Translator: dapotaturs
Release Date: 10/16/2023
Thank you for 10,000 reads and supporting this edited MTL/AI translation!!! ♥♥♥
Chapter 275: The World's Amazement & Breakfast of Love?
There has been a consensus in the world of athletics that the sprinting prowess in Asia, including China, is generally weaker compared to other regions, with only a few strong athletes, most of whom are naturalized players brought in from outside.
Among these, there are a few stubborn countries in Asia, such as China and Japan, that prefer to cultivate local Asian athletes rather than spend money to bring in naturalized players.
Speaking of China and Japan, in recent years, while Japan has persisted in cultivating its local athletes, it has also seen the emergence of several biracial athletes in track and field, leading to subtle changes in Japan's attitude towards athlete development.
Only China persists in focusing on cultivating its own sprinters despite the acknowledged weakness of Asian athletes in the sprinting events.
Looking back at the history of Chinese athletics, the names truly etched in the memory of the world are the former Chinese hurdle kings.
As for the sprinting events, from the perspective of foreign spectators, at most they remember, "Oh, someone from Asia finally broke the ten-second barrier in the 100 meters."
Although domestic athletics enthusiasts have been paying close attention to every bit of progress made by their country's athletes in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 400 meters sprinting events, for many foreign viewers...
Chinese sprinters?
Will they even qualify for this Olympics?
Until this moment, the sprinting finals at the Olympics, once considered a forbidden zone for East Asians, were not only broken in the 100 meters sprint but also won a bronze medal by the Chinese athlete in the 100 meters sprint event.
Then, in the 200 meters and 400 meters sprint events, the forbidden zone of the finals was also broken through by Chinese athletes in quick succession!
This was truly a result shocking enough to drop people's jaws!
Since when have Chinese athletes become this strong?
It's worth noting that even in other European countries, with a large number of white athletes who, theoretically, have more talent than East Asian athletes, they cannot guarantee that their own white athletes will all make it to the finals in the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 400 meters sprint events.
In fact, at this year's Tokyo Olympics, out of the white athletes who made it to the finals in these three sprint events, there were only three. The rest, apart from China's athletes Fang Yu, Wu Yi, and Qiu Wen, were all black or mixed-race athletes.
While the celebrations were once again in full swing in China due to Wu Yi's victory, in countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, the athletics commentators in the Olympic broadcasts were exclaiming "the wolf is coming."
"This incredible oriental country! Just four years ago at the Rio Olympics, the Chinese athletes in these three events didn't even have the ability to make it to the Olympic semifinals! Oh, not only that, four years ago, the Chinese team couldn't even qualify for the Olympics in the 200 meters and 400 meters sprint events!"
The expressions and tones of these commentators were particularly exaggerated, with each person marveling at the "miracle" from the East in this year's lively Olympics.
"It's unimaginable how China has changed in these four years in these events! But I think the 'wolf' has indeed come. In a time we didn't know about, Chinese athletes have sharpened their fangs. The rise of these athletes reminds me of the 'Asian hurdle king' from China. Will we see the emergence of such strong contenders again among these athletes?"
Wu Yi's performance in this semifinal can be said to have easily raised the national record he had previously set in the preliminaries.
At this moment, athletics fans in China were already looking utterly confused.
On the athletics forum, someone posted again.
Title: 【Feeling a Bit Dazed, Can Someone Pinch Me? Is the World Crazy or Am I Crazy?】
Content: 【Up to now in this year's Tokyo Olympics, Fang Yu with 9.88 seconds, breaking the Asian 100 meters record; Wu Yi with 20.03 seconds, significantly breaking the Chinese 200 meters sprint record; Zhang Ziyi and Qiu Wen with 44.59 seconds and 44.57 seconds respectively, significantly breaking the 400 meters sprint record...
Ah ah ah, quickly, can someone please pinch me? Is the world crazy or am I crazy?
9.88 seconds!!!
20.03 seconds!!!
44.57 seconds!!!
As a veteran athletics fan for 17 years, I have dreamt countless times before this year's Tokyo Olympics, but I never dared to go as crazy as this. To have the 100 meters, 200 meters, and 400 meters all make it to the Olympic finals simultaneously! And to break records at the same time, breaking the physical limits of East Asian athletes...
This is truly a beautifully unimaginable dream. I don't know what to say. Thank you to the Chinese athletics team, thank you to the Chinese athletes, thank you to the coaches of the athletics team, and thank you to all the generations of athletics enthusiasts. Let us witness such an incredible miracle today!!】
The original poster of this thread repeatedly praised the achievements of Fang Yu, Wu Yi, Zhang Ziyi, and Qiu Wen, among others. By the end, anyone could tell from his excitement and incoherent language that he was deeply moved. However, anyone who has an emotional attachment to athletics could easily understand this sentiment.
Or rather, any Chinese audience could understand this sentiment.
3rd commenter:【No need to say more, Xiao Yu is awesome, Wu Yi is awesome, Zhang Shuai is awesome, and Er Ha is also awesome!!!!】
6th commenter: 【Awesome + 10,000, that's right, there are thousands of words in my heart, but I lack the education to express them, so all I can say is f*ck the world...】
10th commenter: 【Hahaha, I'm not saying anything else, but why is Xiao Qiu referred to as Er Ha while Xiao Yu, Wu Yi, and Zhang Shuai are all called so righteously?】
22nd commenter: 【Oh my, what's wrong with being Er Ha? Er Ha is friendly and cute. To be honest, whenever I see Xiao Qiu, I automatically imagine him as a little Er Ha. When I see him running on the field, it's like I can even see his tail wagging...】
30th commenter: 【It's too real. Sometimes I even doubt whether Xiao Qiu has transformed into a spirit of Er Ha.】
?
???
In this thread, from the initial excited post of the original poster to the excited responses of the forum users, and then the strange topic related to Qiu Wen that seemed to be randomly inserted in the middle, overall, just looking at the original poster's remarks could basically represent the excited mentality of the vast majority of athletics enthusiasts in the country.
On Weibo, the person who had previously argued with Su Bai but later became a die-hard fan of Su Bai, had been tirelessly spending money to promote athletics, especially track and field events, in recent years.
During the current Tokyo Olympics, when Fang Yu, Zhang Ziyi, Qiu Wen, Wu Yi, and others participated, they conducted several lottery events one after another. They also carefully went to the platform where Qiu Wen had made donations initially and donated a long list of charity funds to athletes like Fang Yu and Zhang Ziyi.
This time, when Wu Yi broke through to the finals with a time of 20.03 seconds, he once again launched a lottery event on his Weibo within a few minutes. It could be said that this athletics enthusiast, the sports-loving tycoon, was truly dedicated to spreading happiness by generously donating to the sport he loved.
After the men's 200-meter semifinals, although there were still the women's 800-meter and women's 200-meter sprint finals, these two events were no longer related to Chinese athletes. After Wu Yi, Liu Jaonan, and others completed their respective post-match interviews, the members of the Chinese team returned to the Chinese building in the Olympic Village.
At this moment, the live broadcast on the domestic sports channel was also coming to an end. The head of the sports channel's live broadcast team and the staff of the data collection group held a small meeting together after the competition broadcast.
The staff members from the data company contracted by the General Administration of Sports were now among the sports channel's small broadcast team, discussing and laughing together, feeling emotional.
In recent times, they had been emotional numerous times. They never expected that the viewership and discussion heat of the Olympics would be reignited by the group track and field events that started in the middle of the games.
After all, the sports channel had archived viewership ratings from several previous Olympic Games. Although influenced by different factors, the viewership of track and field events had always maintained a "stable" low level.
However, this time, the track and field events unexpectedly became a significant dark horse. Many events that had previously garnered high enthusiasm, such as table tennis, badminton, and diving, now appeared to be less popular compared to athletics.
During the discussion, the staff member from the professional data analysis company immediately revealed the truth. Table tennis, badminton, and diving were popular because these events were inherently powerful.
In the world of competitive sports, it was a world of absolute admiration for the strong. When our country's teams and athletes were strong enough, we could watch these athletes dominate others, making for an exhilarating competition. Who wouldn't love to watch that?
With the increased popularity of track and field events, even rivaling and surpassing these strong events, it became more understandable.
After all, the Chinese team had been strong in table tennis, badminton, and diving for many years. While viewers enjoyed watching these matches because they were exciting, the storyline of a 'genius project' emerging from the depths and defying all expectations to rise to prominence was even more intriguing.
When this staff member asked this question, the other sports channel staff members around laughed and agreed—of course, they would follow the storyline of the underdog's rise and triumph against all odds. The plot of being powerful and crushing opponents was exciting, and the plot of defying expectations and growing stronger was equally thrilling.
In this Olympics, the track and field events followed the latter path, with the key point being their freshness.
Compared to other well-established sports that had been dominant for a long time, the track and field events faced setbacks and emerged as a fresh and intriguing addition. How could this not lead to an increase in viewership and audience discussion?
Moreover, sports like table tennis, badminton, and diving required a certain level of understanding to truly appreciate the matches. Many viewers simply watched for the excitement without completely comprehending the technical aspects.
However, track and field events were different.
While also providing excitement, the track and field events were much easier to understand. The sprint events, in particular, were a simple matter of who could run the fastest.
Events like high jump and long jump were also easy to comprehend at a glance. Even an event like Liu Jiaonan's discus throw tonight, which might seem obscure and unfamiliar to many viewers, could be easily understood.
In events like the discus throw, the simple rule was to throw as far as possible.
Understanding the matches played a significant role in engaging viewers and encouraging discussions.
The track and field events, in addition to incorporating these essential factors, seemed to possess a magical quality in the athletes and even the coaches, enabling them to easily generate buzz and trend on social media. This was a unique phenomenon that many idols in the entertainment industry could only dream of achieving.
Take athletes like Qiu Wen and Wang Shen, for example. Not only did they trend on social media, but they also gained a significant fan following. Qiu Wen, with his seemingly carefree and easygoing demeanor, had a group of devoted fans online exclaiming, "My adorable goofball is so amazing!"
And what about Wang Shen?
With the previous discussion of his good looks, he instantly attracted a large number of fans, not just female admirers but also quite a few male fans due to his status as a world champion.
In short, they were a hit.
In addition to them, there were also Zhang Ziyi, Cui Luoheng, and Su Bai, to name a few.
During this period, the team responsible for the Olympics broadcast on the sports channel witnessed the track and field team practically trending after each event. Sometimes, even different athletes within the same event trended one after another.
Throughout this period, even though the staff from the data analysis company conducted heat analysis from various rational data angles, many people couldn't help but think, 【Whether something is trending or not, it really is a matter of fate.】
After the lively events on August 3rd came to an end, the entire Olympic cycle officially entered its final phase.
August 8th marked the last day of the Olympics, and in terms of the track and field events, there was only the men's marathon final left. The period from August 4th to August 7th was the final competition phase for most of the events.
Starting from the events on August 4th, the participation of the Chinese track and field team gradually reduced. Throughout the full day of competitions on the 4th, several events included the men's decathlon and women's heptathlon. On that day, the track and field team had only three events to focus on, namely the men's 110m hurdles semi-finals in the morning, the women's 400m sprint semi-finals in the evening, and the men's 200m sprint finals.
Cui Luoheng, Chen Yadan, and Wu Yi were undoubtedly the most anticipated Chinese athletes on the 4th.
Early in the morning on August 4th, at around 5 o'clock, Su Bai had already freshened up and arrived at the restaurant in the China House. He borrowed a space and ingredients from Jin Manjiang's apprentice and quietly prepared breakfast for a certain someone who always seemed downtrodden.
After preparing breakfast for others with the help of the assistants, Jin Manjiang's apprentice lightly sniffed the tantalizing aroma emanating from Su Bai's direction. He patted his own stomach, feeling a sudden surge of hunger early in the morning.
"Oh, Coach Su, why does the porridge you make smell so good?"
The people in the kitchen looked in Su Bai's direction, feeling a bit envious. They knew Su Bai would appear in the restaurant during the competition period, and the food he prepared was undoubtedly for the athletes. Although the amount of food prepared by Su Bai seemed more than enough for one person, the kitchen staff restrained themselves from asking Su Bai to share with them, despite their cravings.
By just past six o'clock, Cui Luoheng had also appeared in the restaurant. He had a morning competition and needed to ensure his energy and condition. It was ideal for him to eat 2 to 3 hours before the start of the competition, so his breakfast on the competition day was quite early.
As soon as he entered the restaurant, Cui Luoheng almost instinctively looked toward the kitchen and his eyes immediately lit up. He quickly took three steps and came to the glass partition of the kitchen.
Jin Manjiang's apprentice greeted Cui Luoheng with a smile. "Ah Heng, enjoy Coach Su's generous meal and good luck in the morning's competition! Coach Su came to the kitchen at 5 o'clock to prepare the porridge for you..."
Upon hearing this, Cui Luoheng's eyes stuck to Su Bai, and he continued to watch him until Su Bai had someone bring the breakfast prepared for Cui Luoheng to the table outside the restaurant.
Seeing Cui Luoheng still staring at him, Su Bai couldn't help but reach out and ruffle Cui Luoheng's head.
"Alright, eat well and good luck in the competition."
Although Su Bai only said this dry sentence, Cui Luoheng looked like a dog that had been affirmed. His eyes were slightly gleaming, and Su Bai felt as if Cui Luoheng had a tail, it would probably be wagging in the air, and his ears might be twitching nonstop...
It's a wonder that he managed to maintain a facade of 'I'm indifferent and cool' on his face.
Not long after Cui Luoheng sat down at the table to start breakfast, the athlete Lu Mengfan, who was also competing in the morning, arrived at the restaurant. Meanwhile, Qiu Wen and Wang Shen, among others, had also strolled into the restaurant, accustomed to the Olympic schedule.
Qiu Wen had just arrived at the restaurant when he keenly noticed the difference between Cui Luoheng's breakfast and the usual breakfast. With a cry, he looked eagerly at Su Bai.
Just by looking at Qiu Wen's face, Su Bai could instantly understand what the poor boy was thinking - he was craving, too much indeed.
But fortunately for Qiu Wen, he didn't have to crave for long. Since Su Bai had prepared plenty of nutritious porridge in the morning, making a few more servings wasn't a problem. Qiu Wen, along with Lu Mengfan, Wang Shen, Zhang Ziyi, Chen Yadan, Wu Yi, and others, all had a share.
As the kitchen staff brought out the porridge that Su Bai had prepared, Qiu Wen immediately hugged Su Bai happily and kept praising him, saying "Xiao Bai is the best." Wang Shen, on the other hand, cast a smiling glance at Cui Luoheng upon seeing so many servings of the "nutritious porridge."
Sure enough, the usually upright back of Cui Luoheng was slightly bent at the moment.
After distributing the breakfast to everyone with a smile, Su Bai sat opposite Cui Luoheng and said with a smile, "Yours is specially prepared."
With just that sentence, Cui Luoheng's back seemed to straighten up instantly.
After the athletes finished their breakfast, some of them boarded the bus specially arranged by the organizers for the Chinese team. After the athletes got on the bus, Pei Jin'an also leisurely walked onto the bus. He glanced sideways - sure enough, that guy Cui Luoheng was already sitting next to Su Bai in the seat that originally belonged to him.
Pei Jin'an found it somewhat amusing, but he didn't say anything. He just sat in the seat across the aisle from Su Bai and shook his head with a smile.
The 110-meter hurdle semi-finals were scheduled for 10:35 in the morning. After arriving at the venue, Cui Luoheng looked back at Su Bai and then, with the encouraging gaze from Su Bai, waved to the others and headed to the waiting dressing room with Lu Mengfan.
Although it was only a little after 9 in the morning, many people in China were already anticipating the 110-meter hurdle competition that morning. One reason was the recent attention drawn to the Olympic track and field events, while another was the nostalgia associated with the 110-meter hurdles, which had become a forgotten event in the era of the prominence of the 100-meter, 200-meter, and 400-meter races, owing to the era of the "hurdling king" over a decade ago.
On various platforms such as the Athletics Kingdom Forum and Weibo, a significant number of people were already discussing the upcoming 110-meter hurdle semi-finals that were set to begin at 10:35.
In the public opinion, Cui Luoheng was almost assured of a spot in the finals. After all, he had run a staggering 13.16 seconds in the preliminaries. The only question on everyone's mind was what time he would achieve in the semi-finals, and whether it would surpass his earlier record of 13.16 seconds.
As for Lu Mengfan, who was also participating in the semi-finals, although track and field enthusiasts hoped this former leading figure in the national 110-meter hurdles team would qualify for the finals, with a personal best of only 13.26 seconds, the prospects were undeniably difficult.
【What if... and I'm just saying if, Xiao Lu and Xiao Cui could both qualify for the finals?】
Someone posted this sentence on Weibo, and soon it was widely shared by many track and field enthusiasts. However, most people understood that this was just an unlikely dream.
Soon, the time turned to 10:30 in the morning, and the athletes from the first group of the 110-meter hurdle semi-finals were guided onto the track by the staff.
Cui Luoheng was one of the participants in the first group of the 110-meter hurdle semi-finals!
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 276 Olympic 110-Meter Hurdle Semi-Finals - Cui Luoheng
Among the three groups in the 110-meter hurdle semi-finals, it was not as if the disparity in strength was as significant as in the sprint events.
In this random grouping, the strength of the athletes in each group of the 110-meter hurdles seemed relatively evenly matched. At least top athletes in the 110-meter hurdles like Cui Luoheng, Vladimir, and Fabregas were not all packed into the same group.
In the first group of the semi-finals, the group where Cui Luoheng was, the strongest competitors were Cui Luoheng, the Spanish ace Clav, and the Jamaican star Tanui. The remaining athletes in terms of competitiveness in the finals were slightly lacking.
Among these three athletes, Tanui from Jamaica still appeared the strongest on paper. Both Clav and Cui Luoheng had yet to break the 13-second barrier in their performance data.
However, in terms of their competitive state, both Tanui and Clav were wary of Cui Luoheng.
Over the past year, this Olympic competition was not the first time Clav and Tanui had encountered Cui Luoheng on the track. But up to this point, their win rate against Cui Luoheng over the past year was nearly zero.
This young Chinese athlete was like a majestic lion, viewing the 110-meter hurdle track as his territory. On this territory, he had an endless desire for battle, leaving other competitors around him only able to look at his back in admiration.
From the start, Cui Luoheng seemed to have no interest in his opponents. He simply squatted down to adjust his starting blocks, then stood with his hands on his hips, pacing lightly in place. His gaze remained fixed on the key direction of the 110-meter hurdle track—the target he needed to achieve today at the fastest speed.
The on-site cameras were scanning each of the athletes, while in the sports channel's live studio, Shao Minyi and Li Sen were routinely introducing the various athletes on the field.
At the starting position of the track, the athletes of the first group of the 110-meter hurdle semi-finals were all ready in their respective positions. Thanks to his outstanding performance in the preliminaries and some good luck, Cui Luoheng had randomly drawn the fifth lane in the advantageous middle lane. On his left and right were Tanui and Clav.
Further away were Italian competitor Bilarelli and French athlete Leipwost, both of whom had previously competed against Cui Luoheng.
However, judging solely from the momentum, apart from Cui Luoheng, Tanui, and Clav, the remaining athletes seemed to show a hint of nervousness on their faces, suggesting they were already at a slight disadvantage.
"At the moment, it is still the time for pre-race preparation. Our Chinese athlete Cui Luoheng's current condition seems to be very good. He is calmly preparing for the upcoming first group semi-final."
"Not bad." Li Sen watched Cui Luoheng on the track. Although he knew that Cui Luoheng's strength should have no problem squeezing into the finals, he still nervously remarked, "Cui Luoheng's strength is definitely not a problem, but this is currently just the semi-finals. The key is to hope that Cui Luoheng doesn't make any mistakes in the semi-finals and runs a time that can qualify for the finals!"
"From the gun response to the first three hurdle positions, as long as he can maintain his form, he will surely perform well!"
For the audience who have always listened to commentators hoping for the athletes to give it their all, this statement may have sounded a little confusing. However, upon reflection, the rationale behind it becomes clear—Cui Luoheng only needs to run a time within 13.30 seconds to secure a spot in the finals. Over the past two years, Cui Luoheng's results have rarely fallen outside the 13.30-second mark.
At this juncture, it wouldn't be worth it to push too hard, as any unexpected mishaps would be a great loss.
So when Li Sen advised Cui Luoheng to "stay steady," he was essentially hoping that Cui Luoheng would secure a spot in the finals.
In the live chat on the sports channel's online broadcast, the audience found this commentary somewhat amusing.
【Ha, this 'just run a time that can qualify for the finals' is really full of wisdom.】
【？Tanui and Clav next door must be crying in frustration.】
Although the audience was joking, most of them felt relieved after hearing this kind of commentary. Normally, when watching other events and athletes in the semi-finals, they were treated as the final competition. But today, watching Cui Luoheng's semi-final, most people felt assured, knowing that Cui Luoheng was essentially guaranteed a spot in the finals.
Experiencing this overwhelming feeling in the 110-meter hurdles, how many years had it been since they last felt it?
With this sentiment, the audience also had another "sweet worry" in their hearts—Li Sen was right. This was the Olympic semi-finals, and it would be best for Cui Luoheng to maintain his form and secure a result that would directly qualify him for the finals. But, someone on the Athletics Kingdom had previously suggested that Cui Luoheng might have the potential to top his group in both the heats and the semi-finals to qualify for the finals... If that were really the case...
Well, in any case, would it be better to qualify for the finals normally or to top the group in the qualifiers?
It's really quite a dilemma!
In any case, fortunately, Tanui, Clav, and others on the track were unaware of the thoughts some of the audience members were harboring. Otherwise, they might have been fueled by the burgeoning anger, leading to an outburst of unexpected performance in the semi-finals.
Regardless of everyone's thoughts, the brief preparation time on the track had quickly come to an end.
As the starting signal began to appear on the broadcast, the audience in the stands also quieted down. The first group of the 110-meter hurdles semi-final was about to begin!
"Will little Cui be okay?"
Jiang Wentao muttered to himself in the stands due to nervousness, then answered his own question, "He will definitely be fine!"
"On your marks."
A cold and mechanical voice sounded over the broadcast. On the track, the eight athletes crouched down on their starting blocks, their hands pressed against the ground, swiftly preparing for the start.
"Get set."
During the brief preparation, all the athletes quickly raised their hips and assumed their starting positions.
Immediately after - "Bang!"
The starting gun went off!
In just an instant, the competition on the track officially began!
"The race has started!"
At the moment the gun went off, Shao Minyi spoke up. Despite their strong belief before the race that Cui Luoheng would definitely make it through the semi-finals, their hearts were still filled with tension at the start of the race.
Watching Cui Luoheng forcefully push off the starting block from the moment the gun went off, his unstoppable momentum was truly awe-inspiring.
Clearly, although many people felt that Cui Luoheng only needed to secure his spot in the finals and didn't need to achieve an extraordinary result in the semi-finals, Cui Luoheng himself didn't share this sentiment.
Just from the starting phase, it was evident how determined Cui Luoheng was to achieve the 'first' position in this race.
0.121 seconds — when this reaction time was displayed on the screen, it was clear how excellent Cui Luoheng's form was in this race.
Excellent form, fierce determination, and undeniable strength.
Under these circumstances, Cui Luoheng was like the image that his opponents, including Tanui and Clav, had sketched in their minds, like a lion on the track, unstoppable and unbeatable.
It should be noted that Clav and Tanui were also in excellent form during the starting phase, with reaction times of 0.129 and 0.133 respectively, which were exceptional starting reaction times. Even in the explosive phase after the start and up to the first hurdle, Tanui and Clav were not lagging behind Cui Luoheng.
However, having had multiple experiences competing against Cui Luoheng in the past year, they knew that if they couldn't take him down in the first four hurdles, the outcome of this race was already determined.
Cui Luoheng was a mid-to-late-stage explosive athlete on the 110-meter hurdles track. His fastest split times usually occurred at the eighth hurdle, which was a relatively late point. In the first half, except for a slight lag from the first to the third hurdle, once he entered his best rhythm after the fourth hurdle, his speed would progressively increase, giving the impression of an uncatchable lead.
Both Tanui and Clav had attempted to catch up with Cui Luoheng's pace after the fourth hurdle, but the result of involuntarily chasing this rhythm was getting trapped in Cui Luoheng's rhythm, losing control of their original technical movements, habits, and pace.
The Cui Luoheng on the track today had long since evolved from the inexperienced athlete who was overly sensitive to opponents' influences on the track many years ago, into the reigning champion who could still firmly grasp his own state in his mind, even if he spread his perception to the surroundings.
Step, step, step.
From the explosive start before the hurdle, to the leg swing over the hurdle, the body's downward leap over the hurdle, and the whip-like motion of the leg over the hurdle, Cui Luoheng now could expertly control every detail of his movements on the track, seemingly barely clearing each hurdle at a height approaching the limit.
Even the weak points of his first three hurdles, as analyzed by opponents like Tanui and Clav, had significantly improved by now.
Cui Luoheng on the track, with each step and the seemingly effortless rhythm between each hurdle, made all the spectators involuntarily feel a sense of admiration and enjoyment amidst the tense atmosphere.
So impressive!
Many viewers couldn't help but exclaim in their hearts.
Despite the brief duration of the entire race being just over ten seconds, anyone could see the advantage Cui Luoheng had in this race—from the starting phase, even when Clav and Tanui hadn't yet fallen behind, the figure on the fifth lane already gave a feeling of 'none can match me.'
In the audience, even the Japanese spectators, who had been feeling the surge of Chinese athletics strength in recent years as China's neighboring country, were now shouting and cheering at the sight of Cui Luoheng's performance.
"Ah, come on!!! Cui-jun!!!"
"This is truly amazing... Come on!!! Come on!!!"
Perhaps as a neighboring country to China, the Japanese audience had been among the first to feel the surge of Chinese athletics prowess in recent years. The declaration of the "revenge battle" by the Japanese team was still fresh in their memory, but since then, the gap in strength between the Japanese sprinters and the Chinese athletes had grown increasingly wider.
Perhaps there was an innate admiration for the strong in the Japanese people's bones. With the increasing strength of China in events like sprinting and the 110-meter hurdles, they were constantly chasing but also instinctively pursuing the Chinese athletes.
On the current field, the behavior of these Japanese spectators was particularly noticeable. Perhaps it was because Cui Luoheng's performance on the track had reached a point where it was impossible for all the spectators present to remain calm.
On the track, Cui Luoheng, as many spectators deep down truly hoped, gradually showed the ultimate advantage from the fifth hurdle onwards.
The fifth hurdle, the sixth hurdle, the seventh hurdle...
Tanui and Clav continued to battle it out on the track, but Cui Luoheng ahead of them left no room or possibility for them to catch up at any point.
In the end, Cui Luoheng, with an unquestionable and overwhelming lead, was the first to cross the finish line in this first group of the Tokyo Olympics 110-meter hurdles semifinal.
The winner of the first place in the 110-meter hurdles semifinal of the Tokyo Olympics in this round is - Cui Luoheng of the Chinese team!
"Well done! That was brilliant, Xiao Cui!"
From the slight nervousness before the start of the race to the moment of concern after the race began, and then to Cui Luoheng's absolute advantage at the fifth hurdle, both Shao Minyi and Lisen cheered heartily!
"Such a crushing display of absolute strength by this Chinese 110-meter hurdler in a world-class competition... I haven't seen anything like this since more than a decade ago," Shao Minyi couldn't help but say, laughing, "But obviously, in the days to come, I believe we will definitely have the chance to witness this kind of scene over and over again, until we are thoroughly satisfied!"
Li Sen also laughed, "Congratulations to Cui Luoheng, congratulations to the Chinese team! Congratulations to the Chinese team for having a player in the final of the 110-meter hurdles at the Olympics after 12 years!" He paused and added, "I am a little scared now. If Cui Luoheng had heard my commentary before the race and had chosen to play it safe, then what we just witnessed in this race wouldn't have been such a delightful sight!"
"Once again, congratulations to Cui Luoheng for smoothly advancing to the final with the first place in the first group of the semifinals!"
In the spectator stands, Jiang Wentao, who was somewhat nervous before the start of the race, now had a smile as bright as a sunflower on his face. While applauding with satisfaction, he kept muttering, "I knew Xiao Cui would be fine!"
During the brief wait at the venue, the results of the first group of the 110-meter hurdles semifinals quickly appeared on the big screen, and both the audience at the venue and those in front of their TVs took a sharp breath when they saw the results.
The final results of the first group of the Tokyo Olympics 110-meter hurdles semifinals were:
1st Place: Cui Luoheng (China), 13.04 seconds (pb), wind speed +0.8m/s;
2nd Place: Clav (Spain), 13.16 seconds, wind speed +0.8m/s;
3rd Place: Tanui (Jamaica), 13.17 seconds, wind speed +0.8m/s;
4th Place: Leipwost (France), 13.31 seconds, wind speed +0.8m/s;
5th Place: ...
"13.04 seconds!!" Shaominyi exclaimed, "Congratulations to Cui Luoheng. He successfully broke his personal best in the 110-meter hurdles in this race!"
In fact, it's not just Cui Luoheng's 13.04 seconds that are commendable. However, in comparison to the other athletes' results, Cui Luoheng's almost championship-winning performance, which could have been achieved at the World Championships or the Olympics, appeared in the first group of the Olympic semifinals. Such a result is truly astonishing.
And what about Clav and Tanui's results?
For example, in the Rio Olympics 16 years ago, the times of 13.16 and 13.17 seconds would have been enough for them to secure medals in the final. However, in today's competition, despite their prior awareness of the threat posed by Cui Luoheng, they understood that in this race, they were still outpaced by him.
While the performance seemed superior, it could only guarantee their qualification for the final at best. On the final stage...
The physical and mental exertion today could potentially have some detrimental effects on their performance tomorrow.
Thinking about this, Tanui and Clav both tapped their heads with a hint of a headache.
As for Cui Luoheng, who had achieved these terrifying results two days in a row, the question remained whether his condition would deteriorate during the final tomorrow.
Clav and Tanui glanced at Cui Luoheng, and eventually both turned their heads in silence, realizing it was futile to compare themselves with such a monster.
The domestic audience temporarily didn't consider the final tomorrow as such a distant event. Upon confirming Cui Luoheng's qualification for the final as the first in his group, everyone began howling in excitement.
The post on the Athletics Kingdom forum, which had hoped for Cui Luoheng to rank first in the heats, semifinals, and finals, was once again boosted. Many people replied to the post with just one sentence: "Now, only the first in the final remains!"
The outcome of Cui Luoheng's final race was still uncertain. At the Tokyo Olympic Stadium in Japan, as the athletes from the first group of the semifinals left the field, those participating in the second group couldn't help but turn their heads toward the large screen to confirm the insane results of the first-place finisher.
'What a madman!'
Following Cui Luoheng's "madman" title for running 13.16 in the heats, his 13.04 in the semifinals further deepened the impression of madness in the minds of other athletes.
After the end of the competition in the second group of the semifinals, the domestic audience, who were still celebrating Cui Luoheng's performance in the first group, began to buzz with confusion upon seeing the results of the second group of athletes on the screen of the sports channel's online live broadcast room.
The final results of the second group of the semifinals were as follows:
1st place: Vanderburg (South Africa), 13.1 seconds flat, with a wind speed of +0.6 m/s;
2nd place: Jagger (United States), 13.27 seconds, with a wind speed of +0.6 m/s;
3rd place:...
_(:3)∠)_
?
???
Despite both being Olympic-level semifinals, the gap in performance between the second and first groups left many viewers wide-eyed.
In the live broadcast room of the sports channel, both Shao Minyi and Li Sen laughed.
"Some viewers may have felt that there was a significant gap in the abilities of the athletes in the two groups. In fact, as we mentioned before the race, in the 110-meter hurdles competition, the difference in strength between the athletes in the three semifinal groups is not significant. For the 110-meter hurdles, we have been emphasizing that there are very few athletes who can run within 13.20 seconds."
"Taking the data from last year, which is 2019, as an example, during the entire 2019 outdoor season, there were only nine athletes worldwide who ran the 110-meter hurdles in less than 13.20 seconds, while in the 100-meter sprint event, there were 19 athletes who ran under 10 seconds. If we must make a comparison, in 2019, there were only nine athletes worldwide who ran the 100 meters in under 9.95 seconds."
"Hence, in the 110-meter hurdles event, athletes who run within the 13.20-second range are already rarer than those who break the ten-second mark in the 100-meter sprint event."
"Today's semifinals saw outstanding performances from the athletes in the first group, but those in the second group also managed to achieve impressive results."
Despite the repeated explanations from Shao Minyi and Li Sen, many viewers still couldn't help but marvel at the results they were witnessing.
After the conclusion of the second group's competition, the entrance of the athletes in the third group once again stirred the hearts of the Chinese audience as Lu Mengfan appeared in this group.
With Lu Mengfan's entrance, the initial excitement of the domestic audience had dissipated.
Although the athletes in the three groups had relatively similar abilities, the presence of Vladimir from Russia, who had a much more aggressive record than Cui Luoheng, and the overall second-place finisher in the heats, Fabregas, in this group, meant that it was almost certain that both Vladimir and Fabregas would secure two spots in the finals, barring any surprises.
So far, the remaining athletes with the top two rankings were Tanui and Leipwost, who clocked 13.17 and 13.31, respectively, in the first group.
This meant that for Lu Mengfan to qualify for the finals, he would need to achieve at least third place in this group and his personal best time would need to be within 13.31 seconds.
However, up until now, Lu Mengfan had only achieved a time within 13.31 seconds once, which was his personal best of 13.26 seconds.
On the track, Lu Mengfan crouched on the starting block with a stern expression. The audience could sense the tension and anticipation in his demeanor, just as those watching in front of their television screens felt the same.
If...
If the Chinese team could have two athletes qualify for the 110-meter hurdles final?
Embracing this hope, everyone anxiously gazed towards the direction of the track, then listened as the starting gun at the venue went off with a loud "bang" – marking the beginning of the final race of the 110-meter hurdles semifinals!
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20 chapters left for the main story~