Translator: dapotaturs
Release Date: 09/04/2023
The recent jump by Ye Wenhao, from his run-up to his take-off point, didn't seem to have any significant issues. The overall rhythm, including the transition of power during the final two steps of his approach, was quite smooth.
If we were to pinpoint what caused him to brush against the bar in mid-air, it might have been a slight issue with his timing in the air. When his upper body had already cleared the bar, he didn't raise his hips in time during the flight phase, which led to inadequate extension during the arching motion, ultimately resulting in this jump's failure.
Ye Wenhao has a somewhat rugged style, and his overall high jumping rhythm tends to be more robust. In terms of technical details, he doesn't analyze them as thoroughly as Wang Shen. However, he dares to think and jump. When he maintains a relatively relaxed overall state, his clearance rate at heights above 2.25 meters is quite high.
Today's failure was somewhat unexpected for him, but it wasn't beyond his tolerance. After briefly considering the challenges he would face in the next attempts, he scratched his head and left the landing area.
Following Ye Wenhao's jump, Wang Shen entered the take-off area at the referee's signal. Not far away, Ye Wenhao, who had returned to the waiting area after going around the take-off area, waved to Wang Shen, offering him a gesture of encouragement.
In the commentator's booth, Shao Minyi and Li Sen had just explained to the audience the disadvantages of the first failed jump. When they saw Wang Shen standing in the take-off area, Shao Minyi redirected the conversation back to Wang Shen.
"Wang Shen and Ye Wenhao are the twin stars of our country's high jump. In the 2018 season, Ye Wenhao cleared a height of 2.29 meters, and Wang Shen has a personal best of 2.28 meters for the season. Both of them have world rankings within the top 30. With the potential of Ye Wenhao and Wang Shen, both of them have the ability to clear 2.30 meters at any time."
"Although Ye Wenhao temporarily failed in his first attempt at 2.24 meters, he still has a great chance to catch up. As long as Wang Shen succeeds in this jump, we can still maintain our advantage..."
As they spoke, the camera had returned to Wang Shen's direction.
Wang Shen was standing at the starting point, hands on his hips, looking towards the direction of the crossbar. 2.24 meters, originally not a height he needed to worry about. The timekeeper had already started counting down, but Wang Shen didn't appear to be in a hurry. After taking a deep breath, he began his approach.
His running speed wasn't as fast as Ye Wenhao's, but from the straight-line run to the curved approach, there was a distinct rhythm in his every step.
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, his left foot stepped on the takeoff board. The energy he had accumulated during his approach was converted into upward vertical force in this jump. His body soared, his guiding hand raised upwards, and his head's gaze had already crossed the shoulder line and was fixed on the crossbar behind...!
No problem!
At the moment his body left the ground, the horizontal and curved forces he had built up during the approach were transformed into upward thrust and rotational power in mid-air.
His body seemed to break free from the control of gravity at that moment, easily ascending to a height that had a comfortable margin. His entire motion seemed to momentarily stall in mid-air. As he reached the highest point of his ascent, his head and shoulders had already cleared the crossbar. Then, he forcefully lifted his hips, and his graceful body traced a perfect arc in mid-air before his shoulders touched down first.
On the landing mat, Wang Shen flipped back and stood up directly, looking up— the crossbar hadn't moved an inch.
Wang Shen's first attempt at 2.24 meters was a success!
"Oh, oh, oh! Wang Shen did it beautifully!"
In the live stream chat room, the viewers were excitedly shouting after witnessing Wang Shen's graceful clearance.
Although 2.24 meters was not an insurmountable height, for most of the audience, it was only when their country's team had the advantage that they could feel at ease.
After Ye Wenhao's first failed attempt, to maintain at least the same advantage as Abdullah, Wang Shen had to clear the bar on his first try as well.
Initially, when Shao Minyi introduced and expressed trust in Wang Shen during the commentary, it might have seemed like nothing. However, afterward, many track and field fans couldn't help but jump in, urging Shao Minyi not to jinx it.
The phrase "as long as Wang Shen clears this jump" sounded almost like "Wang Shen is going to fail."
Fortunately, Shao Minyi's flag did not jinx Wang Shen, and his jump went very smoothly.
Following Wang Shen, Cherubinfrom Bahrain also cleared the bar on his first attempt at 2.24 meters. After landing, Cherubin excitedly raised his fist—this successful clearance helped him recover from some of his earlier disadvantages and had some impact on the current situation on the field.
In the subsequent second and third attempts, Japan's Yamashita Tomoaki and Ye Wenhao both cleared the bar successfully on their second attempts. Except for these two, all the other athletes failed their challenges.
After all the attempts at 2.24 meters were completed, only Abdullah, Wang Shen, Cherubin, Ye Wenhao, and Yamashita Tomoaki remained in the competition.
Among these five athletes, only Abdullah and Wang Shen still had a 100% clearance rate.
The bar was raised to 2.26 meters after 2.24 meters. Yamashita Tomoaki, who was the first to attempt this height, failed once again. After landing, he returned to the waiting area with a serious expression, clearly displeased with his performance.
Abdullah, who had maintained a perfect clearance rate until now, made his first mistake at this height. He furrowed his brow after landing but then shrugged, showing confidence and a nonchalant attitude.
Following Abdullah, it was Ye Wenhao's turn to take his position at the starting point. Abdullah, who had maintained a 100% clearance rate, had just made a mistake, giving Ye Wenhao an excellent opportunity to catch up.
Ye Wenhao stood at the starting point, patted his chest, and psyching himself up.
The audience, especially those in the lucky spectator area closest to the high jump competition, clenched their fists as they noticed Ye Wenhao was about to jump, anxiously watching him.
In the vast stadium, only the high jump event was currently underway. In the almost complete silence, the remaining athletes on the field felt the pressure of the upcoming height challenge.
Thump, thump.
Although Ye Wenhao had a rough demeanor, it didn't mean he lacked pressure and expectations for victory. The unexpected mistake in his first jump at 2.24 meters had frustrated him. So, at this moment, attempting 2.26 meters, he did something unusual – he didn't rush into his run-up as he often did. Instead, he carefully observed the run-up area and the bar's position, ignoring the timer's countdown, and mentally planned his comfortable jumping path and the area around the bar.
When the timekeeper's countdown reached the last 30 seconds, Ye Wenhao opened his eyes, bounced in place twice, and then pushed off with his feet, starting his run-up!
"Ye Wenhao has started!"
Shao Minyi couldn't help but exclaim as she watched Ye Wenhao's movements.
In the live broadcast room, the audience was also focused on Ye Wenhao, watching him accelerate in his run-up. After completing eight strides at a lightning-fast pace, his left foot landed on the take-off board!
His left foot displayed tremendous explosive power, coupled with his high-speed run-up, giving him the upward thrust he needed. His right leg bent and extended downward, assisting him in harnessing this force to rise. With this upward force, his body effortlessly reached the required height, then he rotated, arched backward, and extended his body... successfully clearing the bar!
When Ye Wenhao landed and stood up, he grinned, showing his bright teeth, and raised his fists in celebration. With this jump, he had regained his advantage!
The audience in attendance clearly understood the significance of Ye Wenhao's smooth clearance. They generously applauded him, and the applause echoed through the stadium.
Unfortunately, after Ye Wenhao, Wang Shen failed to clear the bar on his first attempt.
As Wang Shen soared into the air but brought down the bar, a disappointed sigh could be heard from the spectators.
"Oh dear, how did this happen?"
In the spectator stands, Wang Lei watched Wang Shen's failed jump. He couldn't see any issues with Wang Shen's take-off angle or mid-air movements and couldn't understand why it resulted in the bar falling.
Li Mingzhuo also furrowed his brow. From his perspective, Wang Shen's movements seemed fine, and this failure looked like a jump that should have succeeded.
However, it was Wang Shen himself who, after landing and standing up, looked at the fallen bar, sighed, and smiled.
In this attempt, his movements after take-off were mostly up to his usual standards, but when his left foot landed on the take-off board, there was a sudden moment of pain. It was this momentary pain that prevented him from clearing the bar effectively.
In the spectator stands, Su Bai, who was sitting among the audience, also frowned upon seeing Wang Shen's failed jump.
In fact, Su Bai didn't recommend Wang Shen to participate in this exhibition match. During the two months of winter training prior to this event, Su Bai had included a phased adjustment plan for Wang Shen's jumping technique in his training program.
Wang Shen needed to make adjustments to his jumping technique throughout the entire winter training period, including changes to his jumping center of gravity and take-off angle, among other aspects.
During this phase, although his take-off had already undergone some adjustments and improvements, his overall jumping technique wasn't yet stable. Furthermore, during the winter training phase, Su Bai didn't implement any specific reduced training loads or performance adjustments for the athletes in preparation for this exhibition match. As a result, Wang Shen was in a relatively fatigued state.
Participating in a competition during this time could easily affect his performance and condition due to the still-unstable jumping technique, and there was even a risk of injury.
However, Wang Shen insisted on participating, and Su Bai considered that competing might help Wang Shen adjust his mindset. So, he reluctantly agreed.
But just now, it was clear that there was a slight deviation in Wang Shen's take-off angle, which affected his performance.
Wang Shen looked at the bar on the landing mat, smiled without saying a word, and calmly left the landing area.
With this, Wang Shen's previously held advantage had been completely erased.
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