At a height of 6.03 meters, French player Patreigne only has one chance left. For him, if he fails again, he will be eliminated and forced to accept the bronze medal result.
And even if he successfully crossed the height of 6.03 meters, he would only advance to the next height. He would continue to face the challenges of two competitors.
At this time, Patreny felt a little regretful. He felt that he should not have jumped at the height of 5.98 meters. He was indeed too conceited before and gave up the opportunity to adjust at 5.98 meters.
In fact, with Patreny's strength, 6.03 meters is not an insurmountable gap. He often jumps this height in daily training, and he has also jumped from a similar height in competitions. However, the increase from 5.93 meters to 6.03 meters, a full 10 centimeters increase, prevented Patreny from adapting immediately. As a result, he failed two consecutive trial jumps, which put him in a desperate situation.
Everyone at the scene was looking at Patreny. As the men's pole vault champion of the last Olympic Games, he was considered the most promising to win the championship before the game, but now he has to be eliminated first.
"It's 6.03 meters. Can Patreny jump over it?"
"I think it's very difficult. After all, he didn't succeed the first two times, and the possibility of success the third time is not very high."
"The data given before the game shows that he has jumped higher than him before. I think Patrenie has a good chance with this jump."
The audience at the scene began to applaud rhythmically, like the drumbeat of a gladiator before setting out for battle. This is a unique way of cheering for pole vaulting. People expect that the defending champion can successfully challenge this height, and then continue. Give everyone a more exciting showdown.
However, at this time, the camera was focused on the referee, who took the microphone and announced a message.
Patrine chose not to jump!
He wants to cross the height of 6.03 meters and directly challenge 6.08 meters.
According to the rules, athletes can request not to jump after failing the first or second trial jump at a certain height, but the number of continued trial jumps at subsequent heights can only be the number of attempts after the failed trial jump at the previous height. The remaining number of unhopped times. Patreny has made two trial jumps at a height of 6.03 meters. Even if he chooses not to jump, he will only have one chance to trial jump at the next height.
Life or death depends on the last fight.
…
"Patreni chose the method with the highest risk-benefit ratio." Downey, the leader of the US team, said.
"Or maybe Patrenie doesn't have much confidence in himself." Li Dai raised another possibility.
Patreny failed the first two times at a height of 6.03 meters. Even if he succeeds for the third time, he will have to compete with the other two for the next height. If he fails in the last try, he will He can only get one bronze medal and will be the first to bid farewell to this Olympics.
Now he chose to skip the jump and went directly to the next height, so that he was at least on the same starting line as the other two opponents. Although he only had one chance, if he could succeed this time, the other two players If they all fail, then he will be the champion; if he succeeds and his opponent also succeeds, then he has entered the resurrection group; and if he fails this time, he will still be the bronze medalist.
From this perspective, General, since you have already won the bronze medal with a guarantee, why not give it a try? If you are lucky, the bronze medal will become a gold medal. If you are not lucky, you have nothing to lose, and you can still hold the bronze medal firmly in your hands.
…
The height increased by another 5 centimeters to 6.08 meters, which is very close to the world record of 6.16 meters. It has truly reached the pinnacle level of competition in the world.
Muller's expression looked very solemn. At 6.08 meters, he had reached the ultimate height in his training. But now he was in a competition or in the Olympic finals, which made Muller extremely guilty.
Sure enough, Muller's first attempt failed.
In fact, there are very few active athletes who have the strength to challenge this height. Of course, having the strength to challenge does not mean that the challenge can be successful. The athlete with the highest probability of success in the challenge is the Russian player Kulaev. The World Championship champion two years ago has already proven to the world that among active athletes, Kulaev is the best in terms of strength and condition.
But after all, it is 6.08 meters, a number that has never appeared in the Olympics. How can it be so easy to challenge!
Faced with such a height, Kulaev failed to succeed in his first trial jump.
Next it was Patrine's turn, but this was Patrine's last chance.
Patreny held the pole tightly with both hands and stared ahead. Then he took a deep breath and began to accelerate for a final push.
The long pole was supported on the ground, and Patreny took advantage of the momentum to leap high into the sky, hanging, swinging, raising legs, and pulling up. A series of movements on the pole were extremely smooth.
At this moment, even Patraine himself felt hope.
But unfortunately, when he climbed over the crossbar, his abdominal movement was not perfect, and his body still touched the crossbar.
Patreny fell on the sponge mat. He had already heard the sound of the crossbar falling. At this time, his expression was extremely frustrated. As the champion of the last men's pole vault, his journey to the Olympics has also ended here. Finish.
…
"Patrine failed! He was eliminated! I didn't expect that in the last three people's contest, the first one to be eliminated was Patrine!"
"I thought that the young American athlete would be eliminated first, but I didn't expect that the first one to be eliminated was Patrina, and the young American was able to hold on until now."
"I think the American athlete is not far away from being eliminated. At a height of 6.08 meters, apart from Kulayev, I can't think of another person who can cross it."
People began to discuss that this men's pole vault championship competition has come to an end. There are only two athletes left on the field, and both of them still have two attempts to jump. For them, every trial jump may determine the final outcome.
Muller stood on the field, and he was very nervous at this time. Before this, he had not even participated in competitions outside the United States, but now he is not only standing in the Olympic finals, but also having a final showdown with Kurayev. It is obviously impossible to say that I am not nervous at all.
Dai Li also felt the change in Mueller's mood.
"For Muller, 6.08 meters is also an extremely difficult challenge." Li Dai hesitated for a moment, but still moved the weight of the status scale to the other side.
Before that, the balance of status was always on the side of extremely stable status, and Muller's performance was indeed very stable. He sang all the way to a height of 6.08 meters, but now it seems that this height cannot be achieved by Muller's stable performance. It's solved. So Dai Li decided to bet on his luck. A burst of form might help Muller cross the height of 6.08 meters.
I saw Muller begin to accelerate rhythmically, then support the long pole on the ground and jump high.
"Oops!" Dai Li frowned immediately.
Although Muller was still in the air at this time, Li Dai had already made a judgment. Muller's take-off height was completely insufficient to climb over 6.08 meters, and this jump was destined to fail.
Obviously, Dai Li didn't gamble on being in great form, but gambled on being in bad form.
The second attempt failed, and now Muller only has one last chance. The situation is very unfavorable for him.
Immediately afterwards, Kulaev entered the arena.
Muller's failed test jump greatly relieved the pressure on Kulayev. Now he has one more chance than Muller and has an even greater advantage in the situation.
And Kulaev is also very confident in his own strength. He knows that he has the ability to cross 6.08 meters.
I saw him standing on the approach area, but he did not take off immediately. Instead, he kept adjusting the posture of holding the pole and adjusting his state.
Then he began to mutter something. He didn't know whether he was praying or reminding himself to pay attention to some key details.
The surrounding audience also began to applaud Kulaev. The neat applause was very rhythmic and getting faster and faster. Any athlete would feel his blood boiling when he heard this kind of applause.
Finally, Kurayev started to take off, then took off from the pole, making movements with his body in the air, and then passed over the crossbar.
This jump seemed to vaguely hit the crossbar, and the crossbar swayed very slightly. Of course, it is not ruled out that it may be due to the wind.
Kulaev landed on the thick cotton pad. He raised his head immediately. The crossbar was still hanging on his head and did not fall down.
"Oh oh oh!" Kurayev shouted excitedly.
"Success, 6.08 meters, Kulaev succeeded!" the commentator shouted excitedly.
The surrounding auditorium also burst into cheers, and at the same time, Kulayev's test jump began to be replayed on the big screen at the scene. In the slow-motion replay from a high place, Kulaev's body is really close to the crossbar. Even if it is just a centimeter off, the crossbar will be knocked down by Kulaev.
"Oh..." The cheers of the audience turned into exclamations. This slight difference is the charm of sports.
…
Kulaev crossed 6.08 meters, and the situation was extremely unfavorable for Muller. Even if Kulaev started celebrating his victory now, no one would think it was too much.
Pole vaulting is like this. If you fail in the first two attempts, the probability of succeeding in the third time is not high.
At this time, Muller was just like Patrine just now, and the two of them were facing similar situations. If the third try jump fails, then he will lose the game, and if the third try jump is successful, then he has a chance to move to the next level.
Alternatively, Muller could choose not to jump. He used his last chance to try to jump to challenge the next height.
"How about we choose not to jump?" Dai Li asked.
Muller did not say "good" or "bad", but said: "Coach, the next height is 6.13 meters. I have never jumped that high, even in practice, I have never tried that height. "
"Franz, listen to me, if you fail in your last attempt at 6.08 meters, you will lose the entire competition and you can only get a silver medal; and if you succeed, you will still be We have to face 6.13 meters. In this case, why don’t we avoid the possibility of failure in the third trial jump and directly challenge 6.13 meters? Kulaev has already jumped 6.08 meters, so you want If you beat him and get the gold medal, 6.13 meters is a height you can't escape!" Li Dai said.
"But I have no confidence. I have never tried to jump 6.13 meters." Muller replied hesitantly.
"But I have confidence in you!" Li Dai patted Muller on the shoulder and continued: "You did not participate in the Olympic trials, but I recruited you into the national team against all odds. Do you know why? ? It’s because I have confidence in you! I believe that you will definitely become the ruler of the men’s pole vault in the next ten years, and today is just your first step. All you need to do now is to take this step bravely, Don't hesitate or have any scruples. Today's 6.13 meters is just a small challenge for you. You will definitely be able to break the world record in the future. Now you just need to believe that you are the strongest!"
…
Melklov's face lit up with excitement. Just listen to him say: "The American really chose not to jump! It seems that we can celebrate the victory in advance!"
"Yeah, he failed to jump 6.08 meters twice in two attempts, so what qualifications does he have to try to jump 6.13 meters!" Deputy head coach Igor Najaf agreed from the side.
"6.08 meters is already a new Olympic record, which is 0.11 meters higher than the previous 5.97 meters. I don't know if our Kurayev is interested in continuing to break this record." Merklov continued.
Muller chose not to jump, so next, both Kulayev and Muller will challenge 6.13 meters. It's just that Muller only has one chance to try to jump. If he fails, Muller will have no results at the two heights of 6.08 meters and 6.13 meters. But Kulaev successfully jumped 6.08 meters, so as long as Muller fails in the test jump, Kulaev will win the championship even if he does not have to try 6.13 meters.
But according to the rules, if Muller fails in the test jump, Kulayev will still have three opportunities to try to jump. He can continue to try to jump 6.13 meters, or even challenge a higher height. Of course, by that time, he will jump every time. The challenges are not about competing for gold medals, but about challenging new Olympic records.
But the premise of all this is that Muller cannot jump 6.13 meters.
…
6.13 meters, this is a height that Muller did not dare to try in practice.
Dai Li also knew that Muller wanted to jump to this height unless he was in full form and performed beyond his level. As Igor Najav said, if he can't jump over 6.08 meters, how can we expect him to jump over 6.13 meters.
Now Dai Li can only pray that the goddess of luck will favor him.
"In great condition, we must be in great condition!" Dai Li prayed silently in his heart.
In fact, Dai Li also knows that at a height of 6.13 meters, even if Muller is in great condition, he may not be able to cross it. Although Muller has S+ talent, he is too young after all, and he has only trained with Dai Li for just one month. He is not yet a king who can dominate the pole vault event.
"Perhaps today will be your first coronation!" Dai Li murmured to himself.
…
Muller looked forward. Facing this height that he had never tried before, Muller's expression seemed unusually calm. And he no longer felt nervous, but instead felt excited and expectant.
Muller's body started up, he began to accelerate, and then performed a series of technical moves in the pole vault. This is an action he has done countless times. Even if he is sleepwalking, he can complete this set of actions skillfully.
Muller's body rose in the air, and the 6.13-meter crossbar got closer and closer to him.
"6.13 meters, it's really high!" Mueller suddenly felt an urgent urge in his heart to cross this height!
At this time, the inner excitement turned into a desire for victory, and the sense of expectation turned into a belief that he must win. At this time, Muller seemed to have an instinct in his body. When faced with a desperate situation, he could Exhibit extraordinary strength.
This may be the special ability that a king should have!
Muller's hands finally left the pole, and he was like a dancer, performing the most elegant dance steps in the air!
"Perfect!" Li Dai's clenched fists have been released. Although Muller's body has not completely crossed the crossbar, Li Dai can already have a premonition that Muller's jump will be successful!
The next second, Muller successfully crossed the 6.13-meter crossbar...