Chapter 208
"Where did these reporters come from? They are just making a fuss!"
Zheng Sheng couldn't help cursing while answering a call from the Domestic Field Management Center.
"It's okay. Xiao Zhan had a nightmare, but he's not in bad condition at all..."
On the phone, Zheng Sheng was trying hard to explain to the leaders of the Domestic Field Management Center that there was no problem with Zhan Youming. At the same time, he had already cursed the reporter who wrote this report a hundred times in his heart.
"I was just too excited about winning the medal last night. I couldn't adjust to the situation at the time. I was so excited that I had a lot of dreams. It's nothing."
After Zheng Sheng finished explaining everything to his country in the dormitory building, Zhan Youming, Su Yu, Zheng Tianxi and Feng Chuming had also finished packing.
It's already 9:20 in the morning, and it's time to set off for the Tokyo Olympic Stadium.
Zheng Sheng didn't expect that he had nothing to do early in the morning and hadn't had time to observe the specific situation of Zhan Youming, but he encountered such a thing.
But if you really think it's wrong, the root of the problem is that the sound insulation of this dormitory in Japan is too poor. Zhan Youming's voice was not very loud at that time, but Su Yu and Zhou Yuang who entered the room could hear it clearly outside the door.
:)
Although Zheng Sheng knew that the soundproofing of this Japanese dormitory was poor, he did not expect that its soundproofing was so amazing.
But it’s useless to say a thousand and ten thousand things, just report it if you want.
Zheng Sheng rubbed his head with a headache, and finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the six regular runners and substitutes of the men's 4*100m relay team ready to go. "Are you all ready? Let's go."
Because the men's 4*100m relay race was at 11:30am, they did not set out with the main group, but had the help of the logistics team to rent a separate vehicle.
A rented minibus just happened to pick up their men's relay team, Zheng Sheng, the translator of the sprint group and two other staff members. As for Sun Gaoshu, Liu Qinlong and Pei Dingshan, this morning was not the only men's 4*100m relay race, they also had other work to do, so they had already arrived at the scene when the first bus left in the morning.
At this moment, Zheng Sheng looked at Su Yu and the others in the car, and wanted to ask about everyone's condition, but after thinking about it, he felt that it was unnecessary to worry about the players' condition at this time.
So when they were in the car, Zheng Sheng did not discuss too much about the status of Su Yu and the other four players. Instead, he smiled and went over the list of opponents of the Chinese team with Su Yu and the others.
"You all know it, right? We will be the second group to go on stage in the preliminary round."
Zheng Sheng first said something that was almost nonsense. After hearing what Zheng Sheng said, everyone on the minibus laughed out loud. Zhan Youming even smiled and touched his chin, saying, "Well, you're right, coach, you're worthy of being a coach. This is really a good question."
This may not sound like anything at first, but if you think about it carefully, it is pure nonsense from beginning to end. You can tell right away that Zhan Youming is deliberately insulting Zheng Sheng.
Zheng Sheng glanced at Zhan Youming unhappily, not wanting to pay attention to him, but continued calmly: "Today, we are in the same group with seven teams: Canada, Italy, Germany, Ghana, the United States, Denmark and Turkey."
"You all know these teams. The United States and Canada are traditionally strong teams, but this year Italy has the 100m champion Federico Segli, so there is also the possibility of a sudden rise."
"In general, it is difficult to advance to the finals, but this year our team is unprecedentedly strong, so we have a good chance of advancing to the finals. What we need to focus on is the smoothness and stability of passing the baton, don't drop the baton, and try not to affect each other's speed during the passing process..."
Since it is not easy to care about the competitive status of each player, I might as well repeat the key points of the game again.
Although some people may think that these nagging contents will make people more irritable before the game, Zheng Sheng understands that these players of the national team are not the type who will get irritated by such things.
This was indeed the case. In the minibus, Su Yu and his companions listened to Zheng Sheng's chattering voice. There was no deliberate majesty in this voice that forced them to obey. Instead, there was the concern and reminder of a teacher.
On the way to the Tokyo Olympic Stadium, accompanied by such sounds, even the originally somewhat impetuous mood of the crowd was gradually calmed down.
Su Yu sat in the minibus, leaning back in his chair and looking at the people outside the window. He also found it a little magical.
Coach Zheng obviously has a completely different personality from his coach Pei Dingshan. He usually looks like an ordinary teacher, but before a major competition like the Olympics, he can also encourage the athletes in his own way.
Su Yu didn't think he was too nervous at first, but after listening to Coach Zheng introducing the competition information bit by bit, Su Yu suddenly realized that it was probably because this was his first team event representing the national team, so he was really a little nervous.
But after listening to such a gentle and nagging introduction, Su Yu gradually relaxed and began to have some new expectations for the 4*100m relay race that would be held later.
***
The athletes of the national 4*100m relay team listened to Zheng Sheng's chatter all the way, looking at the scenery outside the car window or closing their eyes to rest, and finally arrived at the competition venue of the Olympic Stadium at around 10:30 in the morning.
After getting off the car, Zhou Yuang and Gao Yansong, who came with the team to the scene, did not go to the backcourt locker room with them.
"We won't go to the locker room to make trouble. You guys should take a good rest and adjust your condition to prepare for the competition. Zhou Yuang and I will cheer for you together in our Chinese players' zone."
Zhou Yuang also waved in the direction of Su Yu at this moment: "Su Xiaoyu, as well as Captain Zheng, Brother Chu Ming, and Brother You Ming, this time we have to rely on you to work hard!"
As he spoke, he patted his chest and said, "Just wait, I, Zhou Yuang, will definitely be in the starting lineup for the next term!"
Gao Yansong glanced at Zhou Yuang beside him and covered his face speechlessly.
This idiot, who did you learn this EQ from - you must be in the next starting team, so who among the starting players on the field withdrew?
Even though everyone knows that Zheng Tianxi and Feng Chuming will officially retire in a year or two, you are still so proud of saying such heartbreaking words?
Fortunately, Zheng Tianxi and Feng Chuming were not the people who would think so much. They nodded to Gao Yansong and Zhou Yuang, then turned around and went to the backcourt locker room. Su Yu didn't think so much either. He waved to Gao Yansong and Zhou Yuang and left.
Only Zhan Youming and Zheng Sheng looked at Zhou Yuang silently. Zhan Youming pointed in Zhou Yuang's direction, then made a gesture of zipping up his mouth, and then walked away with a smile.
Zheng Sheng looked at Zhou Yuang twice, then sighed helplessly.
Probably most of these talented athletes have relatively straightforward thinking patterns, so they often speak without thinking.
It is precisely because of this that coaches like them often become overwhelmed by some of the comments made by the players.
Zheng Sheng got a general feel for Zhou Yuang's speaking style at this moment, and felt that he had to remind Coach Xiao Pei later - the two players under Coach Xiao Pei, whether it was Su Yu or Zhou Yuang, still needed to learn and practice their emotional intelligence.
***
Zhou Yuang's "self-boasting" was just an insignificant episode. After the relay team arrived at the backcourt lounge, they first changed into their competition uniforms in the locker room and confirmed today's competition guidelines with each other.
The competition policy was set by Zheng Tianxi, the captain of the national sprint team: "Go all out."
Zheng Tianxi spoke very simply and directly: "This is the best time for our team. I hope we can seize the opportunity."
There are only two groups in the preliminaries of the men's 4*100m sprint relay. The top three in each group will advance directly, and the top two of the remaining teams will advance as substitutes.
Since they are in a group that includes strong teams like the United States and Canada, and Italy also poses a potential threat, there is no need to hesitate - just go all out.
No matter how difficult these opponents are, no matter whether they can eventually make it to the finals, it is never a wrong approach to give it your all and fight seriously.
In the lounge, Zhan Youming, Feng Chuming and Su Yu had no objection to Zheng Tianxi's arrangement and nodded one after another.
But after seeing Su Yu, Zheng Tianxi still asked seriously: "Xiao Yu, you still have a 400m final tonight. Will the 4*100m relay sprint this morning have a big impact on your 400m final tonight?"
After hearing the question, Su Yu shook his head directly: "No problem."
Although he had run 7 times in the previous four days, after a day of rest yesterday, Su Yu could feel that his condition was pretty good. In fact, because there was no game yesterday, he was a little eager to try out the two games today.
What's more, although he has two races to run in the morning and evening today, the tight schedule of the past few days has made him fully adapted to this rhythm, so there is really no big problem.
Zheng Tianxi was not a talkative person. Seeing that Su Yu answered clearly and concisely, he didn't say anything more.
"Well, there are still about 20 minutes left before the warm-up and preparation time, so now everyone can rest."
After explaining all this, Zheng Tianxi simply sat on the bench, closed his eyes, and leaned against the wall to rest.
Feng Chuming didn't say much. He nodded to Zhan Youming and Su Yu, then closed his eyes and rested.
Perhaps Zhan Youming did not sleep well last night, so he quickly closed his eyes and adjusted his state by resting his eyes for a short time.
Finally, Su Yu was the only one left. He had had plenty of rest the day before, so he was eager to move. However, considering the need to keep pace with his teammates, he calmed down and closed his eyes for a while.
***
At this moment, on the domestic Internet, the inexplicable overseas report in the morning is the core topic of discussion among the spectators and track and field fans.
Of course, what the spectators and track and field fans are discussing is not "what to do if Zhan Youming's condition is not good", but "when will these foreign reporters learn something good?"
There's no way. Japanese journalists have learned from their mistakes, but these foreign journalists seem to have not learned this yet.
If we really want these foreign journalists to learn to 'stop being so noisy', we'll probably have to let them suffer a few more setbacks before they can learn that.
But no matter how big or sweet the melon is, for the melon-eaters, having such a melon to eat early in the morning can be considered a refreshing thing.
So after waking up, many people quickly turned the topic to another "key element" in this melon, the men's 4*100m sprint relay race which was to start at 11:30 Japan time.
[Friends, in this morning's relay race, our Chinese team should be able to advance to the next round, right? 】
It was obvious that the person who was speaking had just started paying attention to sprint events during the Olympics. Because the Chinese team had won outstanding results in these sprint events, he now had blind confidence in the Chinese men's 4*100m sprint relay team.
Soon some track and field fans came out and gave some answers.
[It’s hard to say whether it’s stable, but the chances should still be great. 】
[The Chinese team played in the second group of preliminaries. In this group, China's main opponents should be the United States and Canada. The 4*100m relay levels of these two teams are both in the top ten in the world. The best relay result in history of the US team is 37.10 seconds, and that of the Canadian team is 37.64 seconds, both of which are very strong.
As for the Chinese team, their level has improved greatly in the past two years and they have broken the 38-second mark many times, but compared with these two teams, there is still some distance between them. 】
On Weibo, even though the competition hasn't started yet, many track and field fans and onlookers have been chatting for a long time about the specific strength of the eight teams in the second group of preliminaries, including questions such as who were the famous players in the relay teams when the US and Canadian teams achieved their best results.
Perhaps because the discussion atmosphere was relatively relaxed at the moment, some onlookers poked their heads out and tentatively raised a question:
[Hey guys, I'm asking a stupid question, please be gentle if it's wrong!
That's it... Among the four players in our national team, the fastest one is Zheng's 9.83 seconds, followed by Su Yu's 9.93 seconds and Feng Chuming's 9.99 seconds. Zhan Youming's main event is 200 meters. I heard that he can also run 100 meters in less than 10 seconds, so let's say 9.99 seconds...
But the Chinese team's 4*100m relay record was 38 seconds... On average, each runner needs to run 9.50 seconds to break this record...
_(:зゝ∠)_Is there something wrong with this? 】
When this question came out, there was silence for a while under the topic on Weibo, and then someone came out and silently +1ed it.
[…dbq, I didn’t have the nerve to say this before, but I actually have the same question…]
[If you have any questions, +1]
【+1】
[I always thought this question was a bit stupid, but I really don’t know much about sprinting. My friend and I became interested after watching the Olympic Games. We knew that the 4*100m sprint relay race would be held today, so we followed the race together. As a result, we saw the results discussed by the experts. After we calculated them, we were completely confused. In addition, we are both new to track and field, so we struggled for a long time and still couldn’t figure it out before we dared to ask this question...]
The blogger who first posted the question probably finally breathed a sigh of relief after seeing a lot of people replying with +1, and explained the mental journey that led to this question.
At this moment, track and field fans on the Internet were also stunned when they first saw this question, but now they finally reacted.
Soon someone came out and replied: "It's okay. It's normal for people who have just started watching sprinting to have no idea about the relay rules and have such doubts.
That's right. In normal 100-meter sprint, what we calculate is the process of 'a single athlete, from the explosive start to acceleration, mid-run and sprinting across the line'. In summary, it is a process of 'starting, accelerating, mid-running and sprinting'.
In this process, the 'start' is actually a very time-consuming process, because the athlete needs to use his explosive power, strength and skills to quickly burst into a high-speed running process from a speed of 0.
However, in the 4*100m relay race, it seems that every athlete runs 100 meters, but in fact this is not the case.
First of all, we need to know that in the 4*100m relay race, only the first runner starts from the starting blocks, and the next three runners take the baton while running - and before the next three runners take the baton, they have already started in the relay area.
In this process, the athletes start early, which means they save the speed loss in the "starting" process. They can directly take over the baton at a faster speed and then complete their own leg of the race at their maximum speed. In this case, the last three athletes save the time of accelerating from zero, and their speed naturally reaches a level that they cannot achieve in individual events.
At the same time, this is why we say that 'in fact, each athlete's running process is not a fixed 100 meters'.
As for the relay zone, we assume that the track is divided into four equal 100-meter sections. At the center line of the first 100-meter section, go back 20 meters from the starting point and then extend 10 meters forward. The total length of the 30-meter distance in between is the 'relay zone'.
The baton taker starts and completes the baton pass in the relay zone, so depending on the arrangements of different teams, the distance that each baton taker needs to run in the relay race is also different.
For example, this time our first runner is Captain Zheng, who is good at bursting out in the early stage and can have a very good performance in the early stage, but he will not be physically fit in the later stage. In this case, if he and the second runner Feng Chuming cooperate well and complete the baton pass not far from the relay area, then theoretically Captain Zheng only needs to run the 80-90 meter segment.
At the same time, we all know that Yu Di had an excellent burst in the later stages, so the last segment of 100 meters plus the 20 meters forward, a total of 120 meters in the final leg, was enough for him to enter the outbreak stage, so that he could have a better performance in the final sprint. 】
Perhaps because they realized that it was inappropriate that no popular science had been conducted in this area before, so now that they suddenly remembered it, these track and field fans who gave popular science answers gave particularly detailed explanations, and they wanted to list out the longest and shortest distances that each runner could possibly run for these netizens to see.
After all, even if ordinary audiences watch the game, they rarely pay attention to these details.
Although the question raised by the audience is very basic, it is precisely because he thought about it that he had doubts.
Track and field fans are very welcoming to this type of audience, and as long as you continue to get to the bottom of it, it is difficult not to become a qualified track and field fan (crossed out).
So these track and field fans were full of enthusiasm and patience when answering questions, just like you and me standing in the fan Arctic Circle selling Amway (crossed out again).
The audience member who asked the question earlier did not expect that track and field fans would respond so enthusiastically with such a long content, but after reading it carefully, he did feel that the questions he had originally in his mind had been answered.
At the same time, I also think that these track and field fans are pretty nice.
After expressing his feelings, the blogger said again: [No wonder the American team can achieve such a terrible result of 37.10 seconds...]
[Yes, yes, and the Jamaican team, the world record of 36.84 seconds, this is really outrageous...]
After hearing the innocent remarks from the crowd, the track and field fans looked strange again.
Actually, although the US team is indeed very good, what is equally well-known as the performance of the US 4*100m relay team is the "baton dropping level" of the US team.
_(:зゝ∠)_
As a world-class team, the reason why the US team is so awesome is not mainly due to the team's collective strength, but the individual combat strength of the US team.
After all, taking this season as an example, the US team has 13 sprinters who can run the 100m in less than 10 seconds.
Among them, 6 people broke the 9.90 second mark, and 2 people broke the 9.80 second mark.
With such individual strength, if the US team cooperates well, it is entirely possible that they can challenge the men's 4*100m relay world record held by the Jamaican team. After all, the previous Japanese men's 4*100m relay team had at most one player, Ippei Suzuki, who was capable of breaking the ten-second mark for the 100m. However, the Japanese men's 4*100m sprint relay was able to run a result of 37.43 seconds at last season's World Championships.
It is clear from this that the relay event is not an event that can be handled by just one individual - the baton passing rhythm, baton passing technique, and the quality of coordination between athletes will greatly affect the final result.
Someone once commented that if the individual strength of the Chinese and Japanese players could reach the level of the American team, the world record for the men's 4*100m sprint relay might have been broken long ago.
However, the American men's 4*100m sprint relay team, which possesses such fantastic individual strength, often encounters various unexpected problems. In the preliminaries and finals of various competitions, there are always violations in passing the baton and the team's results are disqualified.
In short, the American team is a dream team with great individual players and rubbish as a team.
It’s not that the American team can’t achieve good results, but their probability of achieving good results is comparable to their probability of committing fouls.
But having said that, when it comes to predicting opponents in relay events, no one dares to ignore the existence of the American team - after all, you never know whether the American team you will meet in the next race will be a bear or a cow.
***
On the Internet, the audience was chatting happily, and in the Chinese team's backcourt lounge at the Tokyo Olympic Stadium, as the on-site staff knocked on the door to remind them to prepare for warm-up, the four people in the lounge opened their eyes at the same time.
After opening their eyes, the four of them looked at each other. Even Zheng Tianxi had a smile in their eyes - that's good, they have a good understanding.
For the runners of the relay team, whether you and your teammates can trust each other, whether you have enough tacit understanding in passing the baton, and whether you can believe that your teammates can always pass the baton to you accurately - these are all tests for the entire team.
The American team's daily fouls are certainly funny, but if your own team fails to do these things well, then it is hard to say who will be the laughing stock in the end.
In the lounge, Zheng Tianxi saw Su Yu, Zhan Youming, and Feng Chuming all open their eyes, and said with a smile: "Very good, let's go."
Their game is about to begin.
Of course, before that, Zheng Tianxi took the lead in extending his right hand to the middle of the four people.
Then, Feng Chuming understood what Zheng Tianxi meant at a glance, and he also put his hand on the back of Zheng Tianxi's right hand.
Next, it is Zhan Youming who is the third runner today, and then it is Su Yu who is the last runner of the 4*100m sprint relay!
Zheng Tianxi looked at the four folded hands, then at his teammates, and said seriously: "Chu Ming, Xiao Zhan, Xiao Yu, in this Olympics, before today, we have worked together to support each other until now. I believe that there is enough trust and tacit understanding between us. I also believe that we can continue to support and trust each other in the game later today."
"Next, we will represent the Chinese men's 4*100m sprint relay team on the world's highest arena and strive to win glory for our country and our team."
Zheng Tianxi looked at his teammates and said solemnly: "Wish us success!"
As he spoke, the three people around him also responded solemnly: "I wish us success!"
In an instant, the four people waved their hands vigorously at the same time, as if they had combined their respective information and beliefs together at this moment——
"come on!!"
***
Outside the locker room, Sun Gaoshu and the others had been waiting outside together so as not to disturb Zheng Tianxi and the others' pre-match rest.
At this moment, as the staff knocked on the door of the lounge, they also witnessed outside the door the members of the current strongest Chinese team, the 'Dream Men's 4*100m Sprint Relay Team', swearing to work hard together in the lounge.
Seeing this scene, Sun Gaoshu was stunned for a moment, then he smiled with slightly red eyes.
Next to Sun Gaoshu, Zheng Sheng, Liu Qinlong and Pei Dingshan were all standing outside.
After Zheng Tianxi and the others finished praying and cheering, and then left for the backcourt to warm up with their sports bags, Sun Gaoshu looked at their backs as they left, and said with emotion: "Guys, we have a very good team and a group of very good players."
On the side, Zheng Sheng recalled the scene he had just seen and smiled: "Yes, we have a group of very good players."
They are all a great bunch!
***
As the Chinese team arrived at the backcourt for warm-up and preparation, everyone could notice that the smell of gunpowder was becoming stronger.
Many teams have cast their attention and vigilant eyes on the Chinese team.
The reason is simple - this year's Chinese 4*100m sprint relay team is really too strong.
Among the four runners, at least three have the ability to break the ten-second mark. Zheng Tianxi, the first runner, and Zhan Youming, the third runner, are bronze medalists in the men's 100-meter sprint and 200-meter sprint events in this Olympics respectively!
The night before, the image of Zhan Youming, Bryce Singleton of the United States team, and DaMarcus Collins of Liberia crossing the finish line simultaneously was still engraved in many people’s minds.
It would be fine if the Chinese team only had these two strong bats, just like the Canadian team, their overall strength is also very strong, but in fact their team has two strong bats and two weak bats.
Needless to say, two of the strong competitors are Gavin Kovalchuk, a dual-event athlete who reached the finals in both the men's 100m and 200m events at the Tokyo Olympics, and Lukanus Branin, the champion of the men's 200m sprint, who ran an amazing time of 19.62 seconds last night.
It’s just that after the two strong batters, the performance of the other two batters was not ideal.
But despite this, their team has already achieved a good result of 38.03 seconds at the beginning of this season.
After that, until the start of the Olympics, their team members did not undergo any adjustments. After such a long period of running-in and training, many people believed that the Canadian team would be the favorite to win medals in this men's 4*100m sprint relay.
The Canadian team already has such strength even with two weak players, so what about the Chinese team?
In addition to the two bronze medalists Zhan Youming and Zheng Tianxi, even the weakest player of the Chinese team, Feng Chuming, almost made it to the finals in this Tokyo Olympics.
The semi-final result of 9.99 seconds is enough to prove Feng Chuming's strength.
What he called "weak" was only relative to the other three players in the Chinese team.
And as for the last runner of the Chinese team, Su Yu?
Oh damn, that goes without saying!
This 17-year-old boy from the Chinese team is a terrifying demon to young athletes all over the world. Even for adult athletes, only the truly top athletes can say that they can easily defeat an athlete who can run 9.93 seconds in the 100 meters, right?
What’s even more frightening is that this outrageous 17-year-old boy from the Chinese team is not only good at 100 meters, but all sprint events!
At this time in the warm-up venue, many people still clearly remembered Su Yu's "teleportation" acceleration ability in the latter part of the 200-meter race.
It was an almost miraculous display of late-game ability.
Now, such a talented player with top-notch late-game explosiveness appears as the fourth batter of the Chinese team...
Everyone present knew the rules of the relay zone, so the Chinese teenager who could run a total of 120 meters on the track...
It can be predicted that the last 40 meters of the race will be the area where his talent "teleportation" will explode!
When they thought of this possibility, many teams and players present looked unhappy.
——Damn Chinese team, they are too cunning!
——Why don’t you continue to use Zheng Tianxi as the last runner?
——After all...although Zheng Tianxi's early-stage burst is strong, his later-stage ability is really lackluster.
——Now, Zheng Tianxi doesn't need to worry about his explosive performance in the fourth leg. He can start and accelerate as fast as he can in the first leg, and then pass the baton to his second-leg teammate in the relay zone...
After confirming the Chinese team's lineup and batting order, everyone present had already imagined the power of this lineup - the outstanding individual strength of the players, coupled with their excellent cooperation with each other.
After all... the teams present were all impressed by the Chinese team's ability to cooperate with each other. Before, when the Chinese team did not have so many strong players, the Chinese men's 4*100m relay team also relied on excellent cooperation between teammates to create better results time and time again, and repeatedly entered the finals of major competitions such as the World Relay Championships.
And now, such a team with excellent coordination ability has strong players.
After looking at the Chinese team, many teams subconsciously shifted their attention to the American and Canadian teams.
Many people think that in today's men's 4*100m sprint relay preliminaries, the Chinese team may also be a strong contender for the first place in the group.
Not only other teams thought so, but even the players from the Canadian and American teams would occasionally glance at the Chinese players who were warming up on the field.
The smell of gunpowder became stronger and stronger in such an atmosphere.
As the smell of gunpowder gradually reached its climax, the on-site staff also came to the warm-up preparation venue and notified the players who were still on the field: "The warm-up time is over, get ready to go on stage."
Next——the competition is about to begin!
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