At the end of the year, the pace of time suddenly accelerated. The training center has arduous training day after day, and there is the same mock exam every week in Huacheng No. 1. Li Cheng and Xiao Yiheng are thousands of miles apart, but they are both working hard on their own journeys.
Since entering the training center, Li Cheng has never had a weekend. Every day at 4:30 in the morning, I start eating and training, and at 10:30 in the evening, I turn off the lights and close my eyes, seven days a week.
It wasn't until one night when Li Cheng was hiding under the covers and secretly chatting with Xiao Yiheng on his mobile phone, he realized that the New Year was coming before he knew it.
Xiao Yiheng asked him if he would have a holiday in the New Year.
Li Cheng replied with a paralyzed expression.
Grain Orange: No, of course no _(:з」∠)_
Lili Orange: The team has given a notice that the final selection will be held on January 1st.
There are dozens of people in their swimming team, and only one-third of them can represent the country in the end. Who can go to the international podium with honor, and who will pack up and go back to their hometown in this final selection. , you can see the difference.
When Xiao Yiheng heard it, he immediately asked him whether he was nervous or not.
Grain Orange:
Lili Orange: What am I nervous about
Lili Orange: It must be that other people are nervous.
Xiao Yiheng: "..."
…
Along with the dawn of the new year, came the three-day internal selection of the training center. There are 18 major events and 220 minor events in the World Games for Secondary School Students, and there are more than 20 swimming events alone.
Speed swimming is divided into 50 meters, 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, 800 meters and 1500 meters according to the schedule. Li Cheng wants to sign up for the 100 meters and 200 meters.
Of course, the internal selection is not "one battle will win or lose", in addition to looking at the final results, but also refer to the players' usual training in the team.
Although Li Cheng was very confident in front of Xiao Yiheng, he was still a little nervous. After all, his teammates, like him, are all provincial champions, and if Li Cheng is a little tired, he will be surpassed by them.
Fortunately, this month's scientific training has made Li Cheng make great progress, and his 100-meter performance has improved by half a second! You know, in the racing competition, it is not easy to improve the performance by 0.01 seconds, Li Cheng jumped 0.5 seconds! !
With a solid record, Li Cheng is more confident to win the qualification.
In order to better preserve the players' physical strength and win as many medals as possible, each player is only allowed to sign up for two events. Regardless of the large number of swimming teams, in fact, when it is allocated to each event, only two or three people sign up.
Li Cheng chose to sign up for his best 200-self and 100-self. There is one 200-self opponent and two 100-self opponents. Coincidentally, those two opponents were both from X City, which was the first day of training. Those who mocked him in the X city dialect.
Li Cheng didn't even bother to remember their names. According to their appearance, he gave them nicknames.
Both of them are alphas, and they came from the same city and the same school. The two of them stick together to death, and they rarely interact with other players.
That school is a strong swimming school. It is said that in the previous World Games for Secondary School Students, students from their school can get a place in the competition.
Li Cheng dismissed this, "it is said" what's so great, he is still a "legend".
Before the start of the game, the players warmed up by the pool. Li Cheng swam back and forth for a few rounds to wake up the muscles of his whole body and adjust his state to the best.
He emerged from the water, took off his swimming goggles and was about to go ashore when suddenly a hand reached out to him.
Li Cheng looked up along the hand and found that the person standing in front of him was Zhou Jian.
Zhou Jian's competition has been completed. His physical fitness is excellent, and his family has spent a lot of money to hire foreign coaches to train him. Therefore, his performance is the best among all the competitors. In the 1,500-meter race just now, he left behind. Others have a whole track.
Zhou Jian said, "Li Cheng, I'll pull you."
"It's alright." Li Cheng felt troublesome, put his hands on the wall of the pool, and jumped ashore easily.
Zhou Jian's hand stopped awkwardly in the air, and finally he could only retract it and touch his nose.
"Are you finished?" Li Cheng chatted with him while wiping the water off his body with a bath towel.
"It's over." Zhou Jian nodded, "How are you preparing?"
"Sorry, I don't need to prepare, even if I swim with my eyes closed, I'll be in the competition this time!" Li Cheng raised her head proudly, her nose almost touching the ceiling!
His voice was a bit loud, and the two X City players standing in the distance looked at him at the same time, and then looked away as if they didn't hear it.
"..." Zhou Jian saw that he was so confident, a little hesitation flashed in his eyes. He lowered his voice and said, "Li Cheng, I don't know if you have heard of something, but I think you'd better prepare yourself mentally."
Li Cheng asked carelessly, "What's the matter?"
Zhou Jian: "The coaches of the two X City players are students of our training team Yu Coach."
"...Huh?" Li Cheng didn't turn around for a while, not knowing the interpersonal relationship.
Coach Yu is the head coach of their swimming team, and she is in charge of both the men's and women's teams. She is a ruthless alpha. Almost everyone on the women's team has been scolded and cried by her. There are also a few men's team who have poor psychological endurance and secretly wiped away their tears. Everyone privately complained that this "Yu Demon" was so ruthless, he must have three children for every meal.
But Li Cheng likes her very much, because she swears at others, and she has a strong coaching ability. Li Cheng can improve so much because of her strict requirements.
Zhou Jian: "Isn't Coach Yu transferred from the second team of the national team? She has been the coach of the second team for many years and has brought out countless champions. The coach of the X City Sports School was once under her command. soldier."
"… so what?"
"So, every year X City Sports School has players selected for the final list because of this mentoring relationship."
Zhou Jian was worried that Coach Yu would allocate the quota that should belong to Li Cheng to others for this reason. For this reason, after he learned about this, he came to remind Li Cheng specially.
After listening to his words, Li Cheng frowned, and the originally relaxed mood was covered with a gray color.
Li Cheng has been swimming for so many years, and he has participated in serious competitions dozens of times. He knows very well that sometimes the game is not against opponents, but against people outside the pool.
He has seen a certain player take off for a foul, and it is reasonable to say that the result should be invalid, but because of the strong relationship between the coach and the referee team, he finally "appealed successfully" and the player won a medal; he has also heard that in the international In the competition, a certain platform jumper performed abnormally. Because this player is the "pro-son" of the host country, he actually had an absurd opportunity to jump again...
Li Cheng recalled the bits and pieces in the training center over the past month. He didn't want to believe that coach Yu, who seemed to be selfless, would also be selfish on such an important matter.
"Li Cheng, why don't you ask your coach to help you find a relationship?" Zhou Jian reminded him.
"..." Li Cheng shook his head silently.
Looking for what relationship? How could Wu Xu help him find a relationship from so far away in Huacheng, thousands of miles away
He has always been Wu Xu's pride. He still remembers what Wu Xu said to him the day Wu Xu sent him to the training center - "If there will be a world champion among my students, I believe it is. you."
The world champion has to swim out on his own. If Li Cheng admits defeat, compromises, and starts to find a relationship, how can he be worthy of his hard work and those who stand behind him and support him
Seeing that Li Cheng didn't speak, Zhou Jian stared at his profile in a trance, and couldn't help but say, "If you can't find anyone, I can actually ask my family..."
"No need." Li Cheng didn't even think about it, but categorically refused, "If I want to find a relationship, wouldn't I be like them?"
Li Cheng looked at the take-off platform not far away. In the open space next to the take-off platform, the two players from X city were surrounding the coach, not knowing what they were talking about.
He retracted his gaze, and his eyes became more determined: "As an athlete, performance is the last word. As long as I swim fast enough, the shady will never catch up with me."
…
whistle.
On the take-off platform, several slender figures simultaneously kicked away from the take-off platform, like arrows shooting into the blue water, breaking the calm in the swimming pool.
On the shore on both sides of the pool, athletes who were not competing gathered together to cheer on their acquaintances.
There are ten tracks in the pool. In order to save time, the trials for the 100-meter freestyle are held together by the men's and women's teams.
As soon as he entered the water, there was a honey-colored figure that was particularly conspicuous. He rushed to the front of all the tracks with the momentum of a single ride, dragging a long white wave behind him.
At the end of the track, the head coach of the training team, "Yu Motou", folded his arms and looked at the competition in the swimming pool with a serious expression.
Several assistant coaches gathered around her, looking at the players' profiles while analyzing in a low voice.
"Three takeoffs are slow. I have corrected him many times before, but he will not be able to do it as soon as he arrives in the official competition. His mental quality is too poor."
"What's the matter with Er Dao today? The rhythm will be messed up as soon as you enter the water!"
"It's a pity for Liudao. The team doctor said that the old injury on her left leg has recurred. Although she has taken medication, her condition has declined."
"Five Dao..." An assistant coach stopped his pen, "...the momentum is good, the form is good, the rhythm is good - is this the omega?"
As soon as he said "omega", all the assistant coaches understood and immediately understood who he was.
After all, there are dozens of people in the entire swimming team, and there is only one omega!
When Li Cheng came to report on the day, everyone thought he was a member of the diving team. After several confirmations, they found out that he was the only omega member of the swimming team. Looking through his resume again, a series of golden glitters, at last year's Provincial Games in Hua Province, he even won three gold medals alone!
Racing competitions have always been dominated by alphas, betas only account for one-third of alphas, and omegas have not seen one in a few years. Looking around the world, the omega that can get international medals, but all the omega that can stand on the podium, everyone has made unimaginable efforts.
The assistant coaches were secretly discussing whether Li Cheng would be the next omega world champion.
"Li Cheng's advantage is obvious, this time he must be the first again." A male assistant said with satisfaction, "Just now, he has won the first place since 200, and his technique is very good, taking off and turning almost Perfect, as long as we can maintain this level, there is absolutely no problem in winning medals in official competitions, and we can guarantee the second and the first.”
"But he's an omega, will it affect him?" Another female assistant asked, "His medical record says that in his last provincial competition, the boom period was advanced, and it was later suppressed by temporary markers. What if he's ahead of schedule this time?"
"This is a small problem," the male assistant coach said. "Let him go to the team doctor for a physical examination later, and ask the team doctor to make a detailed report. If it is true that the boom period is coming, then apply for an inhibitor."
You said a word to me, and they quickly concluded the discussion on this matter. In their opinion, with Li Cheng's ability, being selected into the final list this time is a sure thing, and there is no need to worry about it.
When they discussed, Coach Yu kept silent, the nasolabial lines were deeply engraved on her face, she stared at the choppy swimming pool, her eyes never took off.
In just a few dozen seconds, as everyone expected, Li Cheng led the rushing water to the wall first!
With a buzzing sound, Li Cheng's time jumped out on the big electronic screen. When the other athletes on the shore saw Li Cheng's results, they all exclaimed in unison.
The female assistant turned the folder to the last page, and on the document paper, a striking font was printed - "The Final List of the Swimming Team of the World China Club"
Competitors of other events have already filled in, and only freestyle swimmers are left to fill in.
The female assistant took a pen and wrote a series of names on the paper.
Freestyle 1500 meters: Zhou Jian
800 meters freestyle: Zhou Jian
Freestyle 400m:…
200m freestyle: Li Cheng
100m freestyle: Li Cheng
Freestyle 50m:…
"Wait." Suddenly, Coach Yu, who hadn't said a word for a long time, interrupted the assistant coach aloud.
"What's the matter?" The assistant looked at her suspiciously.
Coach Yu raised his hand and double-clicked under Li Cheng's name.
"200 self, Li Cheng can be. But 100 self, substitution."
"... Substitution?" A look of shock flashed across the female assistant's face, "But his grades..."
"I said substitution." Coach Yu said with a blank face, "Are you questioning my head coach's decision?"
The female assistant didn't dare to ask any further questions. She crossed out Li Cheng's name and changed the name behind the "100-meter freestyle" event to the second-place contestant from X City.
— The quota that should have belonged to Li Cheng was eventually allocated to someone else.