Wence Jackson is an athlete personally selected by Dai Li. She is only 19 years old this year. In terms of strength and talent, Wence Jackson is considered to be above average, and Dai Li chose her because of her plasticity.
For shot put athletes, the age of 19 has no advantage in the adult competition, and is even a disadvantage. The shot put movement not only requires strength, but also requires athletes to have a certain weight. However, the age of 19 is not yet the age for the body to accumulate fat, and muscle development has just begun. Shot put athletes of this age group are not as good as those in their twenties, forties, or fives. Athletes whose bodies are at their peak will suffer physically.
And Wence Jackson also has the same shortcomings as other young athletes, that is, his state is unstable and the ups and downs will be very large. Especially in competitions like the Olympics, there are too many uncontrollable influencing factors inside and outside the stadium, and the ups and downs of personal status are even greater.
In the qualifying round of the women's shot put, twelve athletes entered the finals. The US team sent three athletes, and only Vince Jackson entered the finals. Although this is better than the men's discus, it is also lower than the average of previous American teams.
Taking place at the same time as the women's shot put qualifying competition, is the first round of the men's 800 meters. In this event, the American team performed normally, and all three athletes advanced to the semifinals.
After the men's 800-meter race, the Maracana Stadium, the main venue of the Olympic Games, also ushered in the grand finale of the morning, which was the women's 10,000-meter final. This was also the first gold medal in track and field at this Olympics.
This project is undoubtedly monopolized by Ethiopians and Kenyans. Although other countries also have very strong athletes, when faced with the alternating leading tactics of Ethiopians and Kenyans, they always consume more energy and have to be led by them in terms of running rhythm.
The results of the competition were also the same. Ethiopia won the gold and bronze medals in this event, and the Kenyans won the silver medal. At the same time, the fourth and fifth places were also taken by Kenyans, and the sixth place went to Ethiopian athletes. Six players from these two countries took the top six places, and the seventh place was a full 13 seconds slower than the sixth place. Africa's long-distance running duo certainly live up to their reputation.
Although it is a 10,000-meter race, the gap is so big that you can basically surrender directly. It is not Li Dai's fault that he did not win a medal in the 10,000-meter sprint. He can only blame his opponent for being too strong, and his own skills are inferior to others. It would be difficult for any coach to steal the medal from the African long-distance running duo.
The last event in the morning session was the men's 20-kilometer walk final. Although the race walking event originated in the United Kingdom, it is Russia's strength. In addition, the Chinese team also has the ability to win the championship. In comparison, the U.S. team's race walking strength is much worse, and American athletes can't even make it into the top 20.
For this project, Li Dai did not have high expectations. After giving some encouragement to the participating athletes, he returned to the hotel to rest and prepare for the evening competition.
There are no track and field competitions scheduled in the afternoon. The track and field competition did not start again until 8:30 pm Brazilian time.
The first event in the evening session is the first round of the women's 1500 meters. The strongest teams in this event are still Kenya and Ethiopia. Algeria is also at a good level. As for the US team, it also has the potential to compete for medals, but Li Dai did not pay too much attention to it. After all, this game is the first round. There are many B-standard players among the contestants, and these B-standard players are here to act as cannon fodder. In terms of the strength of American athletes, when there are cannon fodder at the bottom, it is common to advance, and it is rare to be eliminated.
At the same time as the field competition, the women's hammer throw qualifying competition was held. The American team performed normally, with two players reaching the finals. However, facing the powerful Eastern European legion, the Americans had little chance of winning.
The next two events are the first round of the men's 400 meters and the men's long jump qualifying round. Both are the dominant events of the United States. The American team has the gold medal in these two events, and all American athletes will advance without any suspense. .
There are two events left in the track and field competition on this day, namely the first round of the women's 100 meters and the finals of the women's shot put.
Li Dai did not pay attention to the first round of the women's 100 meters. Although the American team is not as good as Jamaica in this event, it is definitely second in the world in terms of strength. There is no problem in guaranteeing two athletes to enter the final. The first round is casual You can advance by running.
The final of the women's shot put is a competition for an Olympic gold medal. This is the third gold medal born in the track and field competition of the Olympic Games today, and it is also the last gold medal today. If we can win this gold medal, we will at least have a good start in track and field events, which will be very helpful in improving the morale of the entire team.
However, in this event, only 19-year-old Vince Jackson of the US team advanced, and she had to face top players from all over the world. It is undoubtedly very difficult for the US team to win the championship.
…
Three players from the Russian team entered the women's shot put finals, and head coach Melklov certainly aims to win the championship.
"New Zealand's veteran Adams and Hungary's Marton are our biggest opponents. Adams has participated in the Olympics for the third time. She has won an Olympic silver medal before, and of course she aims to win the championship this time. Marton is in the World Championships He defeated our Russian athletes and won the championship. In addition, Germany's Schnetzer and China's Li Xiaona are also good contenders for medals. As for other athletes, they do not pose a threat to us."
Melklov suddenly laughed to himself when he said this, and he continued: "Only one person from the American team advanced to the finals, and he was a 19-year-old young man named Vince Jackson. In this Olympics, I had never even heard of her name before. Her preliminary score was 19.23 meters, which looked pretty good, but if she couldn't even reach 20 meters, it would be completely impossible to win a medal. "
When Merklov said this, he clenched his fists and said with an impassioned look to the three athletes who were about to compete: "Girls, our biggest enemy, the American team, can no longer pose a threat to us. Now No one can prevent us from winning this gold medal! I believe you can win and you will become a hero of Russia!"
On the other side, unlike Melklov's excitement, he seemed very calm at this time.
None of the athletes who could reach the finals were weak. Dai Li also monitored the twelve players in the finals. He found that based on pure strength, Vince Jackson could only be ranked in the middle of the pack.
"Although there is some gap in strength, it will not be crushed by the African duo like the women's 10,000 meters, and there is no way to fight back. But it is indeed a bit difficult to get a medal. And Vince Jackson My state has always had big ups and downs... If it doesn't work, I can only take a gamble!"
Dai Li looked at the status scale in the system and decided to use this prop against Wence Jackson.
The status scale can make athletes' status extremely stable. For players with advantages, a stable performance can almost guarantee victory. This is how Li Dai helped Adam Holly get rid of his psychological problems.
At the same time, the status scale can also make an athlete's status extremely unstable. This instability may be an extremely overwhelming state, or it may be an extremely bad state. It all depends on luck.
Now, Dai Li plans to use the function of the status scale to make Wence Jackson's status extremely unstable.
Dai Li felt that if Vince Jackson was allowed to perform normally, he would not have much chance. Instead of that, it would be better to take a gamble and make Vince Jackson's condition become explosive. If he performs extraordinarily, he might have a chance to win.
Moreover, the characteristics of the shot put sport are also very suitable for using the status scale.
For example, racing sports, such as short, medium and long-distance running, such as swimming, are all one-time deals. Athletes only have one chance every month. The competition is to see who reaches the finish line first, whoever is faster, and who is first. There is no second place. Opportunities that have come before. Such on-the-spot performance in sports is certainly important, but the competition is still about real hard power.
Shooting, archery, diving and other sports rely on the accumulation of results to calculate the total score to determine the outcome. Therefore, athletes must go all out for every shot, every arrow, and every technical move they make. As long as they fail to do it once, Well, you will miss out on the gold medal. In such a sport, stable performance is the most important. A good performance may give the athlete some advantages, but when the total score is calculated, the outstanding performance will be evenly divided into the total score, and it will become very small. , or even ignored.
The shot put and even other field events are different. The field events compare the athletes' best performance. For example, there are six trial throw opportunities for the shot put, and six trial jump opportunities for the long jump. As long as one of the results is better than others, even if the other five results are zero, you will still be the champion.
This competition system also determines that athletes can fight boldly and choose extreme technical moves, even if they are on the verge of failure or fouling. As long as they can achieve a good enough result once, they can win the championship.
And this is also very suitable for the status balance to play a role. For example, in the six trial throws of the shot put, as long as one of the conditions is overwhelming, it is possible to win the championship.
…
Vince Jackson picked up the shot put and looked at the curved ground in front of him, feeling somewhat nervous. This is her first time participating in the Olympics and her first international competition, and now she has reached the Olympic finals.
Vince Jackson couldn't help but recall that a few months ago, during the domestic trials in the United States, she only finished twelfth, ranking last among the athletes who entered the finals, and she was extremely far away from qualifying for the top three. At that time, she never dreamed that she would be able to stand on the stage of the Olympic finals.
"It's not easy to get to this point. This may be the most glorious moment in my life. Work hard!" Vince Jackson thought of this and started this trial shot.
"Drink!" Wence Jackson couldn't help but yelled, and at the same time let go of the shot put.
"Whoosh!" The dark lead ball hit the front like a cannonball.
"Bang!" A mark appeared on the ground, and this mark did not even cross the 17-meter marking line.
The surveyor immediately rushed forward and inserted a long pole into the mark.
"16 meters 79!" the referee announced the result.
Vince Jackson suddenly looked frustrated. In this trial throw, she performed terribly. Her score of less than 17 meters was not at all what the Olympic level should be. You must know that in the women's shot put event, the Olympic B standard is 17.3 meters, while the Olympic A standard is 18.35 meters. For athletes who have entered the Olympic finals, they cannot even throw 17 meters. It is indeed too bad to be worse.
Wence Jackson walked off the field, and Dai Li came over personally and handed her the towel.
"I'm sorry, Coach Li, I..."
Before Wence Jackson could finish speaking, Li Dai interrupted her and comforted her: "It's okay, this is just the first trial throw. In the shot put sport, every trial throw is a new beginning! And you are I personally select athletes, and I believe I can’t make a mistake.”
Dai Li's expression was relaxed and confident, which made Vince Jackson feel much more settled.
Facing such young athletes, and participating in such an important event for the first time, encouragement is obviously a very important emotion, and Li Dai does not want Vince Jackson to bear too much pressure, so he has to perform He looked very relaxed, hoping to use this method to share the pressure for Vince Jackson.
Besides, Li Dai didn't think that he would be so lucky that he encountered extremely bad conditions in the first three trial shots.
…
The first round of trial shots is all over. With a score of less than 17 meters, Vince Jackson has undoubtedly become the bottom among all athletes.
An unknown athlete, shooting a bottom score, all this seems to tell others that this young girl named Wence Jackson is here to make soy sauce.
Faced with this situation, coaches from other countries simply chose to ignore Vince Jackson, and the other eleven competitors also decided not to pay attention to Vince Jackson's situation. No one would waste their energy on a soy sauce player. on the body.
The athletes started their second trial shot one after another, and Vince Jackson also ushered in his second appearance in the Olympic finals.
Vince Jackson walked to the throwing area and picked up the shot put. At this time, the big screen and TV broadcasters at the scene gave the data of Vince Jackson's first trial pitch.
As soon as the bottom score of less than 17 meters appeared, some spectators couldn't help but yawn. After all, it was already after 10 o'clock in the evening local time. If it weren't for the masters, it would make people concentrate.
The audience in front of the TV also drinks water when it is time to drink water and uses the toilet when it is time to go to the toilet. No one cares about the results of an unknown soy sauce player.
Everyone in the coaches' rest area and the athletes' waiting area was also busy and didn't care about Wence Jackson's results at all.
At this time, perhaps only the referees on the scene will pay full attention to Vince Jackson.
Vince Jackson took a deep breath, repeated the technical essentials of the shot put in his mind, and then started his second trial throw.
The dark lead ball turned into a small cannonball, flew out, and then hit the ground heavily, leaving a mark.
This time, however, the trace was outside the thickest line.
That's the 20-meter mark!
At this moment, the referee responsible for measuring was the first to open his eyes wide, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"Did I read that correctly? She actually broke 20 meters! She couldn't even reach 17 meters just now. Why did her score improve so much all of a sudden?"