The American team was celebrating winning the gold medal when a tournament steward came from a distance and approached Dai Li.
“Coach Li, we have just received a complaint from the head coach of the Jamaican team Fraser. He believes that your players from the American team interfered with the handover of the baton by the Jamaican team players, which caused the Jamaican team to make mistakes during the handover of the second and third batons. "The tournament steward said.
"Deliberate interference? This is simply nonsense. We almost made a mistake and dropped the bat ourselves." Dai Li snorted coldly, and his expression darkened.
"Coach Li, according to the rules, since there is a complaint, we should accept it and investigate it, so please come with me. We also need to ask you a few questions. Please cooperate with our work." The tournament steward said Said with a poker face.
"Okay, I will cooperate fully, let's go." Li Dai said, glaring in the direction of the Jamaican team.
Li Dai did not see Fraser in the Jamaican team's camp. It seems that Fraser had already complained to the American team.
"This Frazier is a coach who has been famous for a long time. He really can't afford to lose!" Dai Li curled his lips disdainfully.
…
Li Dai followed the tournament steward to an office where Fraser, the head coach of the Jamaican team, was also here. In addition, there are the referee on duty today, the referee's two deputies, and three other tournament officials.
"Everyone is here." The leader of the game steward continued: "Then let both sides explain their respective views. Coach Frazier, you are the party making the complaint, so please speak first."
Fraser nodded and said, "I think the American team deliberately interfered with our players during the game, causing our players to make mistakes when handing over the second and third balls. Team USA This is obviously a foul, which is extremely unfair to our Jamaican team, so this game should be replayed!"
The tournament steward turned to Dai Li again: "Coach Li, do you have anything to respond to about Coach Frazier's complaint?"
"Coach Frazier's complaint is completely groundless. Our athletes did not intentionally interfere with the Jamaican team's competitors." Li Dai continued without mercy: "You must have seen the situation at that time through the slow-motion replay. Yes, our athlete made a mistake and almost dropped the baton. Fortunately, he reacted quickly enough and regained control of the baton. However, our athlete also lost a certain amount of time because of this mistake. I don’t think any coach would arrange a baton. A tactic that makes you lose time, right?"
Li Dai said, turned to look at Frazier, and then asked: "Coach Frazier, if it were you, you would arrange such a tactic. You would rather lose some time than let your players deliberately do it." Interfering with one of the opponents?"
Frazier snorted coldly and did not answer, while Li Dai continued: "What's more, if our players don't grab the baton, it will definitely be a drop of the baton, and we will lose the game. Furthermore, Come on, if the handover of the Jamaican team is successful, will our American team lose time in vain? If this is intentional, then in terms of benefits, it is obviously not worth the loss."
The tournament steward nodded again, then discussed a few words with the referee team in a low voice, and then said: "We listened to the statements of both parties, and after discussion, the tournament committee determined that in the final of the women's 4x100m relay, The American players did not intentionally interfere with the handover of the second and third legs of the Jamaican team. This should have been an accident. Coach Fraser, if you do not agree with our ruling, you can continue to file an arbitration with the International Olympic Committee after the game. "
Frazier also knew that he was being unreasonable. As Li Dai said, no coach would be stupid enough to deliberately arrange such a tactic that harms others and does not benefit oneself.
But Fraser was not willing to fail. He immediately said: "Even if the American team did not deliberately interfere with our player's handover, the remedial action taken by the American player after the mistake was indeed a handover to our player." The stick caused interference, which is an unfair behavior. Our Jamaican team has obviously been treated unfairly. This is against the principle of fair competition in the Olympic Games, so we should be given a chance to make amends, even if there is no rematch. We, the Jamaican team, should be allowed to run alone. If our results exceed the performance of the United States team to win the championship, the gold medal should be returned to our Jamaican team."
"Return?" Dai Li smiled coldly, and then said: "Coach Frazier, according to you, this gold medal belongs to your Jamaican team? I don't think there is a provision in the Olympic Games regulations that women's The 4x100m relay belongs to the Jamaican team, right?”
Frazier was unmoved by Dai Li's sarcasm. This was related to the ownership of an Olympic gold medal, so Frazier was willing to give up. As long as there was a chance to get the gold medal back, he would not let go of this old face. .
The stewards and referees began to whisper again, apparently discussing Frazier's point of view.
Dai Li felt that he had to do something. If the stewards of the competition are stupid and give the Jamaican team a chance to rematch, the American team's score of 41 seconds away really cannot keep the gold medal.
Then Li Dai said: "Meeting officials and Mr. Referees, if I remember correctly, the IAAF has this regulation on baton dropping in relay races. Athletes must hold the baton and run the entire distance. If the baton drops, they must If the player who dropped the stick picks it up, he may leave his own lane to pick it up. If this is done and it does not impede other players, it is not a foul. Am I right?"
"That's indeed the rule." The referee nodded.
"According to the slow-motion replay at the time, although our player dropped the baton, she regained control of the baton's movement and did not leave her own lane. So our player's behavior is not a foul, right?" Li Dai then asked.
"Yes, all technical moves by American players are completed within their own lanes." The referee nodded with confirmation.
"The rules clearly state that if you leave your own lane but do not hinder other athletes, it is not a foul. In other words, if the action is completed in your own lane, it cannot be regarded as interference." Li Dai said.
"Why do you say that doing actions within your own quota cannot be regarded as interfering with the opponent?" Frazier immediately retorted.
"If doing actions in one's own lane can be considered an act of interference, then in the previous women's 100-meter competition, the athletes of the Jamaican team glanced at our competitors during the competition. Our athletes felt that the look was too scary and disturbing. When it comes to the performance of our athletes, can I also complain to the competition committee?" Li Dai asked rhetorically.
Fraser snorted again and did not answer. In fact, he wanted to refute, but he really was not on the side of reason.
Just listen to Li Dai continue to say: "I don't deny that the Jamaican player made a mistake after our player almost dropped the baton, and the Jamaican team's mistake may also have a causal relationship with the actions of our player, but this does not mean that the Jamaican player made a mistake. The responsibility for the team's mistakes is passed on to us. In relay races, mistakes often happen, and accidents are also part of the game. We can't have to restart the game just because of an accident, right?"
"What's more, if the players of the Jamaican team can perform more stably in the game, then they will not make mistakes in handing over the baton. So in the final analysis, the Jamaican team made its own mistakes. So the Jamaican team should bear its own responsibility, and Other teams should not be made to pay for their mistakes. So I implore the tournament to reject Coach Frazier’s unreasonable request.”
…
In the end, the tournament did not accept Fraser's request, and the tournament stewards also knew that Fraser's request was completely unreasonable.
After this minor disturbance, the competition will continue. Next is the last event of the day, the men's 4x100m final.
In this event, there is no doubt about the strength of the U.S. team. The U.S. team has Alexander and Ford, two new Olympic champions, who are obviously the favorites to win the championship.
What's more, the American women's team has already won the relay race, which also provides motivation for the male athletes participating in the relay race. The best players on the women's team only won the Olympic bronze medal, but they won the relay championship. There are two gold medalists in the men's team, so why not win the gold medal in the 4x100m relay
In contrast, the two-time defending Olympic champions, the Jamaican team, no longer have the same vigor as before. In individual events, whether it is the men's 100 meters or the men's 200 meters, the Jamaican team lost to the United States. This made the Jamaican team lose to the United States. The road to defending the title was looked down upon.
More importantly, the women's team lost the relay race and failed to win a medal, which dealt a huge blow to the morale of the Jamaican team.
In team sports, athlete morale is a very important winning factor. For example, on the golf course, playing downwind and playing against the wind are two completely different experiences.
Moreover, the failure of the Jamaican women's team has also put additional pressure on the Jamaican men's team. The players of the Jamaican men's team will worry about whether they will encounter the same situation as the women's team. When handing over the baton, they will There will be no similar mistakes.
People are always worried that bad things will happen again, and this is especially true on the field. For example, if an athlete has been injured due to a certain technical action, when he recovers from the injury and performs the same technical action again, he will Worried that I will get hurt again.
The current Jamaican men's team is also in this state. The women's team's mistakes are like a seed of haze, planted deep in their hearts, beginning to sprout and gradually grow. When they hand over the baton, they always seem a little hesitant, as if they are very worried that a mistake in handing over the baton will also happen to the men's team.
How can the Jamaican team in such a state be an opponent of the powerful American team.
When Sean Ford passed the baton to Alexander, the U.S. team's lead was enough to seal the victory.
"20 gold! We got the 20th gold medal!" Downey looked extremely excited.
This isn't Downey's first time participating in the Olympics with the U.S. team. This is his second time as a track and field team leader, but he has never experienced such a big victory. Now, the unprecedented victory of the U.S. Track and Field Team will further enhance Downey's status within the U.S. Track and Field Association, and his political career will be bright.
More importantly, he witnessed this scene with his own eyes and witnessed the birth of the most powerful American track and field team in history. This is truly something worth bragging about for a lifetime.
Equally happy are the American reporters. At this time, the on-site reporter accompanying the American team has already thought of the headline of tomorrow’s news:
"Ten years of waiting, American sprinting returns to its peak!" 》
…
On the bus back to the hotel, all the contestants of the American team were still excited, but Dai Li was holding a piece of information and fell into thinking.
What he has in hand is the matchup situation for tomorrow's game.
Tomorrow will be the penultimate day of the Olympics and the penultimate day of track and field competition.
Since the closing ceremony will be held at the Maracana Stadium on the last day of the Olympic Games, rehearsals for the closing ceremony need to be carried out in advance. Therefore, there will be no games scheduled at the Maracana Stadium on the last day of the Olympic Games, so tomorrow is also the end of the Maracana Stadium. The last match day inside the Larkana Stadium. After tomorrow's game, the Maracanã Stadium will prepare for the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games.
There are eight events left in track and field, of which the men's marathon is held on the last day and is held outdoors without occupying the space of the Maracanã Stadium. The other seven projects are all focused on tomorrow.
These seven events are all finals, namely women's high jump, men's javelin, men's 1500m, women's 800m, men's 5000m, women's 4x400m and men's 4x400m. According to the schedule, these seven events will all be held in the evening, which means there will be no track and field competitions during the entire day tomorrow.
The good news for the American team is that athletes in these seven events have entered the finals, and the players are all of good quality.
The two 4x400-meter relay races are must-win events for the US team. The US team's advantage in the 400-meter movement is already very obvious. This advantage accumulates to the 4x400-meter event and becomes even more obvious. It can be said that two gold medals in the 4x400m have been booked by the US team.
The women's high jump event is the strong point of Europeans, and except for the two American athletes, all the athletes who entered the finals are also European. However, the European players are relatively scattered. Spain, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Croatia, Bulgaria, Sweden, Poland, Ukraine, and Russia each have one player advancing to the finals. This also shows that the competition in this event is very fierce. No country dares to say that it has an absolute advantage in the women's high jump event.
The men's javelin throw is similar to the women's long jump, and a large number of European athletes have entered the finals. The American team has never been strong in the javelin event, but its strength has always been ranked in the upper middle. This time, one person from the American team entered the finals. Generally speaking, in the javelin event, the gap in strength between everyone is not very big. Everyone may stumble, and it is difficult to say who will definitely win.
In the two events of women's high jump and men's javelin, the balance of form can play a role again. Each athlete has the opportunity to try multiple times, and he will earn money as long as he is in great form once.
Moreover, in these two events, the gap between the athletes' previous levels is not very big, so it is easier to use the balance of status to fish in troubled waters. A good state can determine the final championship. If there are events where the strength gap between the players is relatively large, such as if there are S+ level rulers participating, then it will be difficult for the United States to win the gold medal even if they are in great form several times in a row.
"The two relay events, plus the women's high jump and the men's javelin throw, total four gold medals, which is still one short of the 25 gold medals I mentioned." Dai Li frowned and looked at the remaining three events.
The men's 5000 meters has always been dominated by the two African long-distance runners. Although the three runners of the American team have also advanced, it is very difficult to win the gold medal.
However, there is also good news in the men's 5000m event. The Kenyan team made coordination errors in the first round and no one advanced to the finals. This is a big upset. Therefore, the American team only needs to face Ethiopia, a top team.
The two middle-distance running events of women's 800 meters and men's 1500 meters are also very competitive. In addition to Russia, Kenya, Uganda, Algeria, and South Africa in Africa all have world-class middle-distance runners who have advanced to the finals. The players are basically on the same level in terms of strength, so it’s hard to say who will win the game in the end.
"I have observed athletes in this event. Not only are there no S-level players, there are not even A+-level players. This is very rare in high-level events like the Olympic Games. The heroes are divided. It seems that tomorrow will It will be a free-for-all between the two projects!”