In the field management center, Director Ma was surrounded by a pile of documents, and at this time, the phone rang.
"Director Ma, this is Lao Lu. I have something to report to you. It's about Zhang Guan." Secretary-General Lu's voice came from the phone receiver.
"Oh, have you finished talking to Zhang Guan?" Director Ma asked expectantly.
"No, we haven't discussed it yet." Secretary-General Lu said.
"We haven't talked about it yet!" Director Ma thought for a moment and then asked, "Did you encounter any difficulties?"
"It can't be said to be a difficulty. I originally planned to talk to Zhang Guan, but something unexpected happened and I didn't know where to start." Secretary-General Lu said slightly embarrassed.
Director Ma suddenly looked surprised. He knew Secretary-General Lu’s ability. If even Secretary-General Lu, an old instructor, encountered difficulties, it must be really difficult.
So Director Ma asked, "What emergency happened over there?"
"Director Ma, our previous plan was to let Zhang Guan give up. But in the men's 10,000 race that just ended, Zhang Guan won the championship!" Secretary-General Lu said.
"Winning the championship? This is what I expected. After all, Zhang Guan is the highest-level athlete in the world. Even if he is not a long-distance runner, it is normal to win a national championship in long-distance running. Even if he has reached the Olympic A standard , I don’t think it’s surprising.” Director Ma’s tone was quite calm, and he continued: “But even if he wins the championship, we still have to talk to him! Let’s put it bluntly, a domestic champion in long-distance running, When it comes to the Olympics, it won’t even count!”
"Well, actually Zhang Guan's results this time are pretty good." Secretary-General Lu said.
"We can't let him participate in long-distance running even if his results are good! Zhang Guan is capable, and maybe after a period of training, he can win a world championship in long-distance running or something, but now there are less than four months before the opening of the Olympic Games. There is no time to train for long-distance running at this time! This distant water cannot quench the thirst of the nearer." Director Ma continued.
"Zhang Guan ran for 27 minutes," Secretary-General Lu said.
"27 minutes is a good result, but..." Director Ma suddenly stopped, and then his voice rose a little higher: "27 minutes? 10,000 meters? 27 minutes! How is this possible! Lao Lu, are you kidding?"
"How could I be joking about this kind of thing?" Secretary-General Lu's tone was helpless.
"27 minutes is faster than the Olympic record. Zhang Guan can run so fast!" Director Ma still found it incredible. He even secretly pinched his palms to make sure he was not dreaming.
"Isn't it! If I hadn't seen other players being trapped by him several times, I wouldn't have believed it! In 27 minutes, even in the Olympics, I should be able to win a gold medal. Now I am in a dilemma. The rhetoric I originally prepared is all useless! So I came to you to report." Secretary-General Lu said.
Director Ma laughed helplessly.
"This Zhang Guan... Hey! Forget it, Lao Lu, don't go looking for him. When he comes back, I will talk to him personally!" Director Ma said.
…
The next day, Zhang Guan participated in the men's 5,000-meter race.
This time, Zhang Guan did not use the "fixed speed running" skill throughout the whole process. After all, in the 5,000-meter race, even domestic runners would spend less than 15 minutes. If Zhang Guan used two fixed speed runs in a row, It will continue to circle the field for six or seven minutes after the game.
So Zhang Guanxian spent three minutes following the run, and then used a fixed-speed run to complete the 5,000-meter race. His final score was 13 minutes and 02 seconds.
The national record for the men's 5,000 meters is 13 minutes and 25 seconds. This time does not even reach the Olympic A standard of 13 minutes and 20 seconds. The 5,000-meter Olympic record set by Bekele back then was 12 minutes and 57 seconds, and based on the current standard of world-class athletes, 13 minutes and 02 seconds is enough to win a gold medal at the Olympics.
In comparison, 5,000 meters is not as popular as 10,000 meters. For long-distance runners, 10,000 meters is the main event, while 5,000 meters can only be regarded as a secondary event. There are very few full-time 5,000-meter athletes in the world. Most of them are part-time runners in the 10,000-meter or 3,000-meter obstacle course.
In addition to the 5,000 meters, Zhang Guan also participated in the long jump finals that afternoon. After two trial jumps, Zhang Guan jumped 8.33 meters, reaching the Olympic A standard of 8.2 meters, and then called it a day and gave up the next four trial jumps.
…
A week later, Zhang Guan appeared in Director Ma's office again.
"Director Ma, do you think my results in the long-distance running event are passable?" Zhang Guan looked at Director Ma with a smile.
Director Ma showed a helpless expression, but didn't know how to answer.
The 10,000-meter run was 27 minutes and the 5,000-meter run was 13 minutes and 02 seconds. These are both results that can win a gold medal in the Olympics. Since Zhang Guan has shown the strength to win a gold medal, Director Ma really can’t find an excuse to stop Zhang Guan. Participate in long-distance running in the Olympics.
"What on earth do you think about giving up sprinting, which you are best at, and participating in long-distance running instead?" Director Ma asked.
"Actually, it's also due to the schedule. You know, I also have to participate in several other events, such as tennis, boxing, and track cycling racing. The outcome cannot be determined in just one game. Come on. I have to go back and forth several times. If I participate in the sprint, I am afraid that there will be a conflict in time. So I simply choose the long-distance running. After all, there are no preliminaries, semi-finals and semi-finals in the long-distance running. The outcome is determined by one game. In this way, on the schedule, there is no There will be conflicts." Zhang Guan said.
"I think you should think about it again. After all, you have never participated in an international long-distance running competition, and in the sprint event, you are the world record holder, so you must have a psychological advantage." Director Ma said.
"Being a world record holder is not only a psychological advantage, but also a psychological pressure." Zhang Guan smiled and continued: "Actually, my participation in the Olympic long-distance running competition is also a good thing for our field management center. . Hasn’t our country never won an Olympic gold medal in long-distance running? I’m going to fill this gap!”
Director Ma frowned. It was obvious that Zhang Guan's last words had moved him.
Zhang Guan has won gold medals for the national team in three small events of sprinting and two small events of middle-distance running, but not in long-distance running. Moreover, the Chinese team has never won an Olympic gold medal in men's long-distance running.
If Zhang Guan can win the gold medal in long-distance running for the Chinese team, it will fill a gap in Chinese track and field and be a major breakthrough in track and field performance!
Of course Director Ma understands this. If Zhang Guan participates in the 100 meters, he can win three consecutive Olympic championships; if Zhang Guan participates in other events such as sprint and middle-distance running, he can also win two consecutive Olympic championships. But in comparison, the value of long-distance running gold medals to the national team is much greater.
Whether it is two consecutive championships or three consecutive championships, it is just the "icing on the cake". There is nothing surprising about the defending champion winning again.
But the Olympic gold medal in long-distance running came from scratch. This is fundamentally different. The two words "filling the gap" and "historic breakthrough" can directly reflect political achievements, whether writing a year's summary or a report.
"This year Zhang Guan's events are restricted, and the number of gold medals in track and field will definitely be reduced by half. I was still thinking about how to explain to the superiors. If I can win the gold medal in long-distance running events, the number of gold medals will be reduced. It will be easy to say. Both leaders and ordinary people prefer the word 'filling the gap'. Besides, with Zhang Guan's performance, he should be able to win the Olympic gold medal in long-distance running!" Director Ma's mind suddenly became active.
…
When Zhang Guan left Director Ma's office, he had already obtained the right to participate in the 5,000, 10,000-meter and 10,000-meter events in the Olympic Games.
"Taking this into account, all the qualifications for the 10 events this time have been secured!" Zhang Guan couldn't help but look to the west.
There are only 100 days left until the London Olympics opens...
I've sent you 4 arrears. Please give me a guaranteed monthly ticket and a recommended vote.
(End of chapter)