Orc Undead Sports Warrior

"Yeah, I can see that now. This kid is a natural athlete. He can probably do a pretty good job in any sport!"

Zou Zhen beamed with joy, clapping his arms wide. After watching the two players' dominant performance in the Asian Indoor Championships, he had misjudged the situation of the World Indoor Championships.

It's important to understand that the intensity of the World Championships and the level of mental tension are incomparable to smaller competitions like the Asian Indoor Championships. Not to mention that many top Asian players weren't there, even if they were, it would still be a third-rate competition.

Compared to that game, although Powell and Gay were not present this time, the other players were still world-class.

In such a competition, Shen Liang has to give his all in every match to ensure he has a chance to advance to the next round. Even though his opponents in the preliminaries are all average-level European players, his advantage is still not significant despite his best efforts.

Although his performance did not reach the level he had trained for, it does not mean that Shen Liang was holding back his strength, because such a world-class competition, even in the preliminaries, would put enormous mental pressure on the athletes.

Moderate tension can cause athletes to distort their movements and increase their energy consumption during the competition. Therefore, after the semi-finals, Shen Liang clearly did not have the "little cheetah" feeling he usually had in training.

In addition, his recovery ability was insufficient in a short period of time. Upon closer examination, it is understandable that he lost the semi-final after winning the first round, thus regrettably missing out on the final.

After Lu Wei secured second place in his group thanks to his strong finishing ability, everyone was overjoyed, but also seemed to be brought back to reality. World-class competitions are not as easy as they seem; after three rounds, only athletes with strong skills and stable mental fortitude can emerge victorious among numerous strong competitors.

"Are you sure Lu Wei is really only 20 years old? Are there any problems with his identity information? Or has he eaten anything recently...?"

While everyone's attention was focused on the match, Jiang Jianjun quietly asked Wang Qiao, "Even I find it incredible that Lu Wei has reached this level in just one year. Keep in mind, he's only a 20-year-old player, and none of his opponents have less experience than him."

If he hadn't personally witnessed Lu Wei's growth during this period, he would never have believed it. He originally wanted to ask Lu Wei if he had eaten anything that had increased his physical abilities, but he didn't say it halfway through.

However, his brow was still furrowed. In this track and field team, it could be said that no one knew Lu Wei better than him, except for Wang Qiao. Even he himself was now unsure what kind of person Lu Wei was. No one had ever improved their athletic performance so much in such a short period of time.

“Lu Wei is fine, I can guarantee that. I watched this child grow up! Even if the whole world has problems, this child will be fine. I can guarantee that with my integrity!”

Wang Qiao's face turned bright red at this moment. Although he tried his best to control his tone when he spoke, Jiang Jianjun could tell that Wang Qiao had regarded Lu Wei as the most glorious chapter of his life.

If it weren't for their long-standing relationship, and if I dared to question Lu Wei like this, Wang Qiao would probably have roared and even punched me.

He knew his disciple well; he was a man of principle. Despite his usual honest and simple demeanor, he would never back down if something he wanted to protect was violated.

"What I mean is, this kid grew 11 centimeters in less than a year, which is incredible, a miracle in itself. Changes in physical condition can certainly affect athletic performance. Anyway, congratulations! You finally have something to show for yourself as a coach, haha!"

Jiang Jianjun smiled. Arguing with Wang Qiao about this was pointless. Wang Qiao was a player he had personally mentored, watching him grow from an athlete to a coach. Everyone would want to see Lu Wei become a superstar. He didn't continue, his eyes fixed on the starting line; the third group's race was about to begin.

Hearing Jiang Jianjun's words, Wang Qiao felt he had given everyone a way to save face. After a while, he also calmed down.

Lu Wei has received less than a year of systematic training, and even less time specifically for sprint training. Under such circumstances, it is truly remarkable that he was able to emerge from the "group of death."

In the third group of matches, Nigerian player Fasuba seemed to create a green hurricane on the field, winning first place with a lead of more than 1 meter over the players behind him.

This black team member, who is about 1.75 meters tall, has the physique of one of the most promising sprinters today. He is lean, of Black descent, has a well-proportioned build, and strong, powerful calves.

The selection criteria for these players are not like fashion, where a style becomes popular every year and then goes out of style the following year.

Athletes between 1.73 and 1.78 meters tall are more likely to fully utilize their physical advantages in short-distance races, a fact that has been explored and confirmed by various countries over decades. Countless athletes have proven this principle through their success over the years.

Unless you're a genius, there's really no chance.

However, geniuses are rare, appearing only once every few decades. One person can dominate an era, leaving behind achievements and honors that future generations cannot match. Such team members are extremely difficult to find.

Therefore, athletes like Fasuba are now the standard in sprinting, with black athletes who look like little cannons dominating the sprint track.

In a 60-meter race, even a single body length difference is significant; the difference between competitors at the final finish line can be as thin as a hair's breadth. However, in this race…

However, Fasuba pulled ahead of his opponents by at least 0.1 seconds. This result may not be remarkable in the 100 meters, but it was still amazing in the semifinals of the World Indoor Championships.

In the stands, Shen Liang greeted Lu Wei with a high-five after he returned to the audience: "You ran well. I felt really tight just now, especially my calf muscles. I felt like my contraction ability had decreased a lot, and I couldn't run at my training level at all..."

Shen Liang shook his head helplessly as he spoke. Back in China, it was difficult for anyone to compete with him in short-distance running. It was only on the world stage that he realized the gap. He felt like a frog in a well, thinking that as long as he performed at his normal level, reaching the finals would be a piece of cake.

Only when young people understand the hardships of life can they grow up strong.

"Xiao Lu, stop thinking about the 60 meters. From now on, focus all your energy on the shot put final. Think about other things after the shot put! Go see Dr. Chen and have him give you a rehabilitation treatment!"

Yu Wei quickly walked from near the podium to the athletes' and coaches' area. With Feng Yong unable to lead the team due to work commitments, he was the head of the Chinese track and field delegation. Originally seated on the podium, he became restless after watching the 60-meter semi-final.

As a former national team sprinter, if Yu Wei still can't figure out the tricks of the trade in these three semifinal groups, then he's wasted all these years.

It's clear that the Chinese team has no chance of winning the World Indoor Championships this time. Of the three groups we just saw, the top player in each group was stronger than Lu Wei, and two other players were on par with him. Under these circumstances, we should send a message to the team that Lu Wei should focus all his efforts on preparing for the shot put competition.

The worst thing at this point is wanting everything and ending up with nothing. Although Lu Wei is quite versatile, it seems his advantage lies in his outstanding physical qualities and well-rounded abilities, which allows him to perform well in many competitions.

However, being an all-rounder can sometimes be a hindrance to an athlete. Being a jack-of-all-trades and master of none is a major taboo in competitive sports. Except for a few events, most events require athletes with extremely strong single-skill abilities.

When athletes like Lu Wei have their training time shared by several other sports, it will be difficult for them to achieve decent results.

In a competition like the Olympics, held on home soil, even if Lu Wei could stand on the podium in every event he participated in, it probably wouldn't be as significant as winning a gold medal.

With a gold medal, housing, benefits, and post-retirement employment can probably all be secured. Even five silver medals cannot compare to this one gold medal.

Competitive sports are cruel; people can only remember the athlete standing on the highest podium. Even if the other athletes behind him are only a hair's breadth away from him, probably no one will remember them after the game.

The law of survival of the fittest also applies to competitive sports; only by evolving the abilities required by the environment can one survive in competition.

That's how the rules are now. The State General Administration of Sport also sets targets for each province and city. If they meet the targets, they will receive preferential treatment in terms of resources. If they don't meet them, even if there is only a slight gap, the policy benefits they receive will be vastly different.

These are key performance indicators!

Given the overall situation, Yu Wei had already grasped the stakes. If others were hesitant to take responsibility and commit to the final round at this point, Yu Wei was absolutely capable of making a decisive and resolute decision.

The resources that a gold medal brings to the Track and Field Management Center are definitely greater than those of four silver medals. The coaches may not understand this, but as the second-in-command of the Track and Field Management Center, no one understands it better than him.

Looking at Lu Wei's back, Yu Wei regretted agreeing to let Lu Wei train for the 100-meter dash. If the training time for that event could be used for other events, it would definitely have yielded better results.

In fact, compared to track events, Yu Wei could see that Lu Wei was more suited to fully dedicate himself to field events. The 400-meter is a world-renowned event with a high level of skill, and if Lu Wei could make a breakthrough in this event, he would undoubtedly become the next Liu Jing.

This may not bring gold medals in the short term, but the level of attention it receives will be enough to bring many conveniences to the track and field team's work.

Lu Wei had already won a gold medal in javelin and a silver medal in shot put at the World Championships. If he can make full use of the winter training period to prepare for the Olympics and solidify his foundation, winning two gold medals at the Olympics is definitely not a pipe dream.

Yu Wei looked at Zou Zhen and Jiang Jianjun with a gloomy face. He decided that after this competition, he would stop Lu Wei from training for the 100-meter event.

Yu Wei also heard that Lu Wei wanted to train for the 100 meters because Tyson Gay made disrespectful remarks to him during an interview, which provoked Lu Wei.

Looking back now, it was a bit of a miscalculation to have Lu Wei train for this event. Today's 60-meter semi-final put Yu Wei's already tense nerves even tighter.

In a major event like the Olympics, winning any gold medal is incredibly difficult. You either need superhuman talent or rigorous training. Time shouldn't be wasted like this.

At this moment, Yu Wei was chatting with the others, and everyone could see that he was very concerned about Lu Wei.

So far in the competition, the Chinese track and field team has not won a single match, and is facing the same situation as last year's World Championships. The strength of the opponents in middle- and long-distance running and race walking is getting stronger and stronger. The Chinese team currently has no athletes like the "Oriental Deer" to lead the team and face strong opponents in the competition. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

If they want to make a breakthrough, besides Liu Xiang's 110-meter hurdles, Lu Wei might have a better chance of winning gold medals in shot put and javelin, since these events rely on hard skills and it takes time to train a high-level athlete.

At this moment, Yu Wei seemed to have forgotten that Lu Wei was actually a player who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He was now only hoping that Lu Wei could get the Chinese team off to a good start in the upcoming shot put event and win a medal, so that he could have some confidence before Liu Feiren's competition.

A little over an hour later, the shot put final began, with the throwing order determined by drawing lots. Lu Wei had a good order this time, ranking seventh among all eight team members, putting him in control of the game.

The first to take the stage was Belarusian star Miknevich. This giant white bear, who is over 2 meters tall, has a very fierce spin and a very good timing for his shot. His first throw was 20.58 meters.

In Yu Wei's eyes, this result was only acceptable. There was definitely no hope of winning a medal with this result, but it was still a good start for the first throw.

The results of the second Jamaican athlete, Scott, and the third Australian athlete, Martin, were less than satisfactory, both finishing around 20 meters.

The fourth American player to take the stage was Cantwell. He was about the same height as Lu Wei, but seemed to weigh about one and a half times as much. After taking his position, he executed a fast and even spin throw, and although the release angle was slightly off, the throw was very effective.

His throw reached 21.14 meters, a result that drew applause from the entire audience. As the saying goes, you can't judge a book by its cover; this athlete clearly had much stronger physical abilities than the others.

Another formidable opponent, along with Hofa and Miknevich, the shot put arena is truly filled with top talents!