Translator: dapotaturs
Release Date: 10/09/2023
Chapter 229: 110-Meter Hurdles Final
"On your marks, get set."
After the starter's command echoed through the broadcast, in the span of a single breath, the gunshot from the starting pistol resounded throughout the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha.
The race had begun!
From the moment the race started, the spectators in Khalifa International Stadium erupted into cheers, igniting the atmosphere instantly.
In the blink of an eye, the nine figures on the track shot out like arrows. If one had not been completely focused on the race, they might have felt that in the mere act of turning their heads, the athletes had transitioned from their crouched starting positions to preparing to attack the first hurdle.
Fast!
This was the initial reaction of everyone to the speed of the athletes on the track.
"Good, Cui Luoheng had a good start today!"
With the athletes' reaction times displayed, Li Sen quickly noticed that Cui Luoheng's reaction time today was 0.149 seconds. While not the fastest reaction time he had ever achieved, it was a significant improvement compared to his 0.179 seconds in the semifinals!
Very good, Cui Luoheng's starting position looks good!
This was the first reaction of most viewers, including Li Sen. However, this was just the start. Comparing it to the semifinals, Lu Mengfan had a great start to the first hurdle in the semis, but the final result was less than stellar. In competitive sports, until the final moment, no one knows if there will be any unexpected changes in the process.
Hold steady!
It must be steady!
Maintain this state!
People clenched their fists nervously, watching the unpredictable developments on the track, waiting for the next second's change on the field.
In this final, McCleod from Jamaica, running in lane three, had the fastest reaction time at the start. He took only 0.122 seconds to react, displaying explosive power. From the moment the gun sounded, his leg muscles exploded with force, allowing him to quickly reach the front position within the first three steps of the start.
During the starting phase, McCleod temporarily took the lead!
Not only in the starting and acceleration phases but also until he reached the first hurdle, McCleod held the advantage in the front. Following closely behind were Fabregas and Cui Luoheng.
Russian star Vladimir, known as the Emperor of the 110m hurdles, did not seem to have a particularly smooth start in today's race. His reaction time of 0.155 seconds was average, not an outstanding performance for him.
However, Vladimir's slightly 'soft' start didn't seem to have a significant impact on him. Looking at Vladimir's personal data, his most advantageous stage is from the fifth hurdle to the seventh hurdle. During this phase, his maximum split speed reaches its peak.
Some have said that Vladimir from the fifth to the seventh hurdle is "invincible."
On the track, Cui Luoheng didn't overthink it. Compared to the semifinals, where he wasn't quite familiar with the state of completely letting go of his senses, he had adapted to this state before the final. On the track, he could feel every subtle change in his every step and movement.
Since the adjustment to the eight-to-seven technique during winter training, he felt that he had become very proficient with the new technique. However, both he and Su Bai had analyzed an issue. Due to the shift in his center of gravity after the technique change, his center of gravity moved forward, which had its benefits, making him more proactive overall. However, it also meant that the angle between his body and the hurdles would be smaller, making it easier for him to hit the hurdles during the clearance process.
Throughout this year's competitions and training, he did experience an increased frequency of hitting the hurdles compared to before, although fortunately, none of these incidents were particularly severe.
However, it was precisely because of this potential risk that the severe hurdling incident involving Aubrey two hours before the semifinals easily triggered fluctuations in his emotional state, directly leading to his psychological instability before the race.
While he successfully advanced to the final, the increased likelihood of hitting the hurdles after the technique change had been a constant burden on Cui Luoheng's mind.
In each previous race, Cui Luoheng was acutely aware that he carried an additional psychological burden during the clearance process of each hurdle.
Until now.
The expansion of his perception allowed him to feel more clearly the angle between himself and the hurdles. He instinctively sensed the angle between himself and the hurdles, the swinging leg's movement over the hurdle, and the body's "flight" over the hurdle after each action. The distance between his body and the hurdles in each motion was now crystal clear.
The issues that previously required careful management of his mindset and overcoming had now dissipated like scattered mist, no longer affecting him in any way.
Each hurdle in front of him, the straight track ahead, now lay before Cui Luoheng. All he needed to do was to move forward, fearlessly and relentlessly!
"Very good, Cui Luoheng's first three hurdles are very stable! Since the change from eight to seven, the problem of his relatively weak performance in the first half of the race has been significantly improved!"
In the sports channel's commentary booth, Shao Minyi was nervously watching the changes in speed among the athletes on the track.
At this moment on the track, the leading group of athletes had already reached the fourth hurdle. Although McCleod, who had an advantage in the starting stage, couldn't maintain that advantage. He had started aggressively in the starting stage, but for some reason, his fierce momentum suddenly waned at the fourth hurdle.
On the fourth lane, Fabregas, although not the fastest in the starting stage up to the fourth hurdle, was in a stable and progressively accelerating state. When McCleod's speed dropped at the fourth hurdle, Fabregas suddenly accelerated upon reaching the fourth hurdle, entering a peak speed phase!
At the same time, Vladimir on the sixth lane was gradually entering the stage where he had the most advantage!
On the track, a fierce competition was unfolding, led by Vladimir and Fabregas, with Cui Luoheng positioned between them, slightly behind by two body lengths. He was also making efforts to challenge the positions of these two ahead of him!
Cui Luoheng didn't know about the others, but he was aware that, just like in the semifinals, as he adapted more and more to his current state, he was getting increasingly excited. He was completely focused on the hurdles in front of him. His three-step rhythm between the hurdles was fast and smooth, and each hurdling action appeared powerful and filled with a sense of beauty.
Over the past year, under the guidance of Su Bai, he had undergone extensive leg strength training, which was crucial for seven-step hurdling as it required stronger leg muscles. Now, his powerful swinging leg, in addition to strength, exhibited perfect technique with his acute perception.
As his swinging leg passed over the hurdle and his body soared, his swinging leg could now quickly push down at the most appropriate time. His lead leg, at this moment, had already swiftly cleared the hurdle. As his swinging leg touched the ground with the forefoot, his strong and powerful ankle supported his body perfectly. This force also propelled his body further, and then the lead leg rapidly pulled over the hurdle to form the next stride between the hurdles!
Every rhythm in this process flowed naturally and smoothly, giving viewers an aesthetically pleasing sensation. Anyone watching Cui Luoheng's movements on the field could feel this beauty.
The beauty of strength and speed was captivating, but what kept their hearts racing even more was the astonishing change on the track!
Starting from the sixth hurdle, Cui Luoheng's visible excitement became more pronounced. His eyes were shining, as if they could penetrate people's hearts. Everyone could sense his excitement from his bright eyes.
In the sports channel's broadcast booth, Shao Minyi and Li Sen were repeatedly saying, "Stay calm! Stay calm!"
Athletes on the field needed excitement to ignite the passion within them, but they also needed to stay calm and control the overall situation in front of them.
You see, just in the recent hurdle variation process, McCleod tried to accelerate due to falling behind but ended up hitting consecutive hurdles in the process. McCleod, who had surged to first place in the starting phase, had now dropped to sixth place.
Everyone hoped that Cui Luoheng would achieve victory, and they didn't want to witness the tragedy of an overly excited Cui Luoheng stumbling due to excessive excitement.
From the fifth hurdle to the seventh hurdle, Vladimir, who had a mediocre start, showed his fiercest form. He suddenly broke free from the previous stalemate with Fabregas and charged ahead - the invincible Vladimir had emerged!
Shao Minyi and Li Sen were about to say something when their eyes seemed to witness an unbelievable scene.
Vladimir's speed reached its peak between the fifth and seventh hurdles, completely leaving Fabregas behind. Meanwhile, Cui Luoheng's state of excitement had also reached its zenith. While everyone's attention was still on Vladimir, he had already overtaken Fabregas!
Second place?!!
Cui Luoheng, who was only in fourth place in the first half of the race, had suddenly climbed to second place at this moment. Not only that, but he was not too far from Vladimir either?!
"Oh my god! Oh my god, oh my god!!!"
"Go, Ah Heng!!!!"
In the spectator seats, Qiu Wen was shouting loudly, waving a national flag in his hand, continuously cheering and shouting for Cui Luoheng.
On the track, Cui Luoheng's speed was indeed as people had hoped. He had almost caught up to Vladimir by the eighth hurdle!
Tied for first place!
Between the eighth and ninth hurdles, Cui Luoheng and Vladimir were neck and neck!
"Go!!! Cui Luoheng, keep going!!!"
In the sports channel commentary booth, Shao Minyi and Li Sen were going crazy. They had no more energy to say anything else, as the current race situation completely exceeded their expectations.
Cui Luoheng had said before the race that he aimed to sprint for a medal.
But what was happening now?
He was sprinting for the gold medal!!!
Could it happen?
Could this really happen?!
Cui Luoheng and Vladimir were both strong finishers in the second half of the race. Vladimir's final sprint speed in the later stages of the race was a nightmare for many 110m hurdle athletes.
Could Cui Luoheng break this nightmare and make a comeback in the final sprint stage?
Both of them had almost simultaneously cleared the tenth hurdle and were launching their final sprint towards the finish line!
Vladimir didn't expect that the young competitor who had sprinted alongside him during the heats would also be challenging him in the final for the gold medal.
However, in the heats, he had been willing to relax a bit in the final stages. But in this gold medal showdown...
It was impossible!
During the final sprint, Vladimir lowered his body, and the explosive power in his legs, along with the vigorous arm movement, propelled him to a perfect acceleration in the last stage!
Cui Luoheng was also accelerating, but his experience was clearly not as refined as Vladimir's.
In the final 3 meters, Vladimir successfully pulled ahead of Cui Luoheng.
Then, one after the other, they crossed the finish line.
Cui Luoheng, in the 110m hurdles event at the Doha World Championships, successfully secured the silver medal!
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Chapter 230: 110m Hurdles Final Result & Public Opinion
Until the moment Cui Luoheng crossed the finish line, some of the viewers in front of their television screens were still in a daze.
Meanwhile, others with quicker reactions had already jumped up in excitement, letting out delighted cheers.
"Silver medal!!! It's the silver medal!!!"
"Our Chinese athlete, Cui Luoheng, has won the silver medal in the 110m hurdles event at the Doha Athletics World Championships! This is the first silver medal won by a Chinese athlete in the 110m hurdles event at a world-class competition in nearly 10 years!"
"The final results of the athletes on the field are still under review and confirmation by the judging panel. To be honest, my heartbeat is still very intense right now. Cui Luoheng performed exceptionally well in today's competition, especially in the middle and later stages, showing a level we haven't seen from him before..."
At this moment, Shao Minyi was immersed in the excitement of the thrilling competition in the latter part of the 110m hurdles while commentating. Despite the intense emotions, he managed to maintain a hint of rationality.
During the commentary, he had a moment when he wanted to blurt out, "This race feels like a resurgence of the era of the Hurdles King." However, he restrained himself.
Over the years, Cui Luoheng had indeed been the Chinese athlete closest to the level of the Hurdles King of the past. Still, Shao Minyi knew in his heart that for Cui Luoheng to truly ascend to the throne of the Hurdles King, he needed a time below 13 seconds or a gold medal at the World Championships.
Only when Cui Luoheng achieved such results would he not be crushed by praises like "the return of the Hurdles King."
Shao Minyi was more contemplative, so he exercised some restraint while praising Cui Luoheng. However, for the viewers who had watched this race in the broadcast room of the sports channel, their compliments in the live chat were a direct reflection of their innermost feelings.
【Ahhhhhh! I'm screaming like crazy right now! Ah Heng, you're amazing, Ah Heng is incredible!!!】
【Am I not seeing things? I really, really didn't see it wrong, right? A silver medal at the World Championships!!!】
【Can someone tell me, during those last few hurdles, did Ah Heng actually manage a brief overtake? I feel like I saw Ah Heng overtaking Vladimir for a moment, even though he was quickly overtaken back...】
【Even though I knew the final would be intense, I never expected it to be this intense!】
【After the Hurdles King retired, I occasionally followed a few 110m hurdles races, but every time ended in disappointment. Tonight's race was the first time in years that I got so excited my heart raced...】
While waiting for the final results, the broadcast team at the venue began to show replays of the competition from various angles, capturing the athletes' showdown from these faithful on-site camera shots.
These images from the on-site camera lenses perfectly showcased McCleod's advantage at the start and how Vladimir and Cui Luoheng, who had a fairly standard start, surged ahead in the middle of the race, eventually leading the field.
In the live broadcast of the sports channel, they were also replaying these scenes. Facing the slow-motion footage of the race, Shao Minyi and Li Sen had now calmed down and were reviewing the exciting moments of the race along with the viewers.
"From the fifth hurdle to the seventh hurdle, it's always been called Vladimir's 'invincible moment.' From the recent race and the replays, we can see that during this stage, Vladimir indeed reached his fastest speed, with a noticeable improvement in his split times and speed compared to the first four hurdles."
"But Cui Luoheng didn't back down during this stage either. We can see that Ah Heng's actual explosive phase is slightly delayed compared to Vladimir. Starting from the sixth hurdle, his split times and overall rhythm suddenly changed. His rhythm explosion appears to be between the sixth and eighth hurdles, and it's not clear yet which hurdle had his fastest split time."
"In the recent race, most of the audience, including the camera lenses, focused on Vladimir. So, it's safe to say that when the footage suddenly switched to a panoramic view showing Cui Luoheng's position, both Li Sen and I, including the viewers, had a moment of shock."
"Yes, if we say the fifth to seventh hurdles are Vladimir's 'invincible moment,' then Cui Luoheng, who created a similar miracle in the same segment, we have every reason to believe that he will become the 'new nightmare' for athletes in the latter half of the 110m hurdles race."
As Shao Minyi and Li Sen discussed and watched the screen transitions, Shao Minyi's gaze froze when a particular frame appeared. He had just been about to express his excitement when the screen abruptly changed, replaced by the final results of the 110m hurdles final announced by the judging panel.
The impact of the previous screen and the excitement that had yet to be voiced got stuck in his throat. Shao Minyi took a deep breath, and Li Sen immediately took over the task of announcing the results of the competition.
Final Rankings of the 110m Hurdles at the Doha Athletics World Championships:
1st Place: Vladimir (Neutral Athlete), 12.99 seconds (wind speed 0.3m/s);
2nd Place: Cui Luoheng (China), 13.06 seconds (wind speed 0.3m/s) personal best (pb);
3rd Place: Fabregas (France), 13.16 seconds (wind speed 0.3m/s);
4th Place: ......
......
As the only athlete to break the 13-second barrier in the previous and current seasons, Vladimir delivered an outstanding performance tonight. Although his start wasn't at its peak, he once again dipped below the 13-second mark.
Meanwhile, Cui Luoheng, the Chinese athlete who first appeared on the international stage in the 2019 season and had been in constant contention with Vladimir during the last three hurdles, not only secured the silver medal in the 110m hurdles at the Athletics World Championships but also improved his personal best (pb) in this competition.
13.06 seconds!
In just two days and three races, Cui Luoheng managed to lower his pb from 13.17 seconds to 13.06 seconds.
A few minutes ago, when Cui Luoheng secured the silver medal, domestic audiences had already gone wild. When they saw the time of 13.06 seconds, the avid track and field enthusiasts on the Athletics Kingdom forum let out another chorus of ecstatic screams.
【13.06!!! The Golden Age is back!】
This title quickly rose to the top of the Athletics Kingdom forum, where die-hard 110m hurdles fans had been eagerly awaiting this day for a very long time. Their anticipation had been building for years.
At the same time, the internet was ablaze with excitement. In the stands at the Doha event, Chinese athletes and staff were ecstatic, screaming and hugging each other. Even the usually composed Jiang Wentao couldn't hide his excitement and was visibly trembling.
Back in China, as soon as Cui Luoheng crossed the finish line, the staff responsible for operating the national team and athletics center's Weibo accounts were editing and preparing the medal-winning post. They were ready to publish it as soon as the final results were confirmed.
But it wasn't just the national team and athletics center. Cui Luoheng's performance in the 110m hurdles had a profound impact on the hearts of many sports and even mainstream media outlets.
The 110m hurdles event, for Chinese audiences, held a significance that was entirely different from other track and field events. While sprinters like Fang Yu were breaking the 10-second barrier in the 100m, they were still chasing the world's top athletes and records step by step.
However, long before Fang Yu broke the 10-second barrier and even to this day, the 110m hurdles event was the only track and field discipline where Chinese athletes had consistently defeated top African runners on the global stage.
This success not only had sporting significance but also represented a deeper level of self-confidence, a belief that "we can be even stronger."
Today, Cui Luoheng's emergence reignited the hope for Chinese athletes to dominate the 110m hurdles once again. This legacy carried a profound significance because it engraved the belief "we can be even stronger" in the hearts of every Chinese individual.
The appearance of a new champion wasn't accidental; it was inevitable.
With this unique spirit, the hashtag #CuiLuoheng110mHurdlesSilver quickly climbed to the top of the trending topics. Clicking on the related hashtag revealed various media outlets' short news reports on Cui Luoheng's achievement tonight.
Athletics National Team Official Weibo: 【#DohaWorldChampionships# In the 110m hurdles final of the Doha Athletics World Championships, held on October 2nd, Beijing time, Chinese athlete Cui Luoheng won the silver medal with a time of 13.06 seconds. He became the second Chinese athlete to win a medal at a top-level international competition after the hurdles king. Cui Luoheng, who is only 21 years old this year, has a promising future ahead of him. We believe that in future competitions, he will continue to grow and achieve even more!】
Athletics Center Official Weibo: 【#CuiLuoheng110mHurdlesSilver# In the Doha Athletics World Championships, which ended on October 1st local time, China's young talent Cui Luoheng, only 21 years old, set a new personal best with a time of 13.06 seconds and won the silver medal in the 110m hurdles. This is undoubtedly the best result achieved by a Chinese athlete in the 110m hurdles in recent years. With his outstanding performance, Cui Luoheng delivered a perfect gift to his motherland on her birthday. We also believe that with his age and potential, he will achieve even greater results on his journey of growth in the future. Let's look forward to his future achievements together!】
That night, as Cui Luoheng stood on the podium, watching the national flag being raised, he touched the silver medal on his chest and thought—perhaps the next time, he might hear the national anthem playing live at the venue?
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