This time, the list of participants of the World Central Club was reported layer by layer, and was finally approved by the general person in charge of the training center, which was quickly sent back to each team.
Before the official list was announced, hundreds of team members were called to the square, and a summary meeting was held. The leaders of the Sports Bureau came to the stage to speak, and the speech in their hands was full of three pages.
“… In this World Games, we will strive to increase the total number of medals while ensuring that there are no mistakes in the dominant events in previous years. For this new event, we will strive to win the first gold medal!…”
On the stage, the leaders of the Sports Bureau made a generous statement, and off the stage, the athletes were drowsy.
The cold wind blew, and everyone shivered and hid in their down jackets, yawning. Sure enough, no matter what time of day, the leader's speech is so boring.
After the long and boring speech of the leader, the coaches of each project led their athletes back to the training hall.
The original relaxed atmosphere dissipated in an instant, because everyone knew that the main event was about to start at this time.
Dozens of athletes from the swimming team lined up in two rows on the shore, girls on the left, boys on the right, and everyone's eyes were focused on the thin folder in the hands of coach Yu.
Four assistant coaches stood behind the coach, and the expressions of the five were equally solemn.
Coach Yu was the first to speak: "I think you should all know the weight of this list. What I hold in my hand are the 32 names that will eventually appear in the competition; and the remaining 48 people will leave the training base tomorrow. to your respective schools."
"I know other sports will choose a gentler approach when they announce their roster. For example, for the diving team next door, their assistant coaches will privately notify the unsuccessful athletes and ask them to quietly pack their bags and leave. But I won't do this—" Coach Yu said His eyes were as sharp as knives, slicing through every player in front of him, "—the arena is like a battlefield, and the winner and loser are often within 0.01 seconds. Those who are eliminated are not because you are not good enough, but you stay. People are better than you!"
The team was silent.
Eighty players left thirty-two, and the elimination probability was nearly two-thirds! After more than a month of rigorous training, all the athletes who have survived until now, with hopes and dreams, want to set foot on the international arena and touch that distant trophy.
Who would be willing to be eliminated? Who would be willing to be replaced? Who wants to be the "not good enough" one
Everyone held their breath, even Li Cheng, who was full of confidence, could not help but stand up straight at this time, and his eyes fell on the list in the coach's hands.
Although Zhou Jian reminded him that Coach Yu was closely related to X City Sports School, it is very likely that he had been "blacked", but Li Cheng's results were solid, how could he be "blacked" so easily
In the tryouts, he won the first place in both the 200-self and the 100-self by obvious advantages, and he did not believe that the coach would pretend not to see his results!
He waited confidently, waiting to hear his name...
Coach Yu stopped talking nonsense. She opened the folder and read out the final list. According to the regulations, the same player can only sign up for two events at most. In the final list, there are players who participate in two events and players who only participate in one event.
The order of announcement is the women's team first, then the men's team, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and finally the freestyle. In this way, the list of men's freestyle is bound to appear at the end.
As those names were read out one by one, it was natural that some families were happy and some were sad.
When the last name of the women's team fell on the ground, the girls who were not selected all shed tears. They didn't cry out, and they didn't want to provoke sympathy from others. They could only grit their teeth and bow their heads. The trembling shoulders have betrayed their inner pain. Seeing the tears in the eyes of the teammates next to them, the other female players who were selected also had red eyes.
Coach Yu did not give them time to digest them, she quickly turned over the document page and read the roster of the men's team.
Backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly... Li Cheng never felt that time passed so slowly. Those unfamiliar or familiar names fell gently in his ears, and faces of excitement or depression unfolded in front of him... Li Cheng put his hands behind his back and clenched into fists.
Finally, finally to the last list.
The final qualifications for the men's freestyle are finally announced! !
"Men's freestyle 1500 meters, the first body is attached to the middle school, Zhou Jian.
Men's freestyle 800 meters, the first body attached to the middle school, Zhou Jian. "
This answer was expected by everyone, and everyone turned their attention to Zhou Jian with admiration in their eyes. Li Cheng also applauded along with everyone, and congratulated him in a low voice.
Zhou Jian turned to him, instead of saying "thank you", he said "come happy".
Li Cheng knew what he was "joking together".
Next, it is 400 since, the coaching staff selected a player from Northeast Province.
Immediately after that, Li Cheng’s long-awaited main events, 200 meters and 100 meters—
"—Men's freestyle 200 meters, Huacheng No. 1 Middle School, Li Cheng."
Hearing his name, Li Cheng breathed a sigh of relief, and finally let go of the heart that he raised high. He threw a fist in the air and punched in the air, his face full of confidence.
Look, Zhou Jian is really worrying about the sky, what is shady and not shady, as long as Li Cheng swims well enough, how could Coach Yu abandon Li Cheng and choose a player from X City Sports School
"—Men's freestyle 100 meters, X City Sports School, Dai Yujing."
The next second, the cruel reality was like a heavy punch, which slammed into Li Cheng's heart.
Li Cheng was stunned.
His brain was blank, and his chest seemed to be a huge hole. The happiness and pride just now disappeared in an instant, leaving only an endless pit.
What did he hear
What did he hear
His main item, 100, actually failed? ! After he got the first place in the tryouts, he was, of course, lost, elected! ! !
And the person who replaced him was none other than the octopus from X city! !
The last second of a smile hung on Li Cheng's mouth, but now, all the blood in his body was frozen. He stood there dumbfounded, he could feel everyone's eyes looking at him, and there were some sparse discussions surrounding him, as if everyone was pointing at him.
Zhou Jian looked at him worriedly and asked in a low voice, "Li Cheng, are you okay?"
Li Cheng's voice was hoarse: "I'm not good at all."
As for the other protagonist of this "civet cat for the prince", he was standing there beamingly, accepting the congratulations from the people around him.
The men's team was full of rustling noises, but Coach Yu, who was standing at the front of the team, didn't hear it.
A teaching assistant stepped forward to organize discipline and keep everyone quiet.
Li Cheng was in the crowd, his hands clenched into fists and tightly clenched his pants.
Why... why exactly? ! Both 200 self and 100 self are his main advantages, why would he give up one of the projects
After the announcement of all the members, Coach Yu raised his head from the folder, the deep wrinkles on his face seemed to be carved.
"Okay, all the individual project entries have been announced." Her tone was flat, like a robot with no temperature. "Now, those who didn't read their names can leave."
As soon as she finished speaking, suddenly, a hand was raised in the crowd and stretched straight into the air, making it impossible to ignore.
Everyone looked at the hand.
- The owner of the hand is Li Cheng.
The Omega boy raised his arms straight up, his red eyes staring straight at the coach.
"Coach," he said loudly, ignoring the gazes of those around him, "I have doubts about the result!"
Zhou Jian tugged at him fiercely and whispered, "Li Cheng, calm down, don't be impulsive!"
The team rules are strict, the first and foremost is to respect the coach and never contradict. The relationship between the coach and the cadet is like that of the general and the soldier, and the soldier cannot disobey the order of the general.
Zhou Jian knew that Li Cheng must have complained about the results of this reading, but he never imagined that this hedgehog-like boy would tear this matter up in front of everyone.
"..." Coach Yu looked at Li Cheng calmly and spit out a word, "Oh?"
Li Cheng argued with reason: "During this month-long special training, my 100m performance improved by a full half a second, and in the final trials, I was also the first to touch the wall! Why wasn't I the 100-self qualifier? of?!"
The players were quiet for a while, and then the discussions swarmed. Everyone was actually very curious. With Li Cheng's ability, it was easy to get the quota for two games. Why did Coach Yu assign 100 points to other players
Almost everyone has heard about the fact that "x city sports school has a recommended quota", and the current situation is proof of the authenticity of this matter.
The X city player who was being discussed blushed. He was questioned in public, and of course he had to defend himself: "Li Cheng, what do you mean by that? Do you think you are the only one who is good? You are indeed outstanding, but My average score is only 0.05 seconds worse than yours! And I participated in the middle school when I was in junior high school. I have experience in international competitions, and you have only participated in provincial competitions at most!"
What he said is indeed the truth, and if he insists on explaining it from experience, his reasons are also tenable.
But Li Cheng sneered: "Since you have experience and you are a veteran, how many medals did you win last year?"
Dai Yujing was speechless for a moment. The World Central Club is held every four years. The last time he participated in the competition, he was still in the third year of junior high school. The internal competition in that session was not fierce.
It would be fine if he was at the bottom of the ranking, but he took the fourth place! The fourth and third places were just a little bit short, but it was this little gap that made him miss the medal. He held his breath and wanted to be ashamed in this session. He expressed his determination to coach Yu in private, and finally got a place to return to the competition this session.
Coach Yu listened to their quarrel calmly, and asked, "Li Cheng, are you questioning my quota allocation?"
Li Chengru has been walking like a little beast in a predicament. Even though he knows the road ahead is dangerous, he still moves forward. He looked at the coach aggressively, and refused to give in an inch: "You just said that the arena is like a battlefield, winners and losers, everything depends on the results, isn't my results good enough?"
"Of course your grades are good enough." Coach Yu nodded, "You are the one with the greatest potential among the several student-athletes I have brought."
"Since my grades are good enough, why should I give the 100-self quota to X City Sports School?"
He's too stupid and too upright, and he doesn't even think about the consequences of his words. He knew that he questioned the coach in front of everyone and challenged her authority. This kind of behavior seriously violated the team rules. If he went online, he would probably be expelled from the team!
If he is smart enough, he should hold back and keep at least one spot in the competition - but in that case, it is not Li Cheng.
Li Cheng hopes that the swimming pool he loves will always be clean and the water here will always be clear. He is such an idealization, but is idealization wrong
Zhou Jian looked at him worriedly and tried to speak several times, but finally gave up... Because Zhou Jian found that compared with Li Cheng, he was too cowardly. He thought in a different position. If he encountered a dilemma like Li Cheng, would he dare to question the coach in person
No, he dare not. If he is blacklisted, he will adopt a more "sleek" method, tell his personal trainer about it, and let the personal trainer "talk" to Coach Yu through private contact.
- He doesn't have the courage to be like Li Cheng.
In the face of Li Cheng's straightforward questioning, unexpectedly, there was not the slightest hint of anger on Coach Yu's face.
"Since it's all about this, let's talk about it." Coach Yu put his hands behind his back and looked around all the players without any hesitation, "I actually knew what you guys were talking about in private. But I always thought those rumors were too absurd and didn't need explanation at all, but now it seems that if you don't explain it clearly, I'm afraid you little bastards will only use your brains as big as melon seeds to go crazy! - Li Cheng, you Did you hear that I have a mentor-apprentice relationship with the coaches of X City Sports School, so I will give them a quota every time? So you think I took away the quota that should belong to you and gave it to Dai Yujing?"
Li Cheng: "...Yes."
Instead, Dai Yujing shouted: "What the hell? What else????"
Not only his eyes were full of shock, but even his alumni from the same school were surprised. The expressions of the two did not seem to be fake, but it was like the first time they heard this.
If they were acting... that would have been great too.
Coach Yu nodded: "Their coach is indeed the student I took before."
This is completely "self-destruction"!
However, Coach Yu still had the second half of his sentence unfinished: "Not only him, but also the coach of the First Affiliated High School, who used to be my student."
Everyone's eyes shifted to Zhou Jian again.
Zhou Jian, who was accidentally shot: "...???"
"Not only the two of them are related to me, but also the principal of xx sports school, who was my former leader; the director of the academic affairs office of oo school, who was my former teammate; the coach of dd school, who was my former colleague..." She named the names of many schools in one go, and the students who were named were both selected and unselected, but everyone was blank and had never heard of this origin.
Coach Yu said: "You now feel that this circle is so big that new athletes emerge every year, and every year someone retires sadly. You can always see fresh faces when you go out to participate in competitions. But when you come to me At my age, when you come to my seat, you will find that this circle is actually very small, looking up and down, and acquaintances are everywhere - if I have to 'special care' for each acquaintance, then I don't need to be a coach in the national team. Now, I might as well be a baby swimming teacher."
"… "
"What's the matter?" Coach Yu looked at them with a frown, "Isn't my joke funny, why don't you all laugh."
Everyone: "… "
That is to say, the rumored "walking" that has been rumored before is just a non-existent thing
Thinking about it carefully, X City Sports School was originally a strong swimming school, and it has cultivated many champions. It is not impossible for players to enter the competition list based on their strength.
but…
Li Cheng was shaken and hesitated for a while: "I'm sorry coach, I shouldn't speculate about your relationship with X City Sports School. I now believe that you are not biased in the selection of candidates, but I still don't understand, why you only give me A qualifying spot?"
Coach Yu gave him a deep look: "When did I say that I will only give you one place to play?"
Li Cheng was stunned. "… what?"
Not only did he fail to react, but the other players who were watching melon eating were also stunned.
Coach Yu said that she was tired. She was reluctant to talk too much. Apart from swearing during training, this was the first time she had spoken so much.
She took the hot cup from the assistant's hand, threw the list in her arms, and motioned her to continue reading with her eyes.
So the teaching assistant opened the list obediently, and read it aloud with nearly a hundred lines of sight.
"—This year's new event: Men's and women's mixed 4x100, contestants: women's backstroke, ... , men's breaststroke, ... , women's butterfly, ... , men's freestyle, Hwaseong No. 1 Middle School, Li Cheng."
Everyone: ! ! !
Li Orange: ! ! !
Li Cheng was stunned by the sudden reversal.
Men's and women's medley swimming is a new sport that has emerged quietly in recent years, and it is rarely seen in international competitions. Unexpectedly, this year's World Central Conference will actually add men's and women's medley to the schedule!
Li Cheng recalled the time when the leaders had just held a meeting. The leader mentioned "new items to strive for gold medals", does it mean the men's and women's medley? The first gold medal of each new project often has a far more extraordinary meaning, which is like the "Dungeon First Kill" in the game, which is an absolute honor.
Li Cheng is not familiar with the women's team, but the breaststroker sent by the men's team is indeed an elite in breaststroke, and Li Cheng has an absolute advantage in the 100-meter freestyle—there is no doubt that the four of them The combination is the "Wang Bang" dispatched after careful consideration! Yu's coach is ambitious, and he is aiming to be the champion!
Precisely because a player can only apply for two events, in order to save their physical strength, these four players had only one event to qualify for the competition before.
Everyone finally understood what Coach Yu was planning.
However, this matter did not "end here" -
The assistant cleared his throat and read the last sentence on the list.
"—The captain of the swimming team of this year's World Central Games, Huacheng No. 1 Middle School, Li Cheng!"
The author has something to say:
That's right, a small reversal~~ (PS novels have artistic processing about the content of the game, don't take it seriously.)
Orange is so good, of course he has to be the leader of everyone!