Chapter 126: Competing for Glory
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
In the Youth Games arena, the final competition for the long jump was about to begin.
There were twelve athletes participating in the final. They would all be judged under different rules than for the qualifying game. In the qualifying game, each athlete only had three attempts; in the final, athletes began with three attempts. From there, the four with the lowest scores would be eliminated. Then, the remaining eight long jumpers would have another three attempts to compete for medals. These were the rules generally adhered to in the Olympics.
For those with true ability, six attempts was more than enough to prove how good they were.
"I assume that once you jump over 7 meters, you will be in the top eight. Calm down and take your time; your goal is to play it safe. Go get a guaranteed score in your first attempt. That's it," Dai Li instructed.
Haiquan Fang nodded. He was still anxious, but he felt much better than yesterday. This time Haiquan Fang had drawn number seven, meaning he would be the seventh athlete to perform. It was a lucky number.
Before he went, six other athletes made their attempts one by one, including Chenglong Hong, who achieved a 7.39-meter performance. Chenglong Hong had done pretty well on his first attempt, jumping 7.28 meters easily. It indicated that he would be one of the top eight, thus earning an additional three attempts. With his spot secured, he could challenge himself to get a better score. Besides Chenglong Hong, the others' scores were all within seven meters. They would have to try harder, otherwise all they would be able to do is pray for good luck.
After a while, it was finally Haiquan Fang's turn. He calmed himself down, then stood up in the run-up area.
"Look, that is the 16-year-old long jumper, the genius from the Provincial Youth Team."
"Was he the one who jumped 7.54 meters? I wonder if he will have a similar performance in the final."
"Generally speaking, athletes save some energy during the qualifying session. I think he will perform better in the final."
While people were whispering about Haiquan Fang, on the field, Haiquan Fang began to run up. His acceleration was still impressive; in the blink of an eye, he had reached his top speed.His takeoff, however, was conservative, similar to what he had done this morning. He did not take full advantage of the jumping board. Haiquan Fang jumped high into the air, then fell into the sandpit. He had still jumped over seven meters.
"7.26 meters!" the proctor reported.
"Nice try!" Dai Li clapped for Haiquan Fang. Now that Haiquan Fang had secured himself a place in the finals, his next five attempts could be spent trying more challenging styles.
Later, Gang Yang from the Yuzhou City Team entered the playing ground. His first attempt was 7.43 meters, which cemented his place in the first round.
...
"We have a guaranteed grade, so in the next attempts you can be more daring. Try to make good use of the jumping board when you take off. Your last takeoff was too far from the takeoff line," said Dai Li.
"I was worried about stepping on it," Haiquan Fang explained.
"Don't worry, go for it. We have another five attempts, so as long as you utilize one of them you will make it," Dai Li instructed. "In addition, when you land, pay attention to your waist. Suck your stomach in and kick your legs out harder..."
Haiquan Fang did as he was told on his second attempt. He chose a more difficult takeoff technique, but unfortunately broke the rules by stepping on the takeoff line. Then, on his third attempt, he did an excellent job. He had jumped 7.57 meters, which was further than he had jumped in the qualifying session.
The other athletes had similar performances, either performing very well or very poorly. Gang Yang was one of them. He was too eager to try and outdo himself, and ended up failing twice.
After everyone had used their three attempts, four athletes were eliminated. The remaining eight were re-ordered by their marks, with the best of the group jumping last.
Haiquan Fang was performed the best with his 7.57-meter score, so he would be the last to jump. Gang Yang's second and third attempts had been wasted.
...
Gang Yang's failures had made Shouliang Zhao look bad. To make matters worse, Haiquan Fang was performing the best. Even Gang Yang was being outperformed by him.
I can deal with everyone out-performing us, but not Dai Li! Shouliang Zhao gnashed his teeth in anger. He called Gang Yang over, then lowered his voice and said, "You should work harder. You have an advantage, so you must remain number one. How can you be OK with the others doing better than you? Besides, the one who is beating you is only sixteen. You are much older than him!"
Gang Yang's face suddenly tightened. Obviously he did not want to talk about his age. It was his soft spot.
"This is going to be your fourth jump! Take it seriously and do your best! Do not forget that our goal is the championship!" Shouliang Zhao said. His eyes were shining with a burning desire to win. If Gang Yang could win gold, Shouliang Zhao would earn first-class meritas his coach. If he was lucky enough, he could even be promoted.
The competition paused for a while in order to re-order the athletes. After that, the fourth attempts began. Now all the athletes would go all-out; they would not save any energy for later. They would do everything they could to get the best grade grade possible in each attempt. This had its consequences, however, as there was a greatly increased rate of failure.
Once the fourth round began, the first two athletes to jump failed by stepping on the takeoff line.
The third athlete succeeded. He jumped 7.31 meters, which reached the 7.30-meter first-class athlete qualifying standard.
This athlete walked out from the sandpit in satisfaction. He would not be able to win a medal, but he had attained his goal of reaching the qualifying standard.
...
Chenglong Hong stepped up to the run-up area with a grim facial expression.
He had been chosen by the Provincial Youth Team when he was sixteen, and after less than a year he was chosen by the Provincial Sport Team. Now he had become the best long jumper under the age of eighteen. Because of this, Chenglong Hong had been sure that he would win the gold medal prior to the competition. What he had not expected, however, was that someone would be better than him, let alone two people.
That Gang Yang from Yuzhou City, why have I not heard about him before? I have no idea where he came from. And that Haiquan Fang from the Provincial Youth Team, he is unhuman! He is only sixteen. I think he will be the King of Long Jump once he grows up. This has to be the worst day of my life...
Chenglong Hong continued thinking to himself with a long sigh. He saw the gold medal drifting away from him, but as an athlete, he could not give up. He wanted to fight one more time.
"7.51 meters, Chenglong Hong has also broken the 7.50-meter barrier!"
7.51 meters was a wonderful result for Chenglong Hong. Normally he would celebrate such an accomplishment, but his face remained gloomy. He had not outperformed Haiquan Fang's 7.57-meter score.
The athlete going after Chenglong Hong was Gang Yang. Because he had jumped 7.63 meters in the qualifying session, many people were waiting to see how he would do.
Gang Yang prepared himself a bit, then accelerated and took off. He rose and glided through the air, then landed on the ground. The entire movement was accomplished in one breath.
"Above 7.60 meters again!"
The crowds all looked at the mark Gang Yang had left in the sandpit. It indeed exceeded the 7.60-meter marking on the ground.
"7.64 meters!" said the surveyor.
"He jumped 7.63 meters in the qualifying session, it must not have been a coincidence!"
"He jumped even further than before. The Yuzhou Team has a good chance of winning the gold!"
"Performances over 7.60 meters are rarely seen in the Youth Games."
"You are right. Even in U20 level contests, 7.60 meters is a good score."
Shouliang Zhao was pleased by everyone's praise. He glanced at the crowd in confidence.
While people were discussing Gang Yang's score, Haiquan Fang approached the run-up area.
"That 16-year-old genius is about to jump!"
People immediately shifted their attention to Haiquan Fang.
Dai Li clapped his hands for Haiquan Fang. "Come on! Go for it!" Dai Li cheered loudly.
"That guy who is clapping and cheering must be the boy's coach. It looks like he is only in his early twenties. He is younger than many athletes!"
"This young man must have some special talent to have trained such an amazing athlete. He must be quite responsible as well. Look at how energetic he is!"
Nobody knew that Dai Li was using the Morale-Boosting Book. All they saw was Dai Li cheering for Haiquan Fang.
Shouliang Zhao gave a snort. Well then, keep shouting until you lose your voice! It is useless! Your trainee will not improve immediately, no matter how hard you cheer for him. Time is the only thing that will help him!
While Shouliang Zhao was thinking this to himself, Haiquan Fang began his attempt. Now that his morale had been boosted, he acted more energetically.
"Ha!" He shouted as his body rose in the air. Right after his takeoff, he made a beautiful three-step movement in the air, then stretched his legs out in front of him and hit the sandpit.
"Awesome!" Dai Li shouted first. His view was obscured by the flying sand, so he could not see Haiquan Fang's mark. But based on his movements, Dai Li predicted that it would be a nice score.
The flying sand fell to the ground. Haiquan Fang ran out from the sandpit, leaving a mark that exceeded the 7.60-meter marking line.
"Another jump over 7.60 meters. What is it?"
"It looks even further than that 7.64 meters."
Everyone stretched their heads out to look at the surveyor.
"7.66 meters!" the surveyor shouted loudly.
"What!" Shouliang Zhao's face suddenly tightened up!