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

Chapter 42 Best Rookie!

The next day was the final day of the championship.

4 pm.

The final competition for the last gold medal, the women's 4x200m freestyle relay, has reached a fever pitch.

Eight teams were racing each other in the pool, and the relay had already reached the last leg.

Everyone stood in the stands, cheering wildly for their teammates.

The Zhejiang team has a strong chance of winning gold in this event. They have sent Chen Hua, who just won the gold medal in the women's 400m freestyle at the championship, Zheng Jing, who won the silver medal, Tang Jingzhi, who won the bronze medal, and Yang Yu.

Yes, in the women's 400m freestyle event a few days ago, the Zhejiang provincial team swept the top three places.

Unfortunately, the women's 200m freestyle champion was Pang Jiaying from Shanghai.

Therefore, the final relay race of this competition day was actually a contest between Zhejiang Province and Shanghai.

The overall strength of the players from other regions is somewhat weaker.

Unfortunately, the Shanghai team only had one Pang Jiaying. Even though she had an absolute advantage in the 200-meter freestyle, she was surrounded by three equally good 200-meter runners from Zhejiang Province, and after the last relay, she had fallen far behind.

Chen Hua surged ahead, leading by almost two body lengths as he swam into the final 50-meter sprint.

They can almost guarantee the championship in advance.

Chen Hua is also Wu Jin's senior, having also graduated from Chen Jinglun Sports School, and her first coach was Wu Xiajun. She won three gold medals in the women's 400m, 800m and 4x200m relay at the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games. She burst onto the scene at the age of 14 and was recruited into the national team at a young age.

"Take it!!"

"First!"

"Oh oh oh!"

The Zhejiang team watched as Chen Hua crossed the finish line without any doubt, while the second-place Shanghai team was still more than 10 meters away from the finish line.

They won the championship with a commanding lead, without any pressure whatsoever.

"Now we're in first place, right?"

"Yes, we have two more silver medals and one more bronze medal than the Navy. The gold medal tally is the same!"

"That's number one!"

"can!"

"Awesome! Xiao Wu's gold medal yesterday was extremely important!"

"Yes, without this piece, if Chen Zuo had taken it, we would have been third. The capital city team is too strong this year!"

They have a semi-home advantage and a three-time gold medalist.

In Zhejiang Province, Luo Xuejuan and Wu Peng each only got one, while Chen Hua just got two!
"Chen Zuo should be the MVP!"

"Not necessarily. Old Wu won six medals, he's number one in medals!"

Wu Peng had a bit of bad luck this time, winning 1 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze medals. He won the championship in the 200m butterfly, where he was most dominant, but missed out on first place in the 400m individual medley and 200m backstroke, only winning two silver medals.

There were also 2 bronze and 1 silver medals in the men's relay events.

"It should be Chen Zuo!"

"No medal has more value than a gold medal!"

"Besides, Old Chen still has one silver, one bronze, and five gold medals!"

Wu Peng sighed, his eyes revealing a deep sense of disappointment.

He has always been a versatile player and is known for his high earnings, but it is a real pity that he failed to capitalize on his strengths this time.

If Zhejiang Province had its top athletes all performed at their best, they would have already secured first place. For example, Luo Xuejuan won a gold medal in the 50-meter butterfly.

"Go back and practice more, comrades!"

Wu Peng was shouting encouragement, and the crowd left the arena one by one.

There will be a closing ceremony later, where, in addition to speeches from leaders, some individual awards will be presented.

For example, best athlete, best coach, etc.

Ultimately, the Best Swimmer award for this year's championship was awarded to Chen Zuo, while the Best Coach award went to Chen Yinghong, Zhang Lin's coach, who had just joined the national team with Zhang Lin last year.

What Wu Jin never expected was that he would also receive an award.

Rookie of the Year!

Zhang Lin did not win a gold medal; he won three consecutive silver medals in the 400m, 800m and 1500m freestyle events, completely outmatched by Yu Cheng!

So Wu Jin had to thank Lao Yu, because an extra 1 yuan had been deposited into his account!

However, Wu Jin truly deserved this honor. Breaking so many records and winning the 50m freestyle at the age of 12, no one could argue with him being named Best Newcomer. "Treat me to a meal, definitely!"

As she walked down with the rookie trophy, Wu Jin displayed remarkable emotional intelligence, even as she looked at her teammates with predatory eyes.

Even if it's all spent on treating coaches and teammates to meals, I'd be willing to do it. It's a chance to build rapport and build relationships, since many of these people will be my comrades-in-arms when we compete abroad together in the future.

"Go home!"

"The results were basically in line with expectations, but we missed several opportunities to win gold. We need to go back and analyze them carefully!"

"..."

After having the athletes clean the locker room and the Zhejiang provincial team's rest room, Zhang Yadong led everyone onto the bus back to the hotel.

They're going back early tomorrow morning, and tonight... there's a victory celebration banquet, of course.

The location was near their hotel.

Athletes can't drink alcohol, and their diet is very particular, so they can only drink beverages.

But the group still made a ruckus until after 11 p.m., when Wu Jin finally borrowed Wu Peng's phone to call his mother.

"son!!!"

Xu Wanqin was still awake, of course. Many relatives had come to her house last night and had just left.

They were all clearly there to "pay homage" to Wu Jin's championship win.

Wu Lisheng had already posted the printed webpage on the wall and had also called his sister-in-law, several cousins, and other relatives.

Such a joyous occasion should naturally be shared with relatives.

"Mom, you know?"

Wu Jin chuckled as she listened to her mother's incredibly happy voice on the other end of the phone.

"Not only do they know, everyone in the surrounding villages knows you won the championship!"

"Haha, my dad said that, didn't he?"

Knowing Wu Lisheng as he does, Wu Jin would love for the whole world to know about this.

"Yes, your aunt came before I even got home!"

"I went to an internet cafe today and saw news about my son on Sina.com for the first time!"

"But I was too embarrassed to tell anyone!"

"..."

Xu Wanqin was talking non-stop. It was the first time Wu Jin had heard her mother talk so much, and she could tell that she hadn't been this happy in a long time.

In any case, it never happened in my past life.

"Mom, I have something to tell you!"

Wu Jin, seizing the opportunity, decided to say it all at once.

"What?"

"Your son will be reporting to the national team next month!"

"Ok?"

Xu Wanqin only heard the words "national team," but Wu Jin said, word by word, "Yes, your son... has joined the national team!"

"..."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by my mother's breathing becoming suddenly rapid.

The next second, Wu Jin felt a jolt in her eardrums as she heard her shout at such a loud voice for the first time: "Wu! Li! Sheng!"

"quick!"

"YuYu has made it into the national team!!"

Her voice trembled slightly, cracking as she said, "He made it into the national team... Waaah..."

The sobs of joy quickly replaced the shouts.

All these years of unwavering companionship with my son, those days and nights of taking him to school in the early morning and picking him up at night, those years of silent support, intertwined with worry and anticipation—at this moment—

It was as if all of that had transformed into a surging torrent of emotions, overwhelming her heart.

For so many years, she was like the most persistent wave in the swimming pool, always clinging to and protecting him; finally, she saw her son break through the waves and merge into the vast ocean that symbolizes the highest dreams and glory!
The national team—that's the ultimate stage for countless athletes!

His son, only 12 years old, is about to become a member here!
(End of this chapter)