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

Chapter 63 Who is the Champion? [5000 words]

It's 1:30 AM Beijing time.

Wu Lisheng and Xu Wanqin were both awake, sitting around the TV watching the World Championships men's 50m freestyle final that was about to begin live.

Those two hours felt like an eternity for the two of them!
Even Xu Wanqin was a little sleepy; it had been so many years since she had stayed up this late!
Wu Lisheng, on the other hand, looked energetic, as if his own son was going to compete later and he himself was going to play.

Thump thump thump~~~
As the CCTV sports channel commercial ended, the familiar sports broadcast studio suddenly appeared before Wu Lisheng's eyes.

There's also Han Qiaosheng, a host who's very familiar to audiences right now.

Lao Han can be considered the "top commentator" on the sports channel. He commentates on all major competitions, including the Olympics and the Asian Games.

The World Swimming Championships are no exception.

"Honey, let's begin!"

Wu Lisheng nudged Xu Wanqin beside him, and Xu Wanqin opened her eyes sleepily.

"Hello everyone, the swimming events at the 10th Barcelona World Swimming Championships are now in their seventh day, and another Chinese swimmer has made it to the finals. This time, it's the men's 50-meter freestyle!"

"As of now, our Chinese team has a record of 6 gold, 4 silver and 3 bronze medals, temporarily ranking fourth in this World Championships!"

"Among them, we have already won two gold medals and two bronze medals in swimming!"

"..."

Han Qiaosheng was introducing some of the award-winning information for this competition, while Wu Jin, who was thousands of miles away in Barcelona, ​​was preparing to take the stage.

Men's 50m freestyle final!

The game will start in 5 minutes.

The eight people in the contestant tunnel stood solemnly, waiting to enter the arena.

In Wu Jin's opinion, the opponents in the finals are not much different from those in the semifinals.

They are all top athletes with Olympic gold medals and even world records.

The only thing that has changed is the order of the paths.

In the semi-finals, he was on the second lane, where his field of vision was poor.

This time in lane 5, he will face the current world number one, Hogenband, and the world number two, Popov.

The two people were positioned on the left and right, respectively, in lanes 4 and 6.

The eight contestants stood in the contestant passage, none of them speaking, not even glancing at each other.

Everyone is maintaining their own state, adjusting their breathing, rhythm, excitement level, and so on to an optimal competitive level. Occasionally, they might shake their body and arms, which are all pre-competition stretches.

In the semifinals, the contestants might chat a bit, but in the finals, it was obvious how much everyone craved a good ranking.

Even with swimming goggles on, you could still see their fighting spirit and high morale on their faces.

"Alright, the swimmers for the men's 50m freestyle final at the 10th Barcelona World Swimming Championships are now officially entering the arena!"

As the announcement of the start of the show sounded, the CCTV broadcast studio began to display images.

Viewers around the world watching the match saw Ian Thorpe, wearing the Australian yellow sharkskin national team jersey, emerge from the tunnel with great presence as the first player to walk out.

Unlike later years when each swimmer had a close-up shot of over ten seconds as they entered the finals, the current finals only show the swimmers walking out of the tunnel.

There were no shots of athletes pausing at the exit.

Even so, Thorpe, carrying the aura of the best active player, still received the most enthusiastic cheers and screams from the entire arena.

"Thorp! Thorp!"

"torpedo!!"

"flying fish!"

Countless people were shouting, and Thorpe even waved to the audience, receiving an even more enthusiastic response.

"This is Ian Thorpe, who finished eighth in the semifinals. He is one of the most legendary swimmers in Australian swimming history. He is in Sydney..."

Han Qiaosheng was introducing Thorpe's profile as the first player to appear, and the cheers from the audience lasted for a long time.

At this moment, the entire outdoor swimming pool in Mongjuyque is packed to capacity, with all 500 seats having been sold out days before the competition.

Aside from the 100m freestyle and a few relay events, the 50m freestyle is quite popular overseas.

The main reason is that there are many swimming superstars here.

Many swimming enthusiasts believe that Thorpe alone is worth the ticket price, not to mention Popov and Hogenband!
Apart from Wu Jin, the rest of the team can be described as an all-star lineup of Olympic champions!

The swimming legend Thorpe is currently the most popular swimmer in the world, and even the second American swimmer, Gary Hall, couldn't dampen the enthusiasm of Thorpe's fans.

One by one, the contestants took to the stage, receiving cheers from the audience.

These voices actually demonstrate the global influence of each individual.

Thorpe is in absolute first place, followed by Popov and Hogenband!
Wu Jin appeared with only the support of her teammates, and the audience was even confused because a completely unfamiliar figure had appeared; many foreign viewers did not look at the list of those who advanced, they came only for the finals.

So when they saw one skinny yellow-skinned person among the seven tall, strong white athletes, they were obviously very surprised.

Is someone with that height and build capable of advancing to the finals?
Everyone around him was nearly two meters tall, and had an exceptionally burly build!

Standing in lane five, Wu Jin stood out from the other swimmers, his style being particularly unique and striking.

It's like one yellow figure is battling seven white ones!

The amount of attention it garnered was surprisingly high.

Some people were even whispering and asking the name of the Chinese athlete.

"Yu Yu looks so small from this angle!"

"It really went too far for him!"

Xu Wanqin felt a pang of sadness watching all the contestants on TV taking off their clothes by the pool; yet, she couldn't help but feel a surge of pride.

Because among the eight contestants, only Wu Jin is of Asian descent, while the rest are all strong and healthy white contestants.

Even just based on this, he has already won.

"We can see that Wu Jin, a 12-year-old from China, is the only Asian player in the final!"

"For someone his age to be in lane 1 of the finals is already quite remarkable!"

"It can be said that this has made history!"

"Moreover, he achieved his best results in both the qualifiers and the semifinals today, and broke the Asian record for this event twice, as well as all records for his age group!"

"Achieving such a feat at the age of 12 is extremely rare in swimming history!"

"..."

To be honest, Han Qiaosheng was deeply shocked when he was organizing Wu Jin's information.

He only knew that the 12-year-old had broken the Asian record.

Before he even started researching, he felt the same way as many 12- or 3-year-old domestic swimmers who broke records and won Asian and World Cup championships.

But as he went through the details, he realized what Wu Jin's presence at that moment represented in this project.

Who exactly are his opponents?!
This is no longer just an achievement of China, but an achievement of Asia and the yellow race!
He had to tell Wu Jin's other seven opponents one by one, even though there weren't many spectators at this hour. Wu Jin was facing seven Olympic champions, plus several world record holders.

This battle can be described as a contest between the world's best athletes in this sport.

The ultimate battle!

In the past, during the Olympics and other top-level competitions, an athlete might be absent due to injury or poor performance.

But this time, all the top players have come for Athens next year.

This is definitely the highest-level competition in the men's 50m freestyle event in recent years.

Wu Jin was a dark horse who emerged out of nowhere. Surrounded by so many top competitors, he fought his way to the finals and advanced as the second-place finisher in the semifinals, fully demonstrating the talent and strength of this young Chinese man.

"We see Wu Jin in lane five!"

"The people next to him are Popov and Hogenband!"

Han Qiaosheng has just given a detailed introduction to these two. Wu Jin stepped onto the starting platform, shook her upper limbs, and then bent down to grab the board.

drop--

The noise at the scene instantly turned into complete silence the moment the starting signal sounded.

Xu Wanqin and Wu Lisheng, who were watching TV, suddenly tensed up on their own, their eyes fixed on the figure on the TV screen, their hands clenching involuntarily.

That's their son!
Neither of them knew their current posture; they were like statues, completely still.

My heart was pounding in my chest.

"Yu Yu, you can do it!"

"Son, keep it up!!!"

The two of them shouted involuntarily, and the starting gun fired the next second.

Everyone was instantly submerged in the water.

"Game start!"

"Thorpe went into the water first, followed by Popov!"

Han Qiaosheng truly lives up to his reputation as a renowned commentator; even with his glasses on, he's as sharp as a ruler, and you can spot the first person to jump.

But the next second, it seemed that Wu Jin, who was the last to enter the water, was the first to surface and start arm strokes, while the other athletes were still sprinting underwater!
"..."

Han Qiaosheng was momentarily stunned, but his rich commentary experience immediately energized him: "Okay, our athlete Wu Jin is the first to emerge from the water. His stroke speed is very fast, and he also has great leg kicks..."

"He has surpassed Popov and Hogenband, and is now on par with Thorpe!"

“Exceed!”

"Wu Jin has overtaken Thorpe, who is known for his strong starts, and is now in the lead!"

"Wu Jin is in the lead!"

Han Qiaosheng emphasized it again in disbelief. At this moment, not only Wu Jin's parents, but also everyone in the Chinese swimming team's spectator area was shouting with excitement.

"Wu Jin!!"

"Wu Jin, charge!"

"Wu Jin, first, charge out!!!" "..."

Wu Peng and the others stood there shouting, and Thorpe's advantage clearly diminished after he came out of the water.

Meanwhile, Hogenband and Popov were desperately chasing after Wu Jin.

"My God, that's the world record line!"

"Wu Jin's swimming speed has surpassed the world record for the 50-meter freestyle!"

A WR line, symbolizing a world record, suddenly jumped onto the TV channel during the live broadcast; everyone could see that the line was right in front of Wu Jin, and he could touch it with every slide.

This means that Wu Jin's starting point was close to the world record.

That is Popov, who was in the lane next to him, set the time of 21.64 seconds in Moscow in 1999!

If Wu Jin continues like this, he might even break this world record; because his start was even faster than when Popov set this world record.

15 meters, 20 meters!
Wu Jin remained in first place, with the WR line almost matching his lackluster performance.

Viewers obviously can't see this line; only those broadcasting the live stream can. This is an online packaging technology developed by Linfox, a partner of the Sydney Olympics.

The event footage, including time display, speed, and various record indicators, can all be displayed in real time.

In the future, this technology will become more advanced, capable of displaying various information about athletes' competitions.

"Wu Jin is chasing the world record in the 50-meter freestyle!"

"However, Hogenband in lane four has clearly picked up speed, and he and Popov are right behind Wu Jin!"

"Hurry up, Wu Jin!"

"..."

After 25 meters, Hogenband and Popov swam faster and faster.

The two players were clearly unhappy about being overtaken by a young Chinese player; and they were gradually closing the gap with Wu Jin.

This is the strength of one of the top two teams in the world.

"Hold on!"

"Hold on!"

Xu Guoyi's hands were trembling slightly; his fists were clenched tightly and shaking.

Just as Wu Jin was about to be overtaken by the two beside her at 30 meters, after one of her legs kicked, the audience at the scene and everyone in front of the TV could clearly see that Wu Jin's speed had increased.

In an instant, he accelerated again!

Like a sudden sprint.

Wu Jin chose to start sprinting after 30 meters!
He really had no other choice.

The two guys beside him posed too great a threat to him.

His advantage at the start was that he was able to close in directly after Popov and Hogenband emerged from the water ten meters away.

It can only be said that the two of them are currently faster than him in terms of absolute speed.

That is to say, at the halfway point, the two were neck and neck, ranking first and second in the world.

He's the world's number one and a world record holder; that's no exaggeration.

The moment he took a breath, Wu Jin started sprinting.

You absolutely cannot let the two people next to you overtake you from the lead.

"hold onto!"

“15 meters to go!”

"Wu Jin is sprinting, Popov is still chasing!"

"Okay, it looks like Hogenband has been left behind by two people!"

The three people who were originally in the first group, after 35 meters, it was obvious to anyone with eyes that... Hogenband suddenly seemed to lose his strength.

He was falling further and further behind Popov and Wu Jin, almost half a body length ahead of them.

The two guys in the top two positions are swimming faster and faster.

Especially Popov.

The way he fired that shot was simply phenomenal.

He kept his grip on Wu Jin, and at 35 meters, he began his final sprint, wanting to deliver the final blow to Wu Jin.

40 meters, 45 meters... The two figures drew closer and closer.

"Come on!"

"rush!"

Wu Peng and the others had all shouted themselves hoarse. Xu Wanqin couldn't tell who was first or last at all. On the TV, all she saw was the waves rolling and surging, like two white dragons converging towards the finish line.

Wu Jin and Popov seemed to be sprinting towards the finish line side by side.

It's impossible to tell which came first with the naked eye.

The line symbolizing the WR world record was always in front of the two of them.

Both of them are in a clear lead.

Absolutely top tier.

In previous 50m freestyle finals, the eight athletes were mostly on the same level, with little difference between them.

With the waves crashing so hard, the audience couldn't even tell who was in the lead.

Only those who reach the shore at the very end can determine their final rankings.

But this time, Popov and Wu Jin, who were at the front, swam too fast.

The two of them seemed to unleash their inner power, pulling away half a step from third-placed Hoogenband, not to mention the others.

Yes, half a body length.

The two people pulled away from the others by nearly half a meter over a distance of 50 meters.

And the finish line is right in front of us.

Wu Jin felt the energy of her sprint draining away; only acceleration was keeping her stamina afloat.

He has to win this championship.

In the final moment of breathing, Wu Jin felt the surging waves beside him and the impact of that imposing figure. He realized that even with all his acceleration and the three-second sprint, he still couldn't shake off Popov.

Is this 32-year-old veteran, the world record holder, really that strong in the final?!

"Fight!"

Without a second thought, Wu Jin accelerated, using extreme paddling and leg kicking, and resolutely gritted her teeth as she charged towards the finish line.

wow——

Popov, standing next to him, also struck the wall in one go.

The two crossed the finish line almost simultaneously.

Then, surprisingly, it was Mark Foster in lane three!

This guy got third place?

"The first place is..."

Han Qiaosheng originally wanted to shout out with great excitement; he felt his blood was boiling.

Did Wu Jin win first place?

However, the online packaging system did not immediately appear in the rankings.

Swish!Swish!Swish!
Three national flags, symbolizing three different countries, were launched from three different lanes at this moment.

Germany, Russia, and China.

These are the top three.

"Ahhhh!"

Wu Lisheng was already celebrating there.

Xu Wanqin also watched the national flag appear on the TV with tears in her eyes; her son had won a medal.

The minimum is a silver medal.

She was still trembling all over at that moment.

And the next second——

A bright five-star red flag suddenly flashed out from Wu Jin's swimming lane on the television screen.

A huge character popped up on it—NO.1!

the first!

Then came the lane on Popov's side.

NO.2 – Russia!

Swah——

The moment the final results were announced, not only the audience in the stadium, but even Han Qiaosheng watching on television couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

It’s too risky!
0.01?

【1 China Jin Wu Lane 5 21.89 MR/AR/WYR/WJR】

【2 Russi Alexander Popov Lane 4 21.90 MR】

so close!

0.01 seconds!
Wu Jin won the men's 50m freestyle title at the 21th World Swimming Championships in Barcelona with a time of 89 seconds, a mere 0.01 seconds ahead of the meet record!
boom--

At that moment, all the members of the Chinese swimming team stood up from the stands!
(End of this chapter)