They promised to win the swimming championship, but what's with this "Grand Slam" thi

Chapter 22 The Opponent!

2003 4 Month 11 Day.

The National Swimming Championships will kick off in four days at the Tianjin Sports Center.

However, the Zhejiang Provincial Swimming Team needs to scout out the location in advance and get used to the swimming environment in Jinshi, so they have to leave early tomorrow morning.

Out of concern for the young athletes, the provincial team granted a half-day holiday to allow parents to visit their children and cheer on these young athletes who were participating in a major competition for the first time.

Compared to the grueling training methods of other provincial teams, Zhejiang Province is actually more humane in its approach.

"Son, you're awesome!"

"Your dad was only good at playing in the mud when he was 12, hahaha!"

Wu Jin's father, Wu Lisheng, managed to get a leave of absence from school in advance, and drove to Hangzhou with Xu Wanqin in the afternoon.

Wu Jin joined the provincial team, and Xu Wanqin no longer needed to pick her up and drop her off every day like before, so she had a lot of free time these days and went back to work in Quzhou City; Chen Jinglun did not return the house near him, because Wu Jin had to go back to school to study after the championship.

Provincial teams typically begin training one or two months in advance, unless it's a major competition like the Olympics, in which preparation takes much longer.

"Son, how's the food at the provincial team?"

Xu Wanqin hadn't seen her son for over half a month and missed him terribly.

Only a mother would care about whether her son is eating well and sleeping well. To be honest, this is her first time visiting the Zhejiang Provincial Swimming Team, and she has been "shocked" by the environment and facilities here.

It evoked the feeling of the 80s, like the old, dilapidated swimming pool from her childhood.

To put it bluntly, it's not even as good as Chen Jinglun Sports School.

Wu Lisheng was tall and strong, the kind of stereotypical physical education teacher, but I didn't think much of it. All I could think about was Wu Jin's excitement about participating in the competition, which made me even more excited than when I was on the field myself.

"It's alright!"

"I've been training so hard lately, and I've even gained 5 pounds!"

"He's gotten a bit taller too!"

Wu Lisheng added from the side.

Xu Wanqin felt a little sorry for him: "Our son is in his growth spurt, isn't it normal for him to grow taller? You're just a PE teacher, don't you know anything about this!"

"Among all the coaches in the provincial team, none of them know as much as you?"

"..."

Again.

The couple really couldn't live together. Wu Lisheng had a rough, straightforward personality, and he was always arguing with his mother every few days.

"Okay, Mom and Dad, I've actually had a pretty good month!"

"Let's go eat?"

Wu Jin changed the subject, and Wu Lisheng nodded: "Okay, let's go, Dad will treat you to a big meal!"

"No thanks, I'll treat you to a meal at the cafeteria. I can't eat anything random these next couple of days!"

With the competition just around the corner, the worst thing for athletes is not their form, but getting an upset stomach.

Wu Lisheng slapped his thigh: "I almost forgot, come on, I'll go check on the food in your cafeteria, so your mom won't keep worrying about it at home!"

Wu Lisheng is the only son in the Wu family, and he has been training at a sports school since he was a child. He is under a lot of pressure.

Because it was he who made the decision when Wu Jin was a child to learn to swim.

Xu Wanqin often felt sorry for and worried about Wu Jin; while Wu Jin's grandparents and maternal grandparents would scold Wu Jin's father at home every day.

Even now, during holidays and family gatherings, Wu Lisheng is always the one being scolded like a grandson.

In the cafeteria, Wu Jin saw many parents with their students, and clearly no one was going to eat out randomly, except... there was one person who really attracted a lot of hatred.

Sun Yang's mother brought large bags and small packages, along with specially prepared meals, and sat with Sun Yang's father in the cafeteria watching their son eat.

They just watched; they didn't eat anything themselves, only watched their son eat.

"Oh dear, I should have brought some with me!"

Why didn't you remind me!

Seeing the mother and son eating happily and chatting, Xu Wanqin couldn't help but complain.

Wu Lisheng pursed his lips and said, "I just wanted to treat my son to a big meal, I didn't think that much about it!"

"Mom, it's not that bad, the food at our provincial team is pretty good!"

It's actually not bad.

Wu Jin and his parents enjoyed the four dishes and one soup.

Xu Wanqin was very reluctant to leave.

"Son, keep it up!"

"Bring home the championship!"

Wu Lisheng was encouraging Wu Jin when Xu Wanqin slapped his arm: "Why are you putting so much pressure on your son? Have you ever coached him? Do you even know his grades? All he talks about all day is champions and gold medals..."

"Son, don't feel pressured. Mom believes you're the best!"

Xu Wanqin couldn't help but hug Wu Jin again and secretly slipped some money into his pocket.

It wasn't until she watched her parents drive away from the provincial team that Wu Jin put her hands in her pockets to go back to her dormitory, only to find that there was an extra wad of money in her pocket.

Good heavens, I counted it, and there was actually 1000 yuan!

Old Wu's salary was almost half a month's wages.

"I wonder if this money will be enough to buy a cell phone?"

Wu Jin had no intention of returning the money to her mother. The main reason was that Wu Jin was really not used to not having a cell phone and always felt that something was missing.

He endured the entire month of his rebirth with immense willpower.

Moreover, as soon as Wu Jin entered the dormitory, she saw Sun Yang showing off a Motorola phone.

The V70, which CCTV advertises every day, was the world's first rotating phone and was considered a very cool and fashionable product in this era.

When it was first launched, it was priced as high as 7000 RMB, and there was no market for it, with prices soaring to tens of thousands of RMB.

The price has come down now, but it's still several thousand yuan, which is unaffordable for most families.

"We can only watch!"

"You can't tell anyone, my mom bought it for me secretly!"

Sun Yang was talking to the group of people in the dormitory when he saw Wu Jin come in. He couldn't help but wink at him, with the expression of a child eager to show off.

"Wow, a V70!"

Wu Jin, playing the straight man, said something that immediately surprised Sun Yang: "How did you know?"

"They show it on CCTV every day!"

"Hehe, yeah, I wanted it after seeing it on TV, and my mom finally bought it for me!" Sun Yang touched it with great affection, and even subconsciously ran his hand around it. As the phone cover rotated, the screen lit up instantly, revealing the nine-grid button layout underneath.

It is indeed a little bit cool.

In a few days, it should be shared by both of them.

Hmm, what does a little kid like you need a cell phone for?!

He was telling his family the good news or something, but it was me who called home!

Wu Jin patted Sun Yang on the shoulder: "Old Sun, you haven't forgotten our bet, have you?"

When the bet was mentioned, Sun Yang's expression did indeed turn somewhat unpleasant; however, it was definitely better than during the test a few days ago.

A few days ago, Sun Yang was really afraid that he would swim past Cai Li.

Even now, Wu Jin breaks his personal best every few days, but he still hasn't surpassed the number one 50m freestyle sprinter.

It will be very difficult to surpass Cai Li.

"I remember you were talking about before the championship match, right?"

Sun Yang started to make excuses.

"Get lost! I'm talking about the end of the championship match, and the whole dorm can testify to that!"

"Alright, alright, then the championship match is over!"

Sun Yang chuckled: "If we don't meet in the group stage, does that mean I've won?"

"Don't you want me to do well? What if I make it to the semi-finals or the finals?"

"You might not even be in the same group as Brother Cai in the semifinals, unless you make it to the finals!"

At this moment, Sun Yang's intelligence seemed to be on full display, and he felt that he still had a chance to win the bet.

Wu Jin might not be able to surpass Cai Li in the championship. The worst-case scenario is being eliminated in the group stage, or even not having the chance to be in the same group as Cai Li.

Thinking of this, Sun Yang started smug again: "A month's worth of underwear, don't forget!"

"Let me remind you!"

Wu Jin did feel some pressure after what this guy said.

"Has the schedule been released yet? When is the 50-meter race?"

This year's championship has the highest number of participants in its history due to its proximity to the World Championships and the Athens Olympics next year.

There are 40 competition events, with more than 400 athletes from teams representing more than 30 regions and cities across the country participating.

This includes world-class players like Qi Hui and Luo Xuejuan, who have won world championships.

The event lasted for seven days, with the official opening on April 15th, but many people present did not know the specific eight-day schedule.

Wu Jin was worried that on the first day of the 50-meter freestyle race, his [Basic Acceleration] might not even reach level 10!

But if it's the last day, there's still a good chance of getting level 10.

I've been stuck at level 9 for several days now. There are still about two weeks left until the end of the championship, which is enough time to level up once.

"do not know!"

"You'll have to ask the coach about that!"

One of his roommates said that Sun Yang signed up for five events this time: 100m, 200m, 400m and two freestyle relays.

However, the relay team is a substitute player and may not necessarily participate.

There is only one Wu Jin.

"Scared?"

"Are you scared?"

Sun Yang laughed from the side. Wu Jin was too lazy to argue with him, so she snatched the phone from his hand before he could even react.

“Hey, you—”

"I'll make a phone call and return it to you later!"

Wu Jin waved her phone, and Sun Yang looked distressed: "Be careful with it, it costs several thousand!"

"Know!"

Wu Jin actually called his mother to ask her to save Sun Yang's number so that they could contact each other easily in the future.

Well, if you play it frequently, wouldn't this phone essentially become Wu Jin's?
What would a little kid like Sun Yang need a cell phone for?

Poor Sun Yang had no idea that Wu Jin had her eye on his phone. After he and Wu Jin finished showering and went to bed, they were still discussing the championship in the dormitory.

"Old Wu, do you think Zhejiang Province can get first place this time?"

"Zhang the Skinflint said he wanted to win 10 gold medals, but after doing the math, it seems a bit difficult!"

"Sister Xuejuan gets two, oh, maybe three, and Yu Cheng... should be able to get one..."

“Brother Wu Peng…”

"Go to sleep, we have to get up early tomorrow!"

Wu Jin still wants to win the gold medal?

Unfortunately, apart from Cai Li in his team, he knew that there were currently three other excellent 50-meter freestyle runners in China.

Chen Zuo, Zeng Jianwei, Zhou Jiawei!

On paper, these three individuals are all stronger than Cai Li, who is currently 16 years old.

Chen Zuo is the future captain of the national swimming team. He has already won more honors than Cai Li in the future. He is 21 years old and has won the championships in the 50m and 100m freestyle at the National Games and Asian Games.

Zeng Jianwei and Zhou Jiawei consistently rank among the top three in major competitions. Zhou Jiawei, in particular, is currently the top male athlete in China for both the 50m and 100m butterfly events and is poised to hold Asian records in both events in the future.

My freestyle swimming is actually not bad either.

"I'll probably face one in the group stage, and I'm not guaranteed to finish first in my group and advance!"

"The semi-finals are the most crucial..."

Wu Jin was predicting her opponent when she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, everyone was awake before the whistle was even blown, clearly having developed an early-rising biological clock.

After washing up and having breakfast, the group gathered at the training ground. They would then board the bus together and head to Tianjin to welcome many of them to their first major competition.

At least, that's how it is for Sun Yang and Wu Jin.

"Let's go, get in the car!"

Head coach Zhang Yadong didn't waste any words and started greeting people.

Everyone was wearing the Zhejiang Provincial Team's training uniform and walked towards the bus at the door with high morale!
(End of this chapter)