Alexander looked around and couldn't help but think of the scene when he last participated in the Olympics.
Gittel was at the peak of his career at the time, and the most important task for the U.S. team in the Olympics was to challenge the world's number one flyer from Jamaica. The result was of course in vain. Although the American team led by Alexander tried their best, they still lost to the powerful Gitter. In the subsequent 4x100-meter relay race, they were also defeated by Gitter in the last leg. The United States The team lost to Jamaica.
Now, many years have passed and things have changed. None of the teammates who fought alongside Gittel in the Olympics were able to appear in the finals of today's trials. Instead, there were young faces.
Although Alexander knew these people, he still felt an inexplicable feeling of strangeness in his heart.
"A lot of young people have emerged this time!" Alexander shook his head slightly. He is only thirty years old this year and is in his prime. Even for a sprinter, thirty years old can be regarded as the peak of his body. In the final stage, he can still run good results, but compared with the young guys around him, he is already an older player.
The competition in the 100-meter dash has always been the fiercest, and the replacement of athletes is also the fastest. The athletes' physical peak is only a few years. In these few years, the athletes will be active on the field, and by the time this After a few years, when the body is no longer at its peak, the players will gradually fade out of the competition.
What's more, the United States is the world's number one track and field power. There are countless excellent sports in the country. A large number of young people become professional athletes every year, and the replacement of athletes is faster.
In the 100-meter dash event, if athletes from other countries reach the Olympic A standard, they have a good chance of participating in two Olympic Games, at least one Olympic Games and one World Championships. In the fiercely competitive United States, continuous Participating in the Olympic Games twice is already a very remarkable achievement, and it is not an exaggeration to say that it can last a lifetime.
Moreover, Gittel, the former ruler of the 100-meter dash, has retired, which makes many 100-meter runners ready to take action. When Gittel was around, no one could challenge his position of dominance. Now that the old king has left, the throne is still vacant. Every top 100-meter sprinter hopes that he can succeed Gittel. , became the new king of the 100-meter dash, and became the new world's number one flying man.
The Olympics is obviously the best stage for a new king to be crowned. Therefore, in this U.S. Olympic trials, not only are there enough people participating in the 100-meter dash event, but their level is also higher than in previous years. The same is true for other sprinting powers, especially Jamaica. Athletes have already competed for a spot in the 100-meter dash in the Olympic Games. Each of them hopes to inherit the position of the world's number one sprinter.
Just when Alexander felt that things were different and people were different, he found a provocative look coming from a track next to him.
"It's that talented sprinter, 'Miami Hurricane' Walton. I beat him in the last competition, and he must be very unwilling to do so. This time, he must be here to take revenge on me!"
Seeing Walton, Alexander couldn't help but think of his former coach Sebastian.
"That 'pharmacist' coach has now become the head coach of the US team. When I advance, I will have to accept his management again. It's a terrible thing to think about."
"And this Wharton is really strong. I'm afraid he's not much worse than when I was young. If he performed better today, maybe I would lose to him."
Thinking that the race might be difficult, Alexander took a deep breath, put aside all distracting thoughts, stood on the starting block, and made all preparations before starting.
…
The starter raised the starting gun high and at the same time signaled the contestants to take their positions. Then a gunshot was fired, and the 100-meter flying competition officially began.
No athlete who can successfully enter the 100-meter dash final is an ordinary person. The eight people in the final have the ability to run within 10 seconds. In other words, as long as any of them appears in Asia, it is a safe place in Asia. champion.
Because of this, in the first twenty meters after the start, there was almost no gap between the eight athletes. The slight difference in the order of the athletes can only reflect the speed of their respective starting reactions. If the starting reaction is fast, the position will be a little bit ahead. If the starting reaction is slow, the position will be a little bit behind. Just a little bit.
Twenty meters later, the contestants began to compete for acceleration. At this time, whoever accelerates faster will gain a certain lead. For some contestants with a faster pace, they will have an advantage in speed increase.
Experienced runners will run according to the rhythm they are familiar with. Even if they are slightly behind, they will not change their rhythm. Some new athletes are easily disturbed by the opponent's rhythm, causing their own rhythm to be disrupted.
There are definitely no rookies among the contestants participating in the finals. All of them are experienced in the competition, so everyone knows that the lead in the first fifty meters is just a drop in the water. If this lead cannot be converted into victory, then this lead will be lost. It's also meaningless.
In today's 100-meter dash, if there is not much difference in the level of the players, the real competition is the strength in the second half.
…
Fifty meters later, Alexander and Wharton were almost neck and neck.
"Wharton's speed is faster than last time!" Alexander has already realized this.
Several months have passed since the last time he played against Walton. Over the past few months, Alexander has been training hard, and his strength has completely returned to the situation before the suspension. This means that Alexander is now better than a few months ago. Stronger before.
If Walton is still the same as he was a few months ago, Alexander will surely win the game. However, Walton now is no worse than Alexander. This only shows that Walton has also achieved great results in the past few months. Huge progress has been made.
"This Wharton is indeed known as a genius sprinter. In just a few months, his strength has grown a lot. At this rate of improvement, maybe he will win the Olympic championship this time." Alexander Thinking of this, I felt somewhat unhappy.
Not only Alexander and Wharton, but also several other athletes showed very strong strength. At least in the 50-70 meter stage, the contestants were still in a stalemate.
…
"That athlete named Wharton ran so fast today! I think his current strength is not inferior to Alexander's. It's only been a few months. It's really impressive after three days apart." Dai Li thought to himself.
Dai Li is still very confident in his training level. In the past few months, Alexander has made significant progress. It is obvious that Dai Li's training is very effective.
However, at this time, Dai Li saw a Wharton who was improving more rapidly. When he lost to Alexander a few months ago, his strength was slightly inferior, but now Wharton's strength is vaguely superior to Alexander's. momentum.
"I always feel that something is wrong. It is said that I now have a systematic bonus, and the effect of training is unparalleled. But this Wharton, his improvement rate is obviously faster than Alexander, which means that he has improved in the past few months. The training effect is better. I remember that Wharton’s coach was Sebastian, who was also the coach of this U.S. track and field team. To be the coach of the U.S. team, he must have some skills, but compared to It seems impossible that both the system and I are stronger together!"
"Alexander was originally the 'No. 2' in the world. I just let him return to his previous state. This is much easier than training a new athlete to reach the top. Old athletes know better what they should and shouldn't do, and they have With past performance as a foundation, self-confidence should be more sufficient, and new athletes cannot reach the top in a short period of time without going through a lot of training in competitions. Moreover, physical training is inherently gradual, and there is no such thing as a one-step rise to the top."
While Dai Li was thinking about it, the contestants on the track had already entered the final sprint stage.
Alexander and Walton are still neck and neck, but they are already ahead of the other contestants, and it seems that the champion will be born between them.
…
In the last twenty meters, Alexander's speed had increased to the extreme.
However, at this time, Alexander suddenly discovered that Wharton was faster than him, and he was already half a body length ahead of Alexander.
"He was surpassed by Wharton!" Alexander couldn't help but feel anxious, and at the same time he tried his best.
Wharton was indeed a little faster than Alexander. Near the end, Wharton's lead was further consolidated.
The next moment, the two men bent over and crossed the line almost at the same time. The gap between the two was not big, but even though they crossed the line very fast, it could still be identified with the naked eye that Wharton was the first to cross the finish line. .
Walton won the championship!
…
In the main stand, Sebastian had a proud smile on his face.
"Alexander, do you think Wharton today is still the same Wharton a few months ago? You never imagined that Wharton's performance would improve so much in just a few months, right? You are now It’s not that you regret your rejection of me. If you choose to continue training with me, you will be the champion today. I have already said that the technology of Franklin Laboratory is the best in the United States!"
Sebastian thought of Franklin Laboratory, but felt vaguely guilty deep down in his heart.
"Having said that, the new generation of products from Franklin Labs is really effective. It is very suitable for young and rising athletes like Wharton, and can stimulate their physical potential faster. If it weren't for that Li Dai, , Franklin Laboratory will not give me this new product in advance. However, this new product is not very effective for old athletes whose bodies have been developed. So I have to use the new type of excitement in Li Dai’s hands. Once the potion is obtained, when the time comes I will make a 'all-in-one-for-all' strategy, wouldn't I be invincible in the world?"
…
"Wharton won. He defeated Alexander in the last twenty meters and won the 100-meter dash championship! His time was 9.83 seconds, a top time in the world, a time very close to 9.80 seconds. I just said After checking, this is the best result in the 100-meter dash this year! And among American athletes, this result can also be ranked third in history. I think if in the Olympic Games, Walton can still run the same result. , we will definitely win the Olympic championship!”
As soon as the commentator's voice fell, there was a burst of applause. The audience congratulated Wharton on getting the best result of the year.
"Alexander won the runner-up with a time of 9.86 seconds. He was only 0.03 seconds slower than Walton. It is really a pity, but we still want to congratulate him!"
At this time, the results of all the contestants were shown on the big screen at the scene, and the wind speed at the time was also given, which was 1.7 meters against the wind.
Alexander won the runner-up and successfully locked up a spot in the Olympics, but he was not happy at this time, not only because he lost to Wharton, but also because Wharton was growing so fast that Alexander felt a little of panic.
The last time the two competed, it was not difficult for Alexander to win. The time between the two was not that big at that time. Alexander's time was 9.87 seconds, while Wharton's time was 9.91 seconds. There was only one difference between the two. 0.04 seconds.
Nowadays, Wharton is 0.03 seconds faster than Alexander. Calculated inside and out, the difference is 0.07 seconds. However, this 0.07 second gap occurred after only a few months of use. This speed of progress is really too fast. It's exaggerated, so exaggerated that it's unbelievable.
"Is it because of the headwind? Is Wharton better at running against the wind?" Alexander looked at the scoreboard with a confused expression. Alexander's last time was 9.87 seconds, but it was done with a tailwind. Now with the wind speed, Alexander ran 9.86 seconds. Although it is only an improvement of 0.01 seconds, considering the wind speed, Alexander's progress is definitely More than 0.01 seconds.
In fact, for an athlete who can run under 9.00 seconds, 0.01 seconds faster is considered a huge improvement, and you can even open a bottle of champagne to celebrate.
Walton's time improved by 0.08 seconds. His last time was 9.91 seconds, and this time it was 9.83 seconds.
In the same period of time, if Alexander improved by 0.01 seconds, champagne would be opened to celebrate. So if Wharton improved by 0.08 seconds, it would not be an exaggeration to say that there would be a special celebration.
"This rate of progress is abnormal! Could it be that Sebastian used stimulants on Wharton again?" Alexander knew Sebastian's methods, so he immediately guessed this possibility.
"I'm so angry! If I really lose to strength, like when I lost to Gittel, I have nothing to say, but if I lose to such despicable means, I'm really angry!"
Anger flashed through Alexander's eyes, but he also knew that there was nothing he could do about Sebastian's behavior. Based on his understanding of Sebastian, Sebastian was No clues will be revealed, and as long as he dares to use it, he will definitely not be detected.
What's more, Sebastian is now the head coach of the U.S. National Track and Field Team!
…
"I really didn't expect that Alexander would lose to that Wharton. Alexander's run today was good enough. His time of 9.86 seconds shows that his condition has been adjusted to its peak. Unfortunately, he still lost. Maybe his opponent had better luck. Some, I played a better level." Li Dai shook his head helplessly, and then he looked at the results of other players on the scoreboard.
"The United States is worthy of being the largest country in track and field. It is full of talents. In addition to the eighth place, the scores of other contestants are also within 10 seconds. From an overall level, the finals of the U.S. Trials may be better than the finals of the Olympic Games. Be high.”
"The 100-meter dash is over. Tomorrow the preliminaries of the 200-meter will begin. Fortunately, Walton did not participate in the 200-meter. We are missing a strong competitor, Sean Ford. You must strive to win the championship. ah!"