Not nervous at all
The women's 400m World Championships results met the standards, causing quite a stir in the track and field circle.
The reason for this is that the 400-meter event was not very competitive in the past.
It’s like a student who has always been ranked last in the class suddenly participates in the National Mathematical Olympiad based on his own strength.
Another reason is that after knowing the qualifying results for this World Championships, track and field fans had no hope for the sprint entry list.
Previously, every time someone reached the standard in the men's 100 meters, it felt like a blessing from God. This time, there is finally another one.
The number of hot searches on Weibo slowly climbed to over 40, but athletics was not a topic that attracted many netizens, so after a few hours, it finally died down.
But after this time, most people in the track and field circle who follow sprinting vaguely remembered the name Qu Chi.
There are more than one billion people in China, and many of them practice sprinting. With such a base, there are "geniuses" every year, but the quality is another matter.
This time, this "genius" is so special. She is a rising star who emerged from a project that has been dormant for many years. She successfully won a place in the World Championships in one fell swoop, which seems to imply that she is a strong spark that will ignite the ashes.
At this moment, the media also seized the opportunity that this might become a hot topic and wanted to interview more.
To facilitate publicity, the national team selected some media to be interviewed. In addition to Qu Chi, other athletes who have qualified for the sprint events are also on the interview list.
Yan Feng, 26, who competes in the men's 100m event, successfully broke through 10 seconds last season and won a place in the competition.
In the women's 200m event, 25-year-old Sun Yimian also successfully qualified for this competition, running into 22.60 seconds. She is also the current big sister of the women's 200m. Her strength is almost the first by a large margin. The remaining new forces have not yet grown to the level that can be compared with her.
There are currently two women and one man in the interview room, but it is rare to have such an even distribution of one athlete in each event. For many years, the 100m and 200m events have been alternating between old and new athletes. Sometimes there are one or two fewer, sometimes one or two more, but a vaguely stable pattern has been formed.
But this year, there happened to be a person named Qu Chi who could bring the 400 meters to this level, even though he was almost wiped out in other events.
Because they had not met before, Qu Chi did not chat after greeting him. He sat on the right side and it was very quiet for a while.
She waited quietly for the interview to begin, while the others looked at her calmly.
At 18 years old, he is almost two Olympic cycles younger than the other two. He is a young but capable athlete.
They all recalled their grades when they were 18 years old.
There is no doubt that he is sprinting for youth competitions at home and abroad.
At that time, they were not able to shoulder the burden of a project, as they had seniors ahead of them.
This 18-year-old Qu Chi has supported the project at this age.
Not to mention the predecessors, even the younger generations may not have it.
Reporters took their seats, as did coaches and sprint spokespersons.
Although it was an interview with the contestants who had successfully reached the standards, the topic was a bit heavy at the beginning.
The spokesperson first reiterated the difficulty of qualifying for this World Championships.
The relay events failed, and both 100m relay teams failed to enter the world rankings, and obviously could not participate in the World Championships.
In the individual events, Yan Feng qualified for the men's 100m by luck. It was a breakthrough, and that was the result from last season. This year, Yan Feng has not been able to break the 10-second mark again.
The women's 100m and men's 200m were completely wiped out, and the women's 200m only just got one spot, which was not easy.
It can be said that before today, the national team had already thought about the scenario of blanking all sprint events.
Fortunately, Sun Yimian withstood the pressure, and Qu Chi emerged as a dark horse, bringing unprecedented good news and dispelling some of the gloom of failure in other projects.
The reporters' topic gradually shifted to Qu Chi. These media reporters who have been interviewing the national team for many years can be said to have seen Qu Chi for the first time and were very curious about her.
"Athlete Qu Chi, we understand that you were a 100m runner until October of last year. What prompted you to switch to the 400m?"
Qu Chi found this question easy to answer.
"It's a personal choice. I'm more suited to the 400 meters."
The reporters were obviously dissatisfied with this brief answer and asked anxiously:
"When you made the decision to switch to the 400m, did you expect to achieve the qualifying result for the World Championships today?"
"From the current perspective, the domestic 400m performance level is average. Do you have the confidence to lead China's 400m to a higher level?"
"You've achieved this result in less than a year since you started running the 400m. What do you want to say about the current state of the 400m in China?"
Because Qu Chi's answers were slow, many questions popped up one after another while she was thinking quietly, until a reporter slowly realized that no question seemed to have been answered, and then he gradually fell silent, waiting for Qu Chi's answer.
Many of these questions were simply digging holes for Qu Chi. Qu Chi was silent for a moment, then reiterated:
"Changing events is not a fantasy for athletes. I feel honored that my coach has discovered my talent in the 400m, and it is also an honor to qualify for the World Championships. The goal of an athlete is to challenge for better results, and I will work harder in the future.
"As for leading the Chinese 400m to a higher stage, it's too early for me to say that now. The development of an event is inseparable from all the people involved in it. It's not just one person leading the way. I will only do my best. Reaching a higher level of competition is every athlete's lifelong dream, and I am no exception.
"Finally, I want to say that no matter how many years of hardship we've experienced, everyone is working hard. As long as we don't give up, there will be hope. As long as there are still people who truly love the 400 meters and are truly committed to training, there will be light at the end of the tunnel for the 400 meters. In the past, present, and future, we are always moving forward."
After the interview, news from various sports media brought the results of this championship to a new level of popularity. Many track and field fans felt complicated when watching the three people who seemed to be deserted in the video.
Indeed, we have been making progress, but it can be seen from the standards of this year's World Championships that Chinese sprinting is still far behind the world level, and it is not easy to maintain the honor.
[At least there's hope. Qu Chi is only 18 years old this year. We can wait for her.]
At this moment, under guidance, many radical track and field fans have temporarily put aside their "dissatisfaction" with the status quo. At least they are still working hard.
If nothing else, I didn’t cough like the men’s football team…
After the game, Qu Chi’s next plan is to adjust his condition.
Qu Chi has now made history. Being able to compete in the World Championships is a great progress in the 400-meter event.
On the one hand, coaches like He Yang did not want to put more pressure on her. On the other hand, before important competitions, the top priority for athletes and coaching staff was to prevent accidents.
For example, if an athlete is injured and withdraws from the competition after obtaining the qualification, it will not only be a regret for all of them, but will also affect the athlete's long-term mentality.
Amidst the tense atmosphere of the coaching staff, Qu Chi remained calm.
Dong Zichun was preparing for the Asian Championships and looked much more nervous than her. Looking at Qu Chi's expression, Dong Zichun couldn't stand it.
"You, why are you less nervous than me?"
After finishing a bench press, Qu Chi took advantage of the break to calmly ask:
"Why are you so nervous?"
"It was like participating in several World Championships. How many World Championships can you participate in in your life?"
Dong Zichun grumbled. It wasn't that she really disliked Qu Chi, she just felt jealous. She knew that the Asian Championships was her last chance, and it could be said that it was an opportunity "given" to her by Qu Chi.
But in fact, the chance is very slim, and lack of strength is not enough.
In short, she felt very complicated when facing Qu Chi. If Qu Chi was really nervous, she would shut up and not say a word.
Qu Chi laughed silently, leaving Dong Zichun puzzled.
"You're still laughing? You don't have to be so positive. Phew, I'm really impressed by you guys. A competitive player is a competitive player. Who isn't?"
Qu Chi explained, "I'm laughing because... maybe there are five more in my life? Or six? Thinking about it makes me less nervous."
Dong Zichun calculated and was speechless.
"I hope you can still compete in the Olympics at the age of 31."
This girl is too young. She is only 18 years old and the World Championships are held every two years. If she can really do it, she should at least win five championships. If she can maintain such good results, the medical team will definitely take good care of her. It is not impossible for her not to retire at the age of 30.
"Thank you, and I wish you good health and longevity."
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