Alvin is still very optimistic about his comeback.
As the former ruler of the 400-meter event, Alvin's strength is indeed much better than other athletes, or it can be said that it is completely higher than one level.
Taking the past few Olympic Games as an example, in the final stage, athletes can be divided into three levels. The third level is non-American athletes. Their results are often within 45 seconds. Those who can enter 44.50 seconds are considered non-American. The top among the players is likely to compete for a bronze medal.
In the middle range are American players. The United States has absolute dominance in the 400-meter event, so the athletes participating in the American team in the Olympics must all have times within 44.50 seconds. If they perform well, they can approach the 44-second mark. Athletes who can run such results are among the best even in the United States.
The highest-level 400-meter athlete is Jimmy Irvine. He can run within 44 seconds. If he performs better, he can also run 43.50 seconds.
Athletes who are both entering the Olympic finals should be on the same level. Even if there is a gap, it cannot be too big. But one can run 45 seconds and the other can only run 43.50 seconds. The difference is 1.5 seconds. On average, For 100 meters, it is equivalent to being nearly 0.4 seconds slower for each 100 meters. This is obviously a gap of several grades.
It is precisely because of this huge gap in strength that Irwin feels that he can ignore his "senior age" of 34 and choose to come back and compete in the Olympics again.
…
In late June, the U.S. Track and Field Championships were held in the track and field mecca of Eugene. This competition was also the Olympic trials.
For American viewers who like track and field, this time of year is a grand event of track and field, especially in an Olympic year, when it comes to the selection of Olympic athletes. Athletes have worked hard for four years just to participate in the Olympics. Of course, the difficulty level for American athletes to participate in the Olympics is obviously "hell" level.
As the world's number one track and field power, the United States has the largest number of track and field athletes in the world. It is no exaggeration to say that the number of participants in the U.S. Olympic track and field trials will not be much less than that of the real Olympics, and the competition may be even more intense than the Olympics.
The 400-meter sprint competition is divided into preliminary rounds, semi-finals, semi-finals and finals. There are four rounds in total, one round is held every day. Compared with the Olympic 400-meter race, which only has three rounds, it is one less round than the US trials.
In the first round of the preliminary round, there are a total of nine groups of competitions, and there are 40 promotion places. This means that more than half of the contestants will enter the semi-finals, and the threshold for promotion is not high.
The viewing experience of the preliminary round is also relatively average. Due to the uneven level of players, those high-level players will often qualify by crushing them. There will be almost no fierce competition and no upsets.
But today's 400-meter preliminary round was different. Not only did it attract a large number of spectators, but the last race of the preliminary round was also broadcast live across the United States.
Because Jimmy Irvin was going to make his final appearance in that game.
The news of Irvin's comeback has excited many people, but they don't know what Irvin's current status is. For a 34-year-old veteran, competing in the Olympics is indeed a very difficult thing, not to mention Or the extremely competitive 400-meter dash.
The moment Alvin stood on the track, the entire audience began to stand up and cheer for him, and the camera was always focused on him. At this moment, other athletes, whether they were competing or about to compete, , have become irrelevant existences, no one will care about what others are doing, everyone's eyes are all focused on Alvin. People expect him to run better.
Alvin looked very calm. Perhaps he had not participated in the competition for too long. He was a little nervous and even acted a little embarrassed.
Not far away, the referee looked at Alvin with a cautious look, as if asking Alvin: "Boss, are you ready? Let's start when you are ready. It doesn't matter if you are not ready, take your time. Come, we'll wait for you."
Obviously, the referee knows very well what role he should play. Although he is a referee and has the power to enforce the game, when facing a legendary athlete like Alvin, he still has to wait until Alvin is completely ready before he can Announce the start of the game.
To the left and right of Alvin, other participating athletes looked at him with admiration. Among them were two young men under the age of twenty, who just ran to Alvin and asked for a photo. Before the game even started, his opponent came over to ask for a photo. On this field, only Alvin could do that.
In the eyes of all 400-meter athletes, Alvin is their goal and their idol. Perhaps for the athletes in the same group, whether they can qualify or not is not important. What is important is that they can be on the same track as their idol. Let's go for a run together.
Alvin finished his preparations and nodded to the referee. At this time, the referee issued the order to prepare for the game, and the athletes stood on the starting block.
Alvin felt his muscles were a little stiff, and he didn't have much confidence in his heart. At the age of 34, he has been away from the competition for three full years. He doesn't know how much better he can still perform.
On the sidelines of the field, Dai Li had already begun to use the age reduction card on Alvin.
"Alvin's peak time was probably when he was 26 years old. At that time, he ran a 43.50 seconds. If calculated based on reducing his age to 26 years old, he would have to reduce his age by 8 years. This way, the age reduction card will continue. There seems to be too little time, so it’s not very cost-effective.”
"I remember that in the Olympic Games four years ago, Alvin won the championship with a time of 43.85 seconds. He was 30 years old at the time. It seemed that he was in very good condition at that time. Let's do this. For the first age reduction card, he will lose weight first. Lose 6 years and let him return to the physical condition of a 28-year-old. The physical condition of a 28-year-old is definitely better than that of a 30-year-old."
"According to the effect formula of age reduction cards, 13 minus 6 equals 7, three seven twenty-one. The duration of this first age reduction card is 210 days, which is enough to be used until the beginning of next year. The next two age reduction cards will last for 210 days. The card can reduce his age to 30 years old, and his condition at the age of 30 will be enough to dominate the world."
…
The starting gunshot sounded, and accompanied by crazy shouts around him, Alvin rushed out of the starting line.
The moment Alvin took steps, he suddenly felt as if all the cells in his body began to jump, constantly injecting power into his limbs. His muscles were no longer stiff, replaced by a feeling of vitality.
"What's going on? I feel like I'm suddenly several years younger. This feeling is so familiar, so familiar."
Alvin thought about it for a while and finally remembered that this was exactly how he felt when he participated in the competition before retiring!
"I feel that this is the smell of youth! I haven't smelled this smell for too long! I even feel that I have returned to the top. Is this an illusion?"
Alvin couldn't believe that at the age of 34, his body could return to its peak. After all, time could not be reversed.
However, the next second, he suddenly thought of Kevin Taylor. He was also in his thirties, had been away from the game for many years, and then rediscovered his peak.
"Isn't the reason why I went to find Coach Li just to get back to where I was when I was young? Oh my god, now I've really done it! It's amazing, Coach Li is really amazing!" Alvin thought in his mind The excitement was beyond words, and Li Dai became a god-like existence in his mind.
…
In the central stand, Sebastian was also paying attention to this game. He wanted to know what Irvin's condition was like after his comeback.
"In the Olympics four years ago, Irvin won the championship. His time at that time was 43.85 seconds. Now four years have passed, and he has retired for a long time. His performance must have dropped significantly compared to four years ago. Less. But he is Jimmy Irvine after all, and a skinny camel is bigger than a horse. I think he can still run to 45 seconds. But this is the preliminary round, the level of the contestants is uneven, and it is very difficult to advance. Low, I think Alvin is unlikely to run with all his strength."
Sebastian's eyes were fixed on Alvin, who had already entered the straight from the curve.
"The sprinting speed is still very fast. Why do I feel that Alvin's running speed on the first straight has not changed much from four years ago!" Sebastian suddenly felt an uneasy feeling in his heart.
After the straight, Alvin entered the curve again, and this distance was also his greatest advantage.
In the process of running 400 meters, the curve from 200 meters to 300 meters is the most difficult stage. After running for the first 200 meters, the athlete's body is already in a state of hypoxia. The muscles will feel sore and the body will feel tired. But the next step is to sprint for 100 meters, so at this stage, athletes still need to reserve energy for the final sprint. Energy reserves must be carried out under hypoxic conditions, which actually goes against the human body's physiological system, so this stage is a great test for athletes.
Normally, athletes will slow down during this phase. However, Alvin is different. He can still run very fast in the third 100 meters, and it does not affect his physical reserves. When he sprints in the last 100 meters, his speed will still be much faster than others. Therefore, in the competition, the most common scene is that Alvin enters the final straight first and then crosses the finish line in a single stroke.
The situation was like this today. When Irvine entered the final straight, he was already far ahead.
"Alvin is still so fast!" Sebastian gasped. He could feel that in the first 300 meters, Alvin was no different from four years ago.
In the final sprint, Alvin deliberately slowed down a bit. Since he was guaranteed to qualify, there was no need for him to expend too much energy. As a result, Alvin's final score was fixed at 45 seconds 36. Using Alvin's peak score as the standard, this was a weak result, but everyone at the scene could clearly see that Alvin finally wanted to I deliberately released water to save my energy.
Sebastian's expression became complicated. As the head coach of the U.S. track and field team, he naturally hoped that Alvin would be in very good condition, preferably in the same condition as four years ago. In that case, he would win the gold medal in the 400-meter dash. , the American team is almost certain.
But the better Alvin recovers, the more Sebastian thinks that Dai Li has a new type of stimulant with excellent effects, and it will not be detected by existing technology.
"That Dai Li must have a new type of stimulant in his hands. Judging from the current situation, the effect of that stimulant is very good. It can even rejuvenate veterans who have retired for a long time. If we continue to let it go, it won't take long. That Dai Li will surpass me and become the best track and field coach in the United States! No, I have to get that thing. The most advanced stimulant in the world, only I am worthy of using it!" Sebastian An thought fiercely.