In the main stand, Lopez tapped his knees with his fingers.
"For the 400-meter qualifying race, a total of 39 runners signed up and were divided into 5 groups. There are only 12 qualifying places. The top two in each group and the third-place finishers in the two groups with the best results can advance."
When Lopez thought of this, the corners of his mouth began to curl up inadvertently, with a proud look on his face.
"Blade Warrior? Haha, there are seven athletes with the strongest qualifications in your group, so you have been eliminated! After a while, I will see you like a follower, left behind by others , Bullshit Blade Warrior, go be your follower warrior!"
At this time, at the exit of the athletes' tunnel, athletes participating in the 400 meters also appeared on the field one after another.
"Scott, this time we are placed in the group of death. Jim Oliver and Rudy Jackson are both in our group. I'm afraid I'm going to die." Contestant Marcus Garcia said with a long sigh. .
"Garcia, if you perform better, qualifying from the group will definitely not be a problem. But I am probably the weakest in this group! Maybe I will finish last." Another contestant, Sam Scott, said explain.
"How is that possible? Don't be too pessimistic, and don't forget that there is a Blade Warrior in our group!" Garcia said with a smile.
"Who is the Blade Runner?" Scott didn't react for a moment.
"That's the guy named Barron Phillip. Don't you know him? He is a disabled athlete. He has no feet and runs with prosthetic limbs. He is also the holder of three sprint world records at the disabled level. "Garcia started to explain.
Scott showed a look of realization: "I knew it as soon as you reminded me like this. I heard about this person on the news. Is that Barron Philip in our group's entry list? Is he the one? He But if you don’t have two feet, do you want to participate in a normal competition?”
"That's right." Garcia smiled slightly: "I didn't react when I first saw his name. I thought he was a rookie player. But after a closer look, I found out that he was actually the 'Blade Runner' from Los Angeles. !”
Garcia said, suddenly lowering his voice: "And I heard that there are several players in our group who don't have a good impression of this Blade Warrior!"
"Nonsense, I don't want to compete with a disabled person!" Scott said in an indignant tone: "Although I don't discriminate against disabled people, but when I am asked to compete with a disabled person on the same field, I feel as if I have been discriminated against. Insulting, I’m a professional athlete!”
"Who says it's not the case! When competing with disabled people, there is no sense of achievement if you win. Instead, it feels like you are bullying the weak. If you lose, you will be humiliated... Haha, I am really ridiculous. How could we lose to the disabled? Human!" Garcia made a look of contempt.
…
Philip walked out of the athletes' tunnel, and his pair of black panther-style blade prostheses immediately attracted the attention of people around him.
"What is that person wearing on his leg? Is it a sports prosthesis? It's really a sports prosthesis. That man has no feet. Oh my God, that's a disabled person. Is he going to compete?"
"How is that possible? This is a competition for able-bodied people. How can there be disabled people participating!"
"I recognize that guy, he's the 'Blade Runner' from Los Angeles, the fastest disabled person in the world."
"Blade? He is Blade! I have seen news reports about him. Is he here to participate in the competition?"
"He is a disabled person. How can he participate in the competition of able-bodied people? You are overthinking it."
"But he was wearing sportswear and had a number on his back! Only contestants have numbers. He really came to compete."
This was just a qualifying match. Although not many people came to watch the match, the moment Phillip appeared, there were still discussions.
The eight players in the first group stepped onto the field one after another. After one minute of preparation, they rushed out of the running field with the sound of the starting gun.
The time it takes to run 400 meters is only about 45 seconds. Including the preparation time before the game and the time for statistics after the game, a group of games only takes about three minutes. And since the players with good results were all placed in Philip's group, the players in other groups were relatively weak. When the first group finished, the results were not very good.
The same was true for the subsequent second and third groups. The athletes' scores were all outside 45 seconds. After a total of 24 athletes from the three groups finished running, no one could run within 45 seconds.
Among these 24 athletes, 6 have qualified for the main competition. According to the rules, the top two in the group can advance. In addition, the top three in the two groups with the best results can also qualify.
The fourth group of contestants came on stage, and Philip also stood on the track.
"Finally we have arrived at the fourth group. In today's qualifying 400-meter race, the fourth group is the most interesting. This is the group of death. It is estimated that the third place can also advance."
"Jim Oliver, Rudy Jackson, Marcus Garcia, Sam Scott, Joe Christian... If these players were placed in other groups, they would definitely be able to advance. It's a pity that they are all together. Together. One of them is destined to be eliminated."
"Look, the 'Blade Runner' from Los Angeles is also in this group!"
"I really don't know where he got the courage to participate in a competition for able-bodied people. Moreover, he was unlucky enough to be placed in such a death group. I hope that the next competition will not hurt his self-esteem!"
Several athletes who had already qualified for the main competition stood in a group, discussing in low voices.
On the track, Jim Oliver was placed in lane three, which was a very good lane for the 400 meters.
As he moved his joints, he thought and looked around. There were no newcomers in this group. Everyone was a 400-meter warrior. For Oliver, every face was familiar.
Except for Philip who is on the outermost track!
Seeing Phillip and the pair of black sports prosthetics, Oliver felt even more displeased.
"I really don't understand why he comes here to show off. Disabled people have to participate in disabled competitions, so they shouldn't come here to mix in." Oliver snorted with disdain, and then got ready to start.
Oliver's strength is very strong, even among all the athletes participating in the qualifying round, he is still at the top, but he is assigned to this death group, so he does not dare to take it lightly.
It's just that people with disabilities like Philip are really not taken seriously by Oliver.
The other players in the same group also looked down upon Philip. In their view, Philip was an alternative and could not be recognized by them at all. All the contestants believed that Philip, who was on the outermost track, would soon be left behind by the others.
When running 400 meters, the outermost section is obviously a bad pass. In the 400-meter race, the outside of the track, the farther forward the starting position is, and it is difficult for athletes to observe the opponent's position. On the contrary, the starting position of the inside track will be relatively far back, and if you glance to the right, you don't have to turn your head. You can see the situation of other opponents. For this reason, in the 400-meter race, the second and third lanes are the best. Athletes can always observe the situation of other opponents.
So for Philip, the other seven people can observe his situation during the game, and at most he can observe the opponents next to him, and the athletes on the inside track are completely outside his field of vision.
…
The starter signaled everyone to get ready, and then raised the starting gun in his hand.
The other runners all started from a squatting position, but Philip started from a standing position. He was wearing a prosthetic leg and was unable to perform a squatting start at all.
"Bang!" The starting gunshot sounded, and everyone started at the same time and rushed forward.
Sporadic cheers sounded, as if to remind everyone that this was just a qualifying match, not the main race. The commentator was not in place, and in my impression, there was no such excited commentary voice, which made the atmosphere in the stadium seem a bit cold.
In the first 100 meters of the curve after the start, Philip was relatively in the lead, and on the track to his left, which was the penultimate track outside, it was a man named Sam Scott. Special athlete.
In this death group, Scott's strength is not dominant, but his condition today is very good. After starting, he quickly entered the state.
"Blade Warrior, your start is too slow. It looks like I can overtake you at this first corner!" Scott looked at Phillip in front of him on the right. He could clearly feel that he was getting closer and closer to Phillip. Coming closer.
In racing sports, for spectators, the process of surpassing is the most exciting, exciting and most entertaining. For athletes, surpassing opponents is also a very exciting, enjoyable and fulfilling process. The essence of racing is to surpass everyone and rush to the front.
In the 400-meter movement, the relative starting positions are different. Even if you can keep pace with the opponent on the right, it means you are in a leading position.
"Close, close again, I can catch up with you soon!" Scott felt a sense of urgency in his heart. He couldn't wait to catch up with Phillip, and then admire Phillip's surprised expression.
In the stands, Lopez crossed his legs and looked even more pleased.
"At the first corner, I was overtaken by the opponent next to me. Such a big gap is really the first time in today's game! The result is already destined, but you still do so many things, haha, let's It doesn’t matter if you participate in the qualifying round, you are destined to be the last one!”
Lopez couldn't help laughing contemptuously when he thought of this.
…
"I'll catch up soon!" This belief has already blossomed in Scott's mind.
However, when Scott entered the straight, Philip was still in front of him. At this moment, Scott suddenly realized that the distance between him and Philip had not continued to close.
"What's going on? Why can't I catch up with him? Could it be that this cripple is running as fast as me?" Scott finally realized this.