Translator: dapotaturs
Release Date: 10/18/2023
Chapter 281: 110-Meter Hurdles Final - Cui Luoheng
The 110-meter hurdles final, as the most anticipated event on the morning of August 5th, was naturally scheduled for the latter part of the morning session.
After several events, including the men's decathlon and women's heptathlon, the finals of the men's triple jump and shot put were completed before the 110-meter hurdles final.
The Chinese team did not have any participants in the men's shot put final. However, in the men's triple jump event, a member of the Chinese track and field team made it to the finals. Nonetheless, this participant did not possess dominating strength in the event; he could only be considered a world-class male triple jumper.
In the morning's men's triple jump final, the Chinese athlete did not deliver an outstanding performance and ultimately finished seventh in the finals.
After the results of the men's shot put final were determined, personnel finally appeared on the field and set up the hurdles and track for the 110-meter hurdles.
"It is currently 11:35 am Tokyo time and 10:35 am in City B. We can see that the track officials have set up the 110-meter hurdles track. Next up, the most anticipated final of the morning session is about to begin!"
Even though the race had not yet started, the voice of Shao Minyi in the sports channel's live broadcast room was already filled with excitement.
After all, if the 110-meter hurdles were just an ordinary running event for foreign athletics enthusiasts and spectators, it could be considered a beacon of track and field enlightenment for many Chinese viewers.
Just like the current Athletics kingdom, many track and field enthusiasts were drawn into the sport due to the flourishing era of hurdles more than a decade ago. Even for those who did not enter the sport because of the flourishing era of hurdles, in their hearts, the 110-meter hurdles in China held a completely different significance compared to other events.
It was precisely because of the 110-meter hurdles, precisely because of the former hurdling king, precisely because of the once mighty presence that could stand at the pinnacle of the world even during the era of the gods and stand shoulder to shoulder with those "hurdling gods," that many track and field enthusiasts experienced the exhilarating sensation for the first time in the sport.
Although with the retirement of the hurdling king, everything seemed to have returned to square one, the era of the hurdling king still left many traces in China's track and field events.
For example, in track and field events, when Chinese sports school students have similar talent assessments in multiple events, they are more inclined to choose to study the 110-meter hurdles.
For example, even now, if you randomly ask a passerby on the street to recall the superstars of track and field events, eight or nine out of ten times, the name of the hurdling king will still come to mind.
For example, when asked about the smaller events under the track and field category, aside from the 100 meters and 200 meters sprint events, most people will immediately think of the 110-meter hurdles.
Even in various sports schools and track and field provincial teams across the country, the best resource allocation will always include the 110-meter hurdles. In domestic track and field research, the project with the most published papers remains the 110-meter hurdles. Furthermore, because of the hurdling king's influence, in the Chinese Diamond League, the 110-meter hurdles event has been permanently established in the competition of the Diamond League's Chinese division.
All these seemingly inconspicuous details, when stacked together, are enough to make people amazed—simply one person's influence has left such a profound impact on the entire industry.
It was precisely because of the former hurdling king's presence that track and field enthusiasts in China inevitably had some critical eyes for the newcomers, feeling that these newcomers were not as good as the hurdling king.
Soon, the track and field enthusiasts realized that if they continued to view these newcomers through the lens of the former hurdling king, they would never find a qualified "successor to the hurdling king," and it would impose undue pressure on these "successors to the hurdling king," leading to poor performance in competitions.
Unfortunately, later on, the track and field enthusiasts discovered that even if they no longer looked at these newcomers with a critical eye, it was difficult for these newcomers to produce even slightly satisfactory results.
From the past glory that was sufficient to dominate during the "era of the gods" to later being unable to dominate Asia, the disparity in between caused countless track and field enthusiasts to even dare not pay attention to the 110-meter hurdles events and to avoid watching any related competitions.
It wasn't until the emergence of Lu Mengfan in the 110-meter hurdles event that the track and field enthusiasts in China found a new hope in the event, although there still remained a vast gap between Lu Mengfan and the former hurdling king.
Subsequently, with Su Bai's guidance, Cui Luoheng, who had disappointed the domestic audience twice, managed to improve his personal best by a full second in the competition...
The enthusiasts of the 110-meter hurdles in China were suddenly awakened. Following this, Cui Luoheng's performance in one competition after another gradually relieved the audience who had been worried that he might be just a flash in the pan.
From the Asian Games and the Asian Championships to the World Championships, the Diamond League, and now the Olympics!
Cui Luoheng seems to be filled with the word "miracle."
In yesterday's 110-meter hurdles semi-final, Cui Luoheng's personal best had already been updated to 13.04 seconds! It's important to note that he is only 22 years old this year, and the golden period for track and field events still has a long way to go for him. If nothing unexpected happens, the next Paris Olympics will be the peak of Cui Luoheng's career at the age of 26.
22 years old, 13.04 seconds personal best.
Although this result is still not as good as the former hurdling king who broke the 13-second barrier at the age of 21, for track and field enthusiasts, Cui Luoheng today is undoubtedly the rightful successor to the hurdling throne.
His body seems to have already condensed the light of miracles, waiting for that one moment to completely shine before the world.
Will that moment be today?
On August 5, 2020, in this ordinary yet extraordinary moment, countless people in front of televisions in China are waiting for an unknown miracle to arrive.
The audience waiting in front of the television sets have held their breaths even before the competition begins. Many track and field enthusiasts have even clenched their fists, with sweat already forming in their palms.
"Today's battle... It is no exaggeration to say that this may be the battle that determines whether Cui Luoheng can truly ascend to the throne." Li Sen also nervously clenched his own hand, awaiting the start of the competition.
In the audience stands, Jiang Wentao's face is also filled with an uneasy expression. It's not just him; many of the national track and field team's staff members have a trace of anxiety on their faces.
The Olympic final of the 110-meter hurdles...
This was once the most anticipated event for the Chinese track and field team at the Olympics, but as the talent in this event waned, the popularity of Chinese track and field also once again plummeted.
Now, watching the 110-meter hurdles appear in the Olympic final, even the most scientifically minded staff members have a vague feeling that the fate of the 110-meter hurdles is intertwined with the fate of track and field.
What will happen?
What will be the result of today's competition?
Amid this anxious anticipation, the eight athletes in the 110-meter hurdles final finally stepped onto the field amidst the eager anticipation of the audience.
In the semi-finals, the athletes who eventually advanced to the final of the 110-meter hurdles were Cui Luoheng from China, Clav from Spain, Vanderburg from South Africa, Jagger from the United States, Mavrouss from Cyprus, Tanui from Jamaica, Leipwost from France, and the strongest athlete in the 110-meter hurdles event, Vladimir, who was competing as a neutral athlete.
With the arrival of these eight athletes, the already tense atmosphere instantly became even more nerve-wracking. Guided by the staff, these athletes approached the starting blocks and without a word, each began to adjust their own state, crouching down to adjust the angle of their starting blocks, and so on.
"All the athletes have taken the stage!" It was evident from Shao Minyi's voice how tense he was feeling. "After they have prepared themselves, the race is about to begin!"
After nervously uttering these words, Shao Minyi and Li Sen started introducing each athlete on the field one by one. Especially when they introduced Vladimir on the fifth track, both Shao Minyi and Li Sen appeared very cautious.
"At last year's World Championships, Cui Luoheng was ultimately defeated by this neutral athlete Vladimir from Russia," Shao Minyi nervously looked at Vladimir. "Coincidentally, in last year's World Championships, Vladimir was on the sixth track, and Cui Luoheng was on the fifth. In today's 110-meter hurdles final at the Tokyo Olympics, the positions of Cui Luoheng and Vladimir have now been swapped."
In today's race, Cui Luoheng was on the sixth track, while Vladimir was on the fifth.
Pausing for a moment, Shao Minyi said in a deep voice, "So... will their final rankings in this Olympic final be reversed compared to the rankings in the 110-meter hurdles final at last year's World Championships?"
Shao Minyi's statement was indeed a bit mystical, and even he knew that such claims could only be seen as a "coincidence." However, he believed that during this tense moment before the start of the race, this "coincidental" statement could give the audience in front of the television a sense of "luck," much like how Qiu Wen liked to donate for good luck before his own races.
In front of the television, quite a few viewers, full of superstitious thoughts, actually went to make charitable donations for Cui Luoheng. These donations all consisted of numbers starting with 12, clearly indicating the expectations of these contributing viewers.
In the arena, the atmosphere on the track was much more intense and fervent than what could be perceived from watching on television. In the spectator stands, there were significantly more people waving Chinese flags than ever before. Judging purely by the naked eye, at this moment, the Chinese spectators seemed to occupy more than one-tenth of the seats, which was a significant proportion. It's worth noting that this was not a home game for China, but a track and field final held in Tokyo, Japan.
In the press photography area of the arena, Chinese sports journalists also noticed the astonishing scene in the spectator stands. Without hesitation, one of them took out a wide-angle lens and captured a panoramic view. In the camera's frame, the vibrant Chinese flags were waving in the arena, and every Chinese spectator was nervously focused on the event. They waved their flags, ready to cheer for Cui Luoheng's competition and anticipated celebrating his victory.
Jiang Wentao in the spectator stands also noticed this, but his expression seemed somewhat grim after observing it. There was no other reason; he was worried that with so many Chinese spectators and such a high level of attention, if Cui Luoheng were to underperform in today's final...
It might bring him some undue pressure from public opinion.
At this moment, Su Bai was also standing at his position, but he didn't pay attention to everything around him. He just calmly watched Cui Luoheng on the track, his gaze unwavering.
Before Cui Luoheng went to the backcourt, he had said to Su Bai, "Xiao Bai, can you keep watching me during today's race?"
In response to his determined gaze, Su Bai finally nodded affirmatively, saying, "Okay."
On the track, Cui Luoheng seemed to recall the pre-race agreement. After adjusting his starting blocks, he crouched on the starting line, looked up accurately at the section of the Chinese spectators where Su Bai was located, then after a brief moment of eye contact with Su Bai, he retracted his gaze and refocused it in front of him.
He looked up, gazing at the front of the track, then stubbornly fixed his gaze on the position of the finish line in his mind. He told himself—he wanted victory, he must win...
In the next moment, the live screen at the venue switched to the camera in front of Cui Luoheng. It was just a momentary shot, but after seeing this shot, the audience in front of the television had the feeling of being locked in by danger. Cui Luoheng in the footage seemed like an incredibly dangerous beast, his eyes filled with determination and persistence for victory.
Cui Luoheng's gaze...
Shao Minyi and Li Sen were shocked by the gaze of Cui Luoheng in the frame. Before they could recover and say something, the broadcast announcing the start of the race had already sounded at the venue. In the broadcast, the athletes on the eight lanes each crouched on their starting blocks, hands on the ground, ready for the full-throttle competition to begin.
The final of the Tokyo Olympics 110-meter hurdles was finally about to officially begin!
On the track, in the spectator stands, in the commentator's booth, and in front of millions of television sets, everything fell silent in an instant. It was so quiet that one could almost hear their own heartbeats pounding.
Crouched in front of the starting blocks, in this sudden calm moment, Cui Luoheng completely let go of the acute senses that had once frightened him. He could even begin to sense the breathing of Mavrouss and Vladimir on his left and right sides.
The tense atmosphere on the entire track seemed to coalesce into a heavy sound, howling around Cui Luoheng's ears like a wild wind. But now, he was fearless of these things that might have once affected his racing rhythm.
The determination in his heart for speed and victory, and the determination in his heart to become a strong figure, as well as the heart that wanted to stand shoulder to shoulder with Su Bai, all told him that everything around him was just meaningless obstacles. Believe in yourself, and you will undoubtedly become the strongest on this track!
In this tense atmosphere that made breathing feel frozen, the starting signal officially sounded in the broadcast.
"On your marks."
"Set."
After these two sounds that all athletes were extremely familiar with, there was a crisp gunshot—
"Bang."
The race... had begun!!!
Almost in the blink of an eye, the eight athletes in front of the starting line had already pushed off with powerful force from the starting blocks, propelling themselves onto the track with explosive power!
Between the start and the first few strides, almost no one made any mistakes. In a state of intense concentration, all eight athletes unleashed their powerful strength and displayed exceptional form.
The cheers and shouts of the live audience seemed to sweep through like a mountain torrent at the moment when all the athletes started running. The various cheers felt like a powerful force rushing from the circular stadium toward the final track of the 110-meter hurdles final!
"Go!!!! Go!!!!"
"Cui Luoheng, come on!!! Go, China!!!"
The almost hoarse shouts on the field were full of passionate encouragement. Everyone was putting all their effort into cheering for the athletes, especially the audience from China. Their shouts almost transformed the venue into a home ground for China!
On the field, the starting explosions of all eight athletes were excellent, but among them, Vladimir and Cui Luoheng were still the most outstanding.
Vladimir, who had shown relatively conservative performances in the heats and semifinals, finally unleashed his ferocity in the final. In the previous World Championships, his starting reaction was only 0.155 seconds, but today was different. He was in an absolute peak state, with a starting reaction time of almost 0.128 seconds, nearly the best in the entire field.
The only person faster than Vladimir was Cui Luoheng, but Cui Luoheng's starting reaction was only 0.001 seconds faster than Vladimir's - his 0.127-second starting reaction time was the best in the field, but his overall state in the starting phase was slightly inferior to Vladimir's.
From the live camera shots, it was evident that from the starting phase to the first three hurdles, Vladimir was leading the pack, with Cui Luoheng barely maintaining second place. He even momentarily fell behind Jamaica's Tanui during the second hurdle.
This slight lag at the beginning instantly caused sweat to break out on the brows of the audience in the stadium and in front of their televisions.
"Come on! Come on, Cui Luoheng!"
Countless people shouted loudly in front of their TVs. In the sports channel's live studio, the voices of Shao Minyi and Li Sen were equally tense and filled with intense anticipation.
It seemed like in response to this anticipation, from the fourth hurdle onward, Cui Luoheng's speed between the hurdles suddenly visibly accelerated. This increase in speed was almost staggering, making the hearts of the audience pound. But as they witnessed Cui Luoheng's sudden burst of speed, the possibility that arose in their minds made them unable to suppress a potential scream.
He's accelerating!
Cui Luoheng's speed was increasing!
He was originally in the top three positions, so with his current acceleration, where could he possibly reach?
Is it possible?
The direction that they had imagined countless times before the race, the direction that Cui Luoheng had consistently aimed for... Could he really reach it?
On the track, Vladimir originally thought that there wouldn't be any surprises in today's final. He had witnessed how powerful the Chinese athlete to his right was during last year's World Championships. He understood deeply that if he didn't give it his all in this Olympic race, it was very likely that he would fall short on this Olympic stage.
It was precisely in order to be able to compete with this Chinese athlete in the final that he had run very cautiously and conservatively in the heats and semifinals, to save his best condition for the final.
This young Chinese athlete was great in every way, but the only mistake he made was expending too much energy and effort in the heats and semifinals.
Vladimir originally believed that this young man's excessive arrogance would ultimately lead to his downfall. He believed that this Chinese athlete was capable of competing with him at his peak, but he didn't think that after running times of 13.16 seconds and 13.04 seconds in two consecutive races, this Chinese athlete could still contend with him on the third day of the final!
...
Originally, Vladimir thought this way, and even after the start of the race, he maintained this confidence in the first three hurdles.
However, from crossing the fourth hurdle, Vladimir clearly felt that the athlete from China was getting faster!
How was this possible?!
Vladimir was originally known as the absolute king between the fifth and seventh hurdles, with his split speed in this stage being unbeatable.
But now, the race had reached the fifth hurdle stage, and the athlete from China's speed was still increasing!
That's right...
Vladimir remembered that the fastest split speed of this Chinese athlete occurred at the eighth hurdle, making him an absolute second-half runner.
But...
It was only the seventh hurdle now!
This should be his absolute domain, right?!
However, Vladimir could feel that the Chinese athlete on his right was already shoulder to shoulder with him!
How was this possible?!
How could this be?!!!
In front of the TV, the audience, who had been so nervous in the first half of the race when they saw Cui Luoheng falling behind, were now screaming with their hair standing on end when they saw Cui Luoheng shoulder to shoulder with Vladimir at the seventh hurdle!
Cui Luoheng!!!
Come on, Cui Luoheng!!!
He's surging forward!!!
He's already shoulder to shoulder with Vladimir!!!
Since he's now side by side with Vladimir, then what about the eighth hurdle?!
Amidst everyone's nervous gaze, and in Vladimir's incredulous eyes, at the stage of the eighth hurdle, Vladimir struggled to control his speed from slipping, but on his right, Cui Luoheng from China had indeed surged to an even faster speed!
"Overtake!!! Cui Luoheng has overtaken Vladimir!!!"
Shao Minyi's voice had completely torn apart, the excited tone was clearly not pleasant to hear, but it also drove every viewer in front of the TV crazy!
The eighth hurdle!
The ninth hurdle!
The final hurdle!!!!!
After Cui Luoheng overtook Vladimir at the eighth hurdle, Vladimir attempted to accelerate and overtake at the eighth hurdle, but due to his anxiety and the decline in energy, he accidentally hit a hurdle, causing his speed to stutter. It was this hit that completely robbed Vladimir of his original speed advantage.
And at this moment, Cui Luoheng had completely established his final advantage!
"The final hurdle!!! The sprint stage!!!"
As Cui Luoheng sprinted past the final hurdle, the audience at the venue had gone completely wild, and the viewers in front of the television had begun to scream!
The last 10 meters, 5 meters!!!
During the sprint stage, Vladimir still didn't give up his desire to chase and surpass Cui Luoheng, but finally... until the very last moment, the first to cross the finish line on the track was still from China—Cui Luoheng!
"We won!!!"
"The champion!!! The champion of the 110m hurdles!!!"
"The champion of the 110m hurdles is from China—Cui Luoheng!!!"
"We won!!!"
At the moment when this voice resounded, both at the venue and in front of the television, countless people were in tears.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 282: Cui Luoheng's Final Achievement & Public Opinion
In the spectator stands, Jiang Wentao and others had already become so excited during the final stage where Cui Luoheng was leading that their eyes turned red. At the moment they saw Cui Luoheng cross the finish line first, the audience in the Chinese section of the stands went wild, with everyone enthusiastically cheering.
Champion!!
This was the champion of the 110m hurdles!!
Perhaps in the eyes of the audience in other countries, this event was just one of the many ordinary athletics events. But in the eyes of the Chinese audience, this event always held a unique position unlike any other. Even the shining gem of the 100m sprint couldn't match the significance of the 110m hurdles in the eyes of the Chinese people.
Once, they had a king who led the Chinese audience to break through the world of the 110m hurdles, opening up the beauty of the world of athletics. Even after the king retired, the road that he had once dominated became difficult and challenging again, but it was still regarded as the most cherished path in the eyes of his believers.
Finally, finally today!
This path of the king had cleared the thorny obstacles and once again laid out the solemn red carpet to welcome its new king!
On the field, when Cui Luoheng crossed the finish line, he roared in triumph, waving his hands and looking up at the sky. Captured by the lenses of the on-site photographers, this young king exuded the aura of a lion ascending the throne. As he roared to the sky, the flying red flags and the excited crowd in the arena were all subjects submitting to his kingly demeanor.
In the spectator stands, Su Bai's eyes also revealed a full smile when he saw Cui Luoheng's excited expression. In his mind, there was still the image of the Cui Luoheng who had been troubled and restrained by his inability to control his own talents. But now, that young man had grown into a king who made the whole world take notice.
Looking at the focal point among the multitude on the field, even though Cui Luoheng was already a 110m hurdles champion worthy of standing proudly at the top of the world, Su Bai inexplicably felt a strange itch in his hands at this moment.
On the field, at the end of the 110m hurdles track, after Cui Luoheng had roared and vented his emotions, he suddenly remembered something. He immediately turned to look in the direction of the Chinese section of the athlete's area, locking onto the figure that was most special to him in his heart.
He remembered that before he went backstage to prepare, he asked Su Bai, "Can you keep watching me during the race?"
Su Bai smiled and said, "Of course."
And now, as he completed the race, reaching the pinnacle of the world, he turned back and still found the figure that could give him endless strength, as well as his calm and firm gaze.
The ecstatic joy that surged because of the victory suddenly became much calmer at this moment. This was indeed a victory worthy of boundless joy, but Cui Luoheng thought that it was only the beginning.
Today, at this moment, he finally stood at the pinnacle of this world for the first time, but this was just the first peak. He believed that in front of him, there were still countless dangerous peaks waiting for him to climb. And he believed that as he climbed these dangerous peaks, Su Bai would surely accompany him wholeheartedly to ascend one summit after another.
On-site, the staff had already brought the Chinese national flag to Cui Luoheng. When he received the flag, the Chinese audience at the venue once again raised a new wave of cheers and cheers, expecting Cui Luoheng to tour the entire venue in the posture of a winner.
"Great, this is really great!"
Tears filled the eyes of Jiang Wentao and others, and at the same time, Lu Mengfan, who was also watching the competition on-site today, was also completely excited. Anyone who had truly loved the 110m hurdles from the bottom of their heart would be moved to tears at this moment. While watching the brilliant figure on the field, a more intense flame was ignited in Lu Mengfan's heart.
He also wanted to ascend to a higher platform and see a faster world...
Perhaps there was still a significant gap between his talent and Cui Luoheng's, but he thought that he could at least surpass his current self, allowing himself to see the scenery beyond the world of limits.
"It seems like we've been waiting for a long time, and yet it's just a blink of an eye."
In the sports channel's live studio, Shao Minyi looked at the scene before him, and he and Li Sen were both teary-eyed at this moment. "The same skin, black hair, the same breakthrough among the world's top athletes, and making those top athletes in the world sigh in admiration."
"After 16 years, we have finally won the Olympic crown in the 110m hurdles event once again!"
"At such an exciting moment, it seems that no amount of language can express our excitement and jubilation clearly. They are completely insufficient to convey the excitement and joy of this moment."
"Cheer, shout! This should be another perfect milestone for Chinese sports!"
At this moment, on the internet, in the sports channel's online live broadcast room, the public screen had long been submerged by an ocean of barrage, and at a glance, you couldn't even see any text clearly... They were densely stacked on the screen, and behind every word was a soul excited and restless to the point of being unable to vent.
At first glance, the public screen seemed to be filled mainly with the word "ahhhhhh" forming the majority of the barrage on the screen.
On Weibo, almost anyone, no matter who it was, as long as they refreshed their Weibo homepage, would see a string of seemingly meaningless "ahhh" and "champion!!!!" or "gold medal!!!".
In just a few seconds, everyone's Weibo homepages seemed to have fallen, and the full screen of "gold medal ahhh" became the mainstream scenery of most people's Weibo followings. Even the Weibo accounts of many influencers or idol celebrities could only produce this simple and excited scream as their first reaction.
On the other hand, the official Weibo accounts of the Athletics National Team and the Athletics Administration Center appeared to be very composed - because they posted seemingly calm Weibo content, even remembering to add hashtags.
Athletics Management Center Official Weibo: 【#TokyoOlympics, #CuiLuohengWins110mHurdles] In the just concluded Tokyo Olympics 110m hurdles final, our athlete @CuiLuoheng successfully won the championship, becoming the second Chinese athlete to win the Olympic 110m hurdles event!】
National Athletics Team Official Weibo: 【#TokyoOlympics, #CuiLuohengWins110mHurdles] Our hurdler @CuiLuoheng won the gold in today's Tokyo Olympics 110m hurdles final, surpassing international hurdling stars such as Vladimir in one fell swoop!】
_(:3)∠)_
These were two Weibo posts that seemed to be very composed, but if you looked closely, you would understand that the people behind the official Weibo accounts of the Athletics National Team and the Athletics Management Center were also so excited that they had lost their composure - after all, the final results had not all been announced at this moment. If the Athletics Administration Center and the Athletics National Team's official Weibo accounts were really keeping their composure at this moment, then they should have waited until the final results were announced before posting these two Weibo posts.
Of course, at this almost nationwide celebration, no one would care about these small details. The entire internet, or even the reality beyond the internet, was filled with a mood of jubilation.
This was a moment that was enough to make everyone who remembered or knew about the era of the hurdle king go crazy once again.
In the Athletics Kingdom forum, the entire forum section had already fallen completely, with every subforum filled with ecstatic track and field enthusiasts. Among the countless forum posts, there was one post that stood out.
Subject: 【Hurdle King's Comment!!!! He has appeared!!!!】
In this post was a screenshot of the Hurdle King's post on Weibo, which was typically low-key to the point of almost disappearing - 【Great moment, keep it up!】
Just eight simple words, he didn't even repost any related articles, didn't tag Cui Luoheng's Weibo, or add any pictures. However, looking at that line of text, countless track and field enthusiasts in the kingdom of athletics couldn't help but feel their eyes welling up with tears once again.
3rd commenter: 【Inheritance... This is what inheritance looks like, right?】
10th commenter: 【He's still there, always paying attention to this sport he once loved so much!!】
20th commenter: 【This is great, to be able to see a talented athlete like Xiao Cui, he must be especially happy! Once again, once again!!! The Olympic crown of the 110m hurdles has finally come into the hands of incredible Chinese athletes!】
33rd commenter: 【To be honest, I've been hesitant to say this, but for more than a year now, every time I watch Xiao Cui, I can't help but see the figure of the Hurdle King in him. Both burst onto the scene in their early twenties, both won the top prize in the world at this incredibly young age...】
50th commenter: 【Damn, as a grown man, I almost couldn't catch my breath when I saw this screenshot... Speaking of which, when the Hurdle King won his first Olympic gold, he broke the 13-second mark. Today, Xiao Cui's Olympic gold must have also broken the 13-second mark, right?】
......
............
_(:3)∠)_ Huh?
In the instant that they saw this post, all the viewers finally realized - oh right, the final result hasn't been announced yet!
So...
What would be the exact time for Xiao Cui's victory?
In his semifinal, he already broke his personal best again. So in this final, where he crushed Vladimir, it must have broken the 13-second mark, right?
With such anticipation and excitement, everyone's attention once again returned to the live broadcast of the Olympics.
At the venue, Cui Luoheng was already draped in the national flag, completing this unique moment of glory for the victor by circling the field once. After circling back to the Chinese athletes' area, he didn't move forward but stood below the stands, looking at a certain figure high in the stands...
Jiang Wentao and most of the track and field national team were still immersed in extreme excitement. When they saw Cui Luoheng approaching them, they excitedly waved in his direction. Similarly caught up in the excitement, Pei Jin'an seemed to notice something. He glanced in the direction where Cui Luoheng was looking and then carefully observed the direction of his gaze - okay, no problem, he hasn't noticed anything at all. Cui Luoheng wasn't paying attention to anyone else in the stands, just staring at Su Bai.
Pei Jin'an quietly glanced at his excited colleagues around him, thought for a moment, and ultimately didn't interrupt their excitement.
After all, if he interrupted now, Cui Luoheng wouldn't be able to do anything from such a distance. This guy couldn't possibly make a declaration of love from afar, right?
While Pei Jin'an was thinking this, he suddenly saw Cui Luoheng, draped in the national flag, focused on Su Bai's figure in the stands. Then, he grabbed a corner of the flag with his right hand and covered his left chest - the position of his heart.
Seeing Cui Luoheng's action, Pei Jin'an, who felt that he didn't have a romantic bone in his body, suddenly thought of a phrase - "My heart belongs to you, and all my glory belongs to you."
After the sudden surge of this phrase in his mind, Pei Jin'an cleared his throat and quickly moved aside - he shouldn't obstruct Xiao Cui from looking at his beloved coach.
While moving, Pei Jin'an heard the sound of a phone taking a picture from behind. When he turned around, he met Wang Shen's smiling face.
Wang Shen was holding his phone, almost taking a shot from just below Su Bai's perspective.
Pei Jin'an could easily imagine what kind of scene could be captured from that angle - it would be nothing short of a bouquet proposal!
Thinking about this, Pei Jin'an felt quite troubled. He felt that he didn't have a romantic bone in his body, so how could he come up with so many things in his mind?
Oh dear, it must be because occasionally when he went home after work, his wife would drag him to watch some romantic love dramas. He was being brainwashed by those terrible romance TV shows - he would have to talk to his wife later and tell her not to drag him to watch these messy romance idol dramas again.
In the live broadcast studio of the sports channel, with Cui Luoheng's straightforward and unreserved actions, Shao Minyi and Li Sen naturally wouldn't miss this scene in the live footage.
But most people wouldn't think of any ambiguous or romantic content in their minds. Shao Minyi and Li Sen just laughed and said that Cui Luoheng was clearly expressing gratitude to his coach and to the team leaders who supported him.
However, towards the end, perhaps to relax after the earlier tension and excessive excitement, Shao Minyi joked and said, "Well, well, not to say anything else, if you just look at this scene from this angle, it really looks like Xiao Cui is confessing to someone, doesn't it?"
Li Sen immediately burst into laughter, "Old Shao, you can't just say that casually. Who would Xiao Cui be confessing to in the stands? It can't be Su Bai or Wang Shen, can it?"
The two of them laughed heartily at this point.
In the midst of their laughter, the director of the sports channel reminded them through their earpieces - the final results were about to be announced!
Shao Minyi and Li Sen immediately composed themselves, took a deep breath, and announced, "The final results of the competition are out!"
As Shao Minyi's voice fell, the final results of the athletes were finally revealed on the live broadcast screen for everyone to see!
Tokyo Olympics 110m hurdles final results -
1st place: Cui Luoheng (China), 12.93 seconds (pb/wl personal best/historical best performance of the season), wind speed +0.7m/s;
2nd place: Vladimir (Neutral Athlete), 13.01 seconds, wind speed +0.7m/s;
3rd place: Tanui (Jamaica), 13.17 seconds, wind speed 0.7m/s;
4th place: ...
...
At the moment when these results were finally revealed, the audience could hear the entire stadium fall into near silence for a couple of seconds, followed by another wave of cheers and excitement!
"12.93 seconds!!!"
"It's 12.93 seconds!!!"
Shao Minyi's voice was once again filled with uncontrollable excitement and joy as he loudly exclaimed to everyone, "This is a crazy competition day, this is a crazy gold medal, and this is also a crazy result!!!"
"Cui Luoheng, in today's competition, once again significantly surpassed his personal best performance, from the previous 13.04 seconds to a breakthrough of 12.93 seconds!"
"Congratulations to him for finally breaking the 13-second barrier! This player, who is only 22 years old this year, has completely dominated all his opponents on the world's top stage in this grand event of the Olympics, demonstrating his absolute strength!"
"On today's Olympic stage, he is the undisputed champion!!! Congratulations to him! Congratulations to Cui Luoheng!!!"
The cheers at the scene could not be stopped for a long time. Athletics enthusiasts who had come from afar to watch in Japan were waving their flags in excitement. When this moment, which athletics enthusiasts had long awaited, finally arrived, words such as excitement and joy seemed to have become inadequate and pale.
Not only the Chinese commentators but also those from Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, and other countries were all praising this talented athlete from China at the same moment.
"Incredible, this is another brilliant talent from China. His strength is enough to remind people of the 'God' from China in the era when many geniuses gathered!"
"Once again... China has another athlete who has truly surpassed white and black athletes on the straight track! This formidable country always seems to produce such unbelievable talents on its land. Facing such a country and such a new talent, I just want to say - tremble, young hurdlers, the wolf is coming!"
"Oh my god, that's an Asian, another Asian, crossing the barriers of race, surpassing white and black athletes! Even in the era of the gods, the former Chinese hurdle king could reign, but now... Oh, in the past two or three years, besides Vladimir, has anyone else broken the 13-second barrier? Of course, I mean besides the new Chinese hurdle king today! If not... I think, in the next few years, the ruler of the 110m hurdles world... could it be this formidable new Chinese hurdle king?"
Regardless of what the commentators from various countries were saying, for the Chinese audience and athletics enthusiasts, the only thing to do at this moment was to celebrate wildly!
On Weibo, the topic #Cui Luoheng wins the 110m hurdles# had already been pinned to the top. Following that, the topic #Cui Luoheng 12.93 seconds wins the championship# once again ignited Weibo. In the trending topic bar of Weibo, there were 3 or 4 topics related to Cui Luoheng among the top ten.
Topics like #The hurdle king cheers for Cui Luoheng# had also been pushed to the forefront at this moment.
In addition to Weibo, the frequency of searches and mentions of keywords related to Cui Luoheng and the 110m hurdles on major search engines had also reached its peak.
【Ahhhhh, I don't know what to say, Cui is awesome!!!】
【qaq sobbing, this is the first time I've cried watching a game. When I was very young, I watched the live broadcast of the hurdle king winning the championship back then. I was so ignorant at that time. Not only me, but many people across the country didn't know what the significance of that victory was. I only remember the sports commentator being so excited that his voice was hoarse. 16 years have passed, and this is another victory for us. This time, I have watched Cui win the championship all the way and finally understand the hardships and significance behind it. It's great to be able to watch this game... It's great to witness this victory, and it's great to be a Chinese and personally feel the joy of this victory. Everything is just great!"
【I have nothing else to say, Cui, I will always support you!!!】
【I don't know why, seeing the hurdle king cheering for Cui, I thought of a saying - as long as the spirit of athletics is not extinguished, no matter how difficult it is, we will eventually win another victory!】
Almost everyone, whether ordinary people or sports celebrities, was posting their excited sentiments on their own Weibo. In this moment, the joy and happiness of victory were overflowing in their words.
The official Weibo accounts of the national athletics team and the Athletic Administration finally updated Cui Luoheng's results at this moment and posted a new Weibo announcing Cui Luoheng's final score and ranking.
Athletics enthusiasts and ordinary viewers once again enthusiastically reposted these Weibo posts containing Cui Luoheng's achievements.
However, amidst the excitement and joy of everyone, some people noticed that Wang Shen, who was also present at the scene, also posted a Weibo congratulating Cui Luoheng. His congratulatory message was very simple, just a sentence:【^^ Xiao Cui, congratulations.】
But the accompanying picture...
For some reason, many sensitive girls with keen intuition suddenly perceived a strange atmosphere.
—In this picture, Wang Shen should have taken it from the side and slightly captured Su Bai's profile. Su Bai was smiling and looking down at Cui Luoheng, who was looking up at him from the audience. Cui Luoheng's eyes were firmly fixed on Su Bai, with the national flag draped over him. His right hand was holding a corner of the flag, touching his left chest where his heart is.
Many girls who were captivated by Wang Shen's appearance came to like the post right away, then took another look at the content.
After seeing it, they felt...
_(:3)∠)_
Huh?
What's going on?
Why does it seem like something's not quite right?
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