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

Chapter 32: Emergency!

It was 2:30 p.m.

Wu Jin, Cai Li, and Wang Haibo arrived at the Jinshi Swimming Center on time.

The semifinal group stage draw is out!

Xu Guoyi is holding a sheet of semi-final group assignments for the men's 50m freestyle.

The 16 finalists were divided into two groups.

In groups of eight, Wu Jin was paired with Cai Li in the second group, fulfilling Sun Yang's wish.

Wang Haibo was grouped with Chen Zuo, a pre-tournament favorite and the three-time gold medalist in this year's Beijing championship.

Zhou Jiawei is paired with Wu Jin again this time.

"Both groups are actually quite evenly matched!"

"We need to get into the top eight, so... don't worry about the others, we still need to give it our all this time!"

Xu Guoyi looked at the three disciples in front of him.

In fact, it's obvious to anyone with eyes that the competition in the second group is much fiercer.

The first group only had one top player, Chen Zuo, while the second group... Cai Li, Zhou Jiawei, and Wu Jin were all very strong in the group stage.

Zhou Jiawei and Wu Jin, in particular, were only 0.02 seconds apart.

Wu Jin may not have such good luck in the semifinals.

The coaches recognized Wu Jin's exceptional talent, but they also believed that Wu Jin's performance in the first group stage match was an overperformance.

Xu Guoyi also shared this concern.

Because he was aware of this disciple's academic performance.

He's never swum this data before. It's normal for him to do it once in a while, but doing it twice is not normal.

"Wu Jin, don't think about anything!"

"Just like the group stage, we just need to get out of there!"

As Xu Guoyi was speaking, he didn't forget to remind the others: "I don't need to explain how to swim to the top eight, right? It's not like being first in the group guarantees a spot!"

There have been instances in the Olympics and World Swimming Championships where an entire group was eliminated in the semifinals.

Everyone in the second group swam faster than the first group, so it's normal that the group leader in the first group didn't advance, let alone the group runner-up.

Many athletes have the habit of holding back their swimming.

It could also be a tactic devised by the coach.

Especially if there's a relay race later, he just needs to make sure he advances.

But this is often the kind of failure.

It's quite regrettable that so many future world number ones fell in the semifinals; even some domestic players, such as Qin Haiyang and Pan Zhanle, have stumbled in this way.

Slowing down is certainly a good thing, as it can ensure a big burst in the finals and relays, but there's always the possibility that someone might set a trap and deliberately swim slowly.

He advanced as the top seed in his group, while you were eliminated as the second-place finisher.

In the other group, all seven of the top teams advanced to the finals.

Two contestants from the capital city have also made it to the finals, and Chen Zuo could very well "set up" the situation, because he has the ability to do so.

If Wang Haibo really followed his rhythm while swimming, he might get led into a ditch.

That's what Xu Guoyi meant.

"Yes!"

The three of them shouted in unison, and Xu Guoyi didn't waste any words.

He was happy for most of the morning, but when it came to the afternoon's competition, he completely lost interest.

Results are results, and they are now in the past. The most important thing now is the semi-finals and the finals.

"123, go go go!"

Wu Jin and the other two clapped and shouted again before walking into the contestants' passage.

Because Wu Jin and Cai Li were the second group to go on stage, they could stay in the temporary rest area for the athletes to warm up and stretch while waiting for the notification for the second group to go on stage.

Wang Haibo, along with Chen Zuo and other members of the first group, went outside.

Less than 10 minutes later, the first group had already finished.

Chen Zuo didn't go all out and swam a time of 23.15 seconds, which basically guaranteed his advancement.

The reasons for doing this are twofold: first, to set up the competition; and second, because the final will be held at 5 o'clock, leaving less than two hours for the competition; and then there are various tests to be done, so there is not much time for rest and recovery.

Players aiming for the championship will definitely need to hold back a bit in the semifinals to secure a spot in the final.

This is a strategy typically used by champion players.

Xu Guoyi had Wu Jin and the other two sprint at full speed because they didn't actually have the ability to secure the championship, and they had to make sure they went all out in every shot.

Just like how Suarez will achieve the pinnacle of his life in the future semifinals.

For him, the semifinals were essentially the finals.

Wu Jin and the other two are like this now.

Even if Wu Jin swims first place in the group stage, it doesn't necessarily mean she'll advance to the semifinals.

Many teams failed to advance from the first semifinal of the Olympic qualifying rounds.

Cai Li's fifth place in the preliminaries is actually not a sure thing.

beep!
[Athletes in the second heat of the men's 50m freestyle semifinals, please come forward and prepare!]

As the announcement rang out, several swimmers who had been jumping in place immediately lined up and took their places according to their lane numbers.

Wu Jin was assigned to a very good lane because she ranked first in the preliminaries.

Lane 4!

It and lane 5 are known as the "champion lanes"; generally, the winners are born in these two lanes, although there are exceptions, but statistically these two lanes have produced the most champions.

This isn't metaphysics; it has a scientific basis.

No matter how fair your competition is, the course in the swimming pool can't be absolutely impartial.

The middle lane is known to offer better visibility, allowing you to see your opponents, and the waves are also more stable compared to the sides.

In addition to the limited visibility, the side lanes may also be affected by the waves created by opponents in the adjacent lanes, which can impact your stroke. Furthermore, because they are close to the shore, the waves you create can bounce off the pool wall, further affecting your swimming style.

Therefore, lanes 1 and 8 are also known as the "devil's lanes"!

Just like lane nine in track and field.

Winning the championship is more difficult than in other lanes; it can only be described as a "miracle."

However, in swimming competitions, lanes 1 and 8 are not the outermost lanes. The outermost lanes are 0 and 9. This is not used in the preliminaries; it is only used in the finals. In the preliminaries, there are 8 lanes, but lanes 0 and 9 are not used.

However, some finals have 10 lanes, named from 0 to 9, without a designated lane 10.

"Whoo~~~"

Wu Jin stood beside the starting platform, took a deep breath, and adjusted her breathing and rhythm.

He had already put on his swimming goggles and swimming cap.

Next to him, in the same Golden Fifth Champion lane, was Zhou Jiawei. Unlike his cool demeanor during the group stage, this guy was unusually bending over and pulling up.

As for Wu Jin's other lane, the third lane, it was Cai Li.

He stared coldly at the pool, completely still, as if he had achieved perfect harmony between mind and body.

Turns out, this guy is the coolest.

Wu Jin jumped twice in place, listened to the prompts in her ear, and immediately stood on the starting platform, assuming the ready position for freestyle swimming.

"Intermediate level 1 acceleration, plus level 10 sprint!"

"I wonder what kind of result he can achieve if he goes all out?"

Wu Jin had no intention of holding back.

He also didn't have the habit of holding back.

Seriously, I've been holding it in for almost half an afternoon; this is totally not Wu Jin's style.

After upgrading his skills, he actually wanted to try it out in the pool and test it out; now he's been holding back for more than 3 hours, which is really tough on him.

More than 3 hours!

Do you know how those three-plus hours went by?

Yeah, I've taken a nap, and now I'm looking forward to the game.

drop!
As soon as the starting gun fired, Wu Jin didn't hesitate at all and leaped out like a tiger released from its cage.

Just as he was about to silently recite the activation command for the intermediate acceleration skill, he heard—

beep!!

A sharp whistle sounded as a warning.

"Ok?"

Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop!

The activation of the skill was abruptly stopped by Wu Jin.

That was close!

This is the whistle signaling a foul.

Which guy?

Anyway, it wasn't him, so Wu Jin felt that her jump was fine.

Then he suddenly emerged from the water and saw Cai Li and Zhou Jiawei on either side, the two guys swimming back.

They were all ahead of me?
Both of them jumped at the last minute?
Is this some kind of shameless act? Everyone's trying to escape by firing their guns?
It seems he was quite shaken by his morning results!

The one who committed the foul was indeed Zhou Jiawei.

Cai Li successfully controlled the gun; he didn't start prematurely, but he was still affected.

The game restarts.

This kind of false start is really disgusting. It will affect the performance of all the swimmers in the group during their second swim, causing them to swim worse times than usual.

Therefore, false starts at the Olympics, if too malicious, will result in a warning, and in serious cases, disqualification from the competition.

Later, FINA further stipulated that in any swimming competition, there is only one chance, and the reaction time to the start will be checked. If the start time is less than 0.1 seconds, the athlete will be disqualified without exception.

It is precisely because athletes in the competition have exploited too many loopholes that such unfair behavior must be eliminated.

"Prepare!"

The announcement came on again; this competition is quite humane.

In international competitions, there were no reminders whatsoever; instead, they prepared on their own and attempted a second jump.

drop--

The starting gun fired again, and Wu Jin released all the anger she had been suppressing because of her false jump into the pool.

This time, no one dared to press the gun down, and no one broke the rules.

Wu Jin waited a full second before activating the skill the moment she jumped into the water.

The final results will certainly be affected, but he clearly doesn't care about that anymore.

The 12-second acceleration exploded inside his body.

At the same time, Wu Jin's full power also exploded.

Cai Li and Zhou Jiawei, who were still ahead of him despite not having controlled their recoil, suddenly felt a surging wave crashing towards them.

Upon entering the water, the two of them were naturally faster than Wu Jin.

Because they have experience.

Being a second slower meant that Wu Jin's water exit speed was not as fast as the other two, and she was even... the last one!
But after emerging from the water—

All the coaches and players watching the game had their eyes wide open.

Xu Guoyi, He Xinzhong, and Yao Zhengjie, the head coach of the Beijing team and also the former head coach of the national team, all looked on with disbelief.

Swish!
Xu Guoyi even stood up from the stands with an excited expression.

"it is good!"

This roar startled the two coaches next to him, causing Yao Zhengjie to drop his phone to the ground.

But he didn't pick it up immediately.

In their eyes, there was only that one figure in the lead.

too fast!
It's just... Wu Jin's speed is too fast!
It was faster than anyone expected.

1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds... In just 3 seconds, he overtook 7 people from the last exit position and rushed to the front!

Furthermore, it is gradually expanding its lead.

3 seconds!
It's just a 3-second interval.

He surpassed... 7 people!
Two in one second! From last place, he jumped straight to first!

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(End of this chapter)