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

Chapter 27: The first match is against the death squad?
"Holy crap, a sprint?!"

Hearing the system's notification in his mind and the text pop-ups on the virtual panel in front of him, Wu Jin suddenly became excited.

This is like a perfect pillow for someone who's sleepy!

Whatever you think will come true!
He had been wondering if the new skill would include a dash or something, since his speed was indeed a bit lacking in the later stages.

Now... here it is!
Although the beginner level 1 sprint only lasts a mere 0.1 seconds, even slower than the three-second man, well... what more could you ask for?!
What more bikes do you want?

The main questline is now unlocked, and it indicates another way to gain experience.

It's not just limited to regular training.

Contest!

[Main Quest]: Participate in competitions recognized by FINA and earn corresponding rich experience rewards!
[Note: If you participate in the same event and the same category multiple times, the prize money will be reduced with each subsequent entry!]

"bring it on!"

Wu Jin was already quite impatient.

The championship is an event recognized by FINA. Judging from the main quest description, even the group stage should offer corresponding experience points.

Now, this is exactly what Wu Jin is missing.

Upgrading skills requires a lot of experience points.

"Wu Jin!"

Xu Guoyi's shout immediately brought Wu Jin back to her senses.

"Just compete well, don't feel any pressure!"

"Ok!"

Wu Jin nodded, then looked at Cai Li and Wang Haibo, who were also walking into the backstage area, and suddenly asked, "Brother Cai, Brother Bo, you...you're not both in the first group, are you?"

"seventh!"

Cai Li was a ruthless man who didn't talk much, and he even smiled at Wu Jin, which was quite rare for him.

"That's good!"

Wu Jin breathed a sigh of relief.

It wasn't that he was afraid of being in the same group as him, but rather that he was actually not happy about encountering the same teammate in the group stage.

There wasn't much of a competition in the semifinals, since everyone had advanced from there.

It's a very subtle psychological issue. Even Xu Guoyi, the coach of two players, doesn't actually want his students to face off against each other in the group stage.

But it's clear that sometimes luck doesn't favor anyone.

"Haha, you're right, I'm in the same group as you!"

Wang Haibo shrugged, speechless.

Wu Jin: "..."

Let's take back that breath we just took.

"Alright, everyone, perk up!"

"One group isn't a big deal. There are 16 spots in the semifinals, so swim well and you'll have a chance!"

As Xu Guoyi spoke, his eyes were fixed on Cai Li.

Among them, he definitely has the best chance of winning the championship. Although there are two obstacles in front of him, he might just be like Wang Haibo and Yu Cheng, going out of form and showing his power in the game.

"Everyone, charge out of the group stage! Don't hold back!"

“We’re not like the capital city; they have a home-field advantage, and they scouted this swimming pool a month ago!”

"Chen Zuo's excellent condition is also related to this!"

Tianjin is very close to Beijing, unlike Zhejiang Province where it takes half a day to drive there. Beijing has already won 7 gold medals and is closely following Zhejiang Province, currently ranking third.

Then there are Shanghai, Guangdong Province, and Jiangsu Province.

Chen Zuo was really too strong in this championship. He has already won 3 medals, and the Beijing team has almost won half of the championships thanks to him. If he wins another medal, the Zhejiang team will be overtaken by Beijing and fall to third place.

This is clearly unacceptable to the Zhejiang Provincial Team, which has always strived for first or second place in swimming in China.

Therefore, this 50-meter freestyle race becomes particularly crucial.

Because the later the competition goes, the fewer gold medals there are.

There are only four pieces left, and everyone wants to try and break through them.

Zhejiang Province wants to be number one, but it no longer has any advantageous naval projects. Jingye also wants to take the top spot, and Haige, who is in fourth place, is also eyeing it covetously.

"After the group stage matches this morning, you all have time to rest!"

"So let's treat this group stage like the final!"

"..."

Xu Guoyi was giving instructions to the three people, especially Cai Li.

Cai Li's expression was cold and stern, while Wang Haibo, standing to the side, stretched out his hand: "Come on, brothers, let's give it a shot!"

"From bicycle to motorcycle!"

Wu Jin smoothly followed up with a remark, catching the others off guard. This was because such jokes weren't common at the time, but Xu Guoyi laughed, "Good, very good!"

"From bicycle to motorcycle!"

"Yes, that's it!"

Snapped!
Cai Li also showed a rare smile, but he put his right hand on Wang Haibo's hand, and Wu Jin quickly put her hand on top of it as well.

"1, 2, 3!"

"come on, come on, come on!"

The three of them roared in unison, and Xu Guoyi was very satisfied with the enthusiasm of his three disciples.

"Alright, let's go to the battlefield!"

"go!"

Wang Haibo greeted her, and Wu Jin exchanged a glance with him before walking into the contestant passage.

"22.33 seconds..."

Watching Wu Jin's departing figure, Xu Guoyi recalled the score he had given Wu Jin when they were getting familiar with the swimming pool, and his heart skipped a beat.

If this kid can really perform like he did just now, he can definitely make a run for the finals, let alone the group stage.

I'm afraid that, like many newcomers, he might perform poorly due to nervousness during his first competition.

They couldn't even get out of the group stage.

This is also one of the "newcomer walls" that often occurs for new athletes.

That's why he pinned his hopes on his other disciple, Cai Li.

This 15-year-old disciple has already participated in the Provincial Games and the City Games, and won several gold medals. In terms of experience, although he is not as good as Wang Haibo, he is definitely better than Wu Jin.

Moreover, Wu Jin's group can be described as a death group.

To avoid putting pressure on the two of them, Xu Guoyi deliberately didn't tell them about their opponents in the same group.

Although Chen Zuo and Cai Li were not in Wu Jin's group, their group had Zhou Jiawei from Guangdong Province. This guy's strength should be about the same as Chen Zuo's. Because he also practices butterfly stroke, he is not as stable as Chen Zuo, who mainly focuses on freestyle.

On paper, both of them are much stronger than Cai Li in terms of skill and number of championships.

This will almost certainly secure a spot in the next round.

Although the qualifying rounds do not select the top two or three from each group to advance, but rather the top 16 from all groups, having strong opponents in the same group still has some impact on other athletes.

But Xu Guoyi had no idea that Wu Jin... knew Zhou Jiawei.

Therefore, his strategy of not informing others completely failed.

Wu Jin certainly knew him, as he was a future Asian record-breaker.

So when Wu Jin stepped out of the competition channel and saw the familiar figure stretching and warming up next to the starting platform in the second lane, she was stunned for a moment, and then smiled wryly.

This group stage was truly incredibly unlucky.

He could already sense Sun Yang's feelings about being the first to take the court in the first game.

Not only was he in the same group as some of the strongest players, but he also had teammates from the same provincial team. Wang Haibo was in lane eight.

"Forget it, strong people never complain about their environment!"

"rush!"

Wu Jin encouraged herself, wearing a regular swimsuit from the Zhejiang Provincial Team, and splashed her body.

Zhou Jiawei, standing next to him, clearly had the air of a pro. He was tall and big, wearing swimming goggles, and jumped onto the starting block, then jumped off again, his eyes fixed on the second lane in front of him.

beep!
[The preliminary heats for the men's 50m freestyle at the 3rd Chinese Swimming Championships are now beginning!]

[All players, please get ready!]

[1-minute countdown!]

An announcement came over the loudspeaker, and almost without exception, every athlete stepped onto the starting block next to them.

This is Wu Jin's first time participating in a top-level domestic competition.

Contrary to everyone's expectations of tension, he was filled with anticipation, as if every cell in his body was "jumping with joy."

Having lived two lives, he had clearly forgotten his memories of competing in his previous life, as those were some children's group competitions before he was 12 years old; and after becoming a swimming teacher at a training institution, he had only participated in some amateur-level competitions for his students.

Although I've only been reborn for a month, I've already qualified for the championship.

What no one knows is that he is actually a 33-year-old veteran!

"Let your dreams take flight from this competition!"

Wu Jin assumed the starting position for freestyle swimming, her gaze gradually focusing and then freezing, staring intently at the slightly rippling azure pool water beneath her, as if every nerve in her body was taut.

Blood is boiling, just waiting for the sword to be drawn!

drop!
The starting gun for the race fired at that moment.

shhhhh--

The eight figures in the pool all jumped into the pool in perfect unison the next second.

The preliminary rounds of the men's 50m freestyle, first heat, have officially begun!
(End of this chapter)