang Wentao and others who were originally excited about the result of tonight's semi-finals now frowned and calmed down their floating hearts.
Jiang Wentao made the final decision: "We have already exceeded our target for the 400m event. In this case, we should not put too much pressure on the runners tomorrow. As long as we go all out, demonstrate our sportsmanship, run in good shape and with style, then we will be great!"
With such a mood and an inevitable expectation in my heart, the night of this day passed quietly, and when the sun rises the next day, the men's 400m final of the Jakarta Asian Games will also start in the evening of that day!
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