"At the World Athletics Championships trials that ended today, 'Blade Runner' Barron Phillip, who participated in the able-bodied competition for the first time, finished second in his group in the 400-meter preliminaries and successfully advanced to tomorrow's finals."
Accompanied by the sweet voice of the newscaster, a picture of Philip running appeared in the upper right corner of the TV.
This is a very short sports news, with only such a simple sentence, a photo that is not very clear, and not even a 1-second video clip.
Time for live TV broadcasts is precious. There are so many sports competitions in the United States that there is no need to worry about the lack of exciting content. In contrast, ordinary people obviously lack interest in sports news. Sports news is just a result, so there is no tension. The exciting game process is good to watch, so the simpler the sports news on TV is, the better. Playing the game is the best way to increase the ratings.
For online media, they are not so stingy with space. Text, pictures, and even a few minutes of video are just a piece of data stored in the server. They do not need to pursue excellence like TV media. Instead, the more content, the better.
The fact that Philip advanced to the finals went viral on the Internet. The United States is a country that advocates individual heroism. Superman, Captain America, and Iron Man are loved by generations of Americans. In the eyes of the general public, Philip has obviously become a "leg-breaker".
It is a novel thing for a person with both legs to be amputated to compete with able-bodied people, not to mention that Philip also relied on his own strength to reach the finals.
As a disabled person, I already have extra sympathy points. In any country, such disabled people who strive for self-improvement will be regarded as role models.
Normal people with able-bodied limbs may only send sympathy and applause to Philip, but disabled people with physical disabilities will identify with Philip even more, and they will regard Philip as their idol.
When Philip appeared in the finals, he immediately aroused the warmest cheers from the audience.
"Blade! Blade! Blade!"
The crowd shouted in unison, and some people were holding huge banners or holding up photos of Philip, waving them in the stands. Before the game even started, the audience was already excited in advance, cheering and shouting for Philip.
Philip simply sat and warmed up, lifting his legs and stretching his waist. He seemed a little nervous. Even when the commentator announced his name and the camera showed him a close-up, he just smiled shyly. laugh.
However, when Philip's smile appeared on the big screen, the strongest cheers sounded in the sky above the stadium!
Philip was slightly stunned. He had never felt so much applause or cheers. At this moment, Philip suddenly felt that he was surrounded by happiness.
"Are these applause and cheers for me?" Philip looked around. He saw some people holding photos of themselves and some holding big slogans. Subconsciously, Philip raised his hands above his head and said to Waving around to express greetings to those who support him.
"They have recognized me!" Philip suddenly realized this.
A sour feeling came from the tip of Phillip's nose, and tears rolled uncontrollably in his eyes. He needed this feeling of being recognized by others so much!
Philip looked around.
In the stands in front, a young man in a wheelchair was shouting crazily;
Behind him, at the far end of the stands, a man carried a "Blade Runner" sign with a cane;
In the first row of the stand closest to him, a thin red-haired man was looking at Phillip expectantly.
"That's Johnny!" Philip recognized this man. He was Philip's comrade-in-arms, the former army sergeant Johnny. After returning home, he became addicted to drugs and became a homeless vagrant.
Johnny also realized that Phillip saw him. He smiled at Phillip, stretched out his hand, gave Phillip a thumbs up, and gave him encouragement.
It was also at this moment that Philip suddenly felt that he had a sense of mission, which was not heavy, but full of hope.
"I finally understand the meaning of my running! It's not to gain recognition from others, not to get equal respect, but to tell those who are at a low ebb not to give up hope in life!"
Philip looked down at the pair of prosthetic limbs that had been with him for many years. Although he lost his feet, he never lost hope in life.
Phillip's eyes suddenly became clear, and he had a goal. A very clear goal supported him to continue running.
He was ready to start and was waiting for the command to start.
…
The gunshot rang out, and Philip rushed out of the starting line like a runaway horse.
"Huh?" Dai Li on the sidelines couldn't help but uttered a slight question. He was the first to feel that something had changed in Philip.
Li Dai and Phillip have been together for a long time, and he already knew Phillip very well. But at this time, Li Dai saw something in Phillip that he had never seen before.
Dai Li could see that Philip was very focused and resilient at this time, but Dai Li could not describe Philip's changes in words.
This is a belief that cannot be simply described in words, but it can bring people the courage to move forward and an unyielding spirit.
As Philip ran, the stands he passed would always erupt with the strongest sounds. People shouted "Blade Runner". Everyone couldn't help but stare at him. He deservedly became the focus of the audience.
…
In the main stand, USATF CEO Williams sat in the middle, maintaining a calm posture.
However, the crazy shouts around him kept stirring Williams' heart.
He looked at the track, at the athlete who had no feet and was running on a pair of prosthetic limbs.
"Blade Runner..." Williams repeated the name silently, feeling an inexplicable touch in his heart.
"He lost his legs, but he was running hard. What a strong belief it took to support him to do this!" Williams took a breath with some emotion. He had already rejected it in his heart. Pace's view.
"If he just wants to increase his fame through the game, he doesn't have to go to this level at all. This 'Blade Runner' is running for his ideals..." Williams suddenly felt that letting Philip participate in the game might be a good idea. the right thing to do.
…
As the game entered the second half, everyone else's speed slowed down, but Phillip's advantage began to play out. His speed did not drop, but was vaguely a few minutes faster.
Dai Li quickly glanced at the stopwatch in his hand. He had realized that Phillip was much faster than normal today.
"Did he perform beyond his level?" Li Dai thought of this, but he didn't know what kind of motivation Phillip received to perform in such a good state.
"Perhaps he is originally a competitive player. In a formal competition, the pressure from all directions will allow him to unleash more of his potential." Dai Li thought as he glanced at his hands again. stopwatch.
"The top three have a chance!"
…
The curve stage from 200 to 300 meters is unbearable suffering for athletes, but Philip gained many advantages at this stage.
In the blink of an eye, the contestants will rush out of the corner and enter the final sprint.
"Going into the final straight, Brown is in the lead. Behind him is Andre, and behind him is Francisco. Oh, the Blade is catching up! He is right behind Francisco, can he pass him?"
The commentator's urgent voice sounded, and the audience in the stands couldn't help but stand up.
Brown, who ranked first, is the strongest 400-meter runner in the United States. He has already collected gold medals in the Olympics and World Championships, and his dominance in the 400-meter event is unshakable. For him, running into 44 It is very common to win within seconds, and there is no suspense about winning the championship in this kind of competition.
Andre, who ranks second, is also an athlete who often runs under 44 seconds. He is known as Brown's successor. In terms of strength, he is indeed second only to Brown and is one level better than others. There was no problem in finishing second.
The key is the battle for third place, which is related to the last ticket to the World Championships 400-meter dash.
At this time, Francisco, who was in third place, already felt that someone was approaching him. Looking out of the corner of his eye, Francisco recognized that the man was Philip.
"It's the 'Blade Runner' in Los Angeles! I never expected that it would be him who was following me, chasing me, and trying to surpass me! He actually wanted someone with no feet! So, I'm even more excited Can’t lose!”
Francisco didn't want to lose to Philippe. This was not just for the sake of victory or defeat, nor just for the tickets to the World Championships. More importantly, it was about the dignity of being an athlete. He can be defeated, but he doesn't want to be defeated by a disabled person!
Francisco looked ahead, there was still about fifty meters away from the finish line.
"Fight!" Francisco put all his strength on his legs. He tried hard to take a bigger step, to make the pace faster, and to push harder. The purpose of kicking on the ground is just to open some gaps.
However, Philip did not give him such a chance. While Francisco was exerting his strength, Philip was also exerting his strength.
The cheers around him have reached their peak. I don’t know how many people have shouted hoarse, but they are still shouting with their mouths open. These sounds are mixed with the flow of air and reach Philip’s ears, but they seem to urge the fight. Drums.
Philip was sprinting, less than forty meters away from the finish line, but he still could not catch up with Francisco.
Francesco was insisting, and he showed no sign of slowing down.
Entering the last thirty meters, the two were still one behind the other, and the game might be about to end in this state.
"Is it really impossible to pass?" Philip began to feel anxious. He had sprinted with all his strength, but he could not catch up with Francisco in front.
"No, we haven't reached the finish line yet, so we can't give up! This is a game and life, there will be hope! If you stick to it, there will be hope!"
Philip entered the last twenty meters with this belief.
At this moment, Francisco slowed down. He had exhausted the last energy in his body.
The feeling of exhaustion, like the darkness of the polar night, invades me and then lingers for a long time, refusing to leave. Francisco felt as if he had lost control of his legs. However, the belief in his mind made him instinctively take steps and continue moving forward.
"Come on, there's still a little bit left, the last twenty meters to go, hold on!"
Francisco still didn't give up the fight. He kept cheering himself up, but his clear mind couldn't stop his legs from gradually slowing down.
At the same time, Phillip finally came to his side and kept pace with him.
"Caught up!" Francisco realized this.
"I can't lose, I will never lose to a disabled person!" Francisco gritted his teeth. At this moment, he regained control of his legs again, then burst out all his strength and rushed to the finish line. .
There are still ten meters left, and the next second will be the moment to decide the winner!
…
"I'm catching up with him!" Philip could feel that he was keeping pace with Francisco, and at the same time he also knew that in the next second, they would reach the finish line.
"I will win!" Phillip's body began to lean forward, and he made a motion to cross the line.
This action is very difficult for Philip because he wears a prosthetic leg and he has no ankle to bend; because his prosthetic leg is fixed on the knee, his knee cannot bend freely; the pair of leopard-like blade movements Prosthetic limbs cannot provide perfect support to the human body like human feet. Therefore, the same movement of crossing the line means that Philip cannot maintain the body's center of gravity and ensure the balance of the body like normal people.
He also gave up his physical balance.
He has only one belief, and that is to cross the finish line first.
"Whoosh!"
At this moment, Philip was like a dolphin emerging from the sea, rushing forward.
He was really flying. His prosthetic limbs had left the ground. Under the guidance of strong inertia, he flew over the finish line. Then, his whole body fell hard to the ground. Then he slid forward against the ground, and the hard carbon fiber prosthetic leg made an obvious mark on the plastic track.
The cheers around them stopped abruptly. The scene just now was so fast that even the people closest to the finish line did not see clearly who crossed the finish line first, Philip or Francesco. Everyone They all looked at the big screen anxiously, waiting for the final answer from the camera interpretation system at the end point.
"Did I win?" Philip did not get up from the ground. He fell directly to the ground at that speed, which made him feel as if his bones were about to fall apart. He could only turn his head and look at the big ball next to the arena. Screen.
On the big screen, a still image of the scene just now was finally shown. The person who crossed the finish line first had a black scimitar-like prosthetic leg on his raised leg that was particularly conspicuous.
"I won!"