The Su God of the Reopening of the Sports Arena

Chapter 2278 This is how he should have been.

[China wins 13 gold medals at World Athletics Championships; Liu Xiang achieves first gold medal in men's sprint, breaking China's record; Su Shen's 0m gold medal dispels racial prejudice]

首届世界田径锦标赛于1983年在芬兰赫尔辛基举行，至今已成功举办13届，中国田径队一共夺得13金12银14铜，排在总奖牌榜的第13位。中国队曾在1993年斯图加特世锦赛上达到巅峰，以4金2银2铜位列奖牌榜次席。不过，也有1997年与2001年两届比赛无奖牌入账的尴尬。

China's first medal in athletics at the World Championships came in the high jump, with Zhu Jianhua winning a bronze medal in Helsinki in 1983 with a jump of 2.29 meters. The first gold medal belonged to shot putter Huang Zhihong, who won China's first World Championship gold medal in Tokyo in 1991 with an astonishing throw of 20.83 meters. Xu Demei also won gold in the women's javelin that year. In Stuttgart in 1993, the "Ma's Army" swept the women's middle- and long-distance running events, with Liu Dong, Qu Yunxia, ​​and Wang Junxia winning the 1500m, 3000m, and 10000m titles, respectively. Huang Zhihong defended her title in the women's shot put, giving China a remarkable four gold medals. After two disappointing World Championships, Liu Hongyu won gold for China in the women's 20km race walk in Seville in 1999.

In Osaka in 2007, Liu Xiang won the 110-meter hurdles, achieving a breakthrough for Chinese men's athletics by winning their first World Championship gold medal. That same year, Su Shen also broke records, winning a bronze medal. In the 2009 Berlin World Championships, Liu Xiang defended his title, while Bai Xue won gold in the women's marathon with a time of 2 hours, 25 minutes, and 15 seconds. In Daegu in 2011, Liu Xiang once again defeated all his rivals, withstanding Robles's challenge, to win his third consecutive World Championship title. Also that year, Li Yanfeng won gold in the women's discus throw. Of course, the most attention-grabbing achievement that year was also the victory of Asian athletes in the 100-meter dash at a major international competition.

The entire World Championships can be described as a history of China's struggle in track and field.

From this, we can see our fighting trajectory in the World Championships.

The athletes' fighting spirit.

And how they gradually led us from a weak nation in track and field to the right track.

[Eight Must-Watch Events at the World Championships: Bolt vs. Suarez in Men's High Jump - A Challenge to the Record]

Nearly 2000 athletes will compete fiercely in 47 events. While each event is exciting, it's impossible for the general public to have equal popularity across all 47 events. From the perspective of Chinese track and field fans, and with a global viewpoint, which competitions are truly worth our close attention?

The first to be affected is the sprint race.

With Bolt around, both the 100m and 200m races are bound to be a hot topic, especially after Bolt's consecutive losses in major world competitions. This major world competition is his chance to regain his former glory.

His 100-meter duel with Suarez.

It's guaranteed to be a ratings explosion.

If I had to choose one to watch, it would definitely be this one.

In addition, the two competitions outside are also worth watching: the battle between Bolt and Blake, and whether our young athlete Xie Zhengye can achieve further glory and win another medal for his World Championships journey after London.
The second, of course, is the 110-meter hurdles.

Look at the headline given by the IAAF: 110m hurdles, veteran makes a comeback? First champion born in the 90s?

Although Liu Xiang has left the spotlight, the 110-meter hurdles are still one of the most watched track and field events by Chinese sports fans. With Merritt entering an inevitable adjustment period, the suspense of this competition has increased dramatically.

Merritt has suffered too many losses this year, including injuries and hurdle withdrawals in the Shanghai and London rounds, and can no longer be considered the top favorite to win the title.

Veteran Oliver, once a top athlete, has made a comeback, maintaining the world's best time of 13.03 seconds this year. Jamaican Patchmont (born in 1990) and Cuban Ortega (born in 1991) are also formidable competitors, both running under 13.10 seconds this year. However, this year's 110m hurdles are a chaotic battle, with no clear standout runners and no clear favorites. Besides those mentioned, could there be an even bigger upset? Who knows? And let's not forget Richardson, the defending champion who finished fourth in the domestic trials, yet was still selected for the US team. While not as strong as in London, his ability is still considerable.

Next up is Xie Wenjun, a junior teammate of Liu Xiang, a young Chinese athlete. He won consecutive championships in the Diamond League this year. He's worth watching; although he doesn't have Liu Xiang's championship-contending ability, and may even struggle to win a medal, a top-eight finish is still very possible.

After all, he is still a young man and has many opportunities ahead of him. Many Chinese people will likely stop to watch this match.

The third event is the men's 20km race walk.

China has sent three athletes to this World Championships: Cai Zelin, Chen Ding, and Wang Zhen, the same lineup as for the London Olympics. Olympic champion Chen Ding's performance this year has been unremarkable, and theoretically he shouldn't be on the roster. Li Jianbo's selection would be more reasonable, but he was sent to walk the 50km. Will Chen Ding surprise everyone again like he did last year?
Wang Zhen and Cai Zelin continued their consistent performance from last year, winning gold and silver medals respectively in this event at the National Games. Cai Zelin's best result this year ranks fourth in the world, while Wang's ranks seventh. They form a formidable partnership with Russia's Trofimov and Ruzavin, making this a crucial gold medal battle for the Chinese team at this competition. Also, don't forget Guatemala's Eric Barondo, the Olympic silver medalist who comes with the glorious mission of breaking his country's zero-medal record at the World Championships. The combined strength of China and Russia may not be able to stop this race walking prodigy.

Fourth women's sprint.

The women's sprint team is led by Chen Juan.

After winning an unexpected bronze medal in London last year, she has become a favorite in the women's sprint at this World Championships.

Not to mention that his performance this year has also reached new heights. He not only broke the 10.80-second barrier in the 100 meters, equaling the Asian record set by Li Xuemei, but also set a better personal record in the 200 meters.

Step by step, I approached Li Xuemei.

Her matches are also a must-watch.

……

The long jump event is not included in this must-see list.

After all, historically, we don't have any advantage in this event, both in the World Championships and the Olympics.

He has never won a gold medal.

Naturally, it has nothing to do with "traditional advantages".

This resulted in not many people watching the match during the preliminary rounds, and the viewership rating ranked in the lower half of the Chinese teams.

Fortunately, Yang Jian was well-prepared for the lesson.

Li Tao and he worked together quite well.

If there's a match involving one of our own people, there will definitely be some pre-match hype.

"Li Jinzhe's consistency in the long jump event is also a source of great anticipation. In May of this year, he jumped more than 8.30 meters in a row, which is his personal best. If measured by this metric, he already has the ability to win a top-five finish at the World Championships."

"That's right, now let's see how he performs in the competition."

"Let's take a look at his qualifying results, see how he performs in the preliminary rounds, and whether he can break records and make it to the finals."

"We've had seven or eight World Championships and haven't seen a person of Asian descent appear on the long jump stage. Now let's see if our own people can do it."

Historically, not only have problems accumulated from previous matches, but this time, problems have also arisen during the German training camp.

The more dreams Li Jinzhe cherishes, the more obstacles he faces.

Three months before the World Championships, he was accidentally hit on the right foot by a barbell while training in Germany. This injury may have dashed his hopes of winning a medal.

That was his situation at the time; it was indeed very dire.

However, this time Su Shen will naturally take him along to avoid it.

They didn't even let him go there.

That naturally prevented the injury from being compounded.

"Seeing his first jump."

"Not bad, 8.10 meters on the first jump!"

Just as Yang Jian was excited about this result, exactly as on the original timeline, the referee quickly stepped in and announced that the jump was a foul.

Otherwise, with this score, it would be easy to make it to the finals.

"It's okay, don't let it affect you. This means you're in good form. Just do your best in the second round."

"That's right, it's a bit of a pity, but it doesn't matter. With our strength, as long as we can get past the top 8, we can easily enter the finals."

That's true, but historically he encountered a problem here. Due to injuries, he was unable to perform well continuously, so he didn't exceed 8 meters in his last two dives.

Especially the second jump.

It is only 7.77 meters tall.

But this time.

The situation is completely different; he is not injured.

It's time to get into top form.

This is the kind of performance he should have shown at this World Championships.

As the on-site announcer shouted, "China, Li Jinzhe."

He took the first step.

The running start employs a unique "three short, one long" rhythm: the first three steps are compact, fast, and light, like a cheetah crouching to approach its prey.

The fourth step involves suddenly widening the distance, raising the left knee high to shift the body's center of gravity forward, and swinging both arms at a 45-degree angle.

This starting method can quickly accumulate speed while ensuring the accuracy of step points.

As he entered the middle of his approach run, Li Jinzhe's stride frequency and stride length began to increase steadily.

His every step landed almost on the center line of the track, demonstrating his strong body control.

By the time he reached his 12th step, his speed had reached 8.5 meters per second, and his arms swung at shoulder height, causing his torso to twist slightly.

This "twisting" motion allows for the accumulation of greater power for takeoff without sacrificing speed.

Eight steps before the takeoff board, he begins his acceleration sprint. Slow-motion replays reveal a significant change in how his feet land.

The forefoot strikes the ground first, then quickly transitions to the entire foot, using the elasticity of the track to complete a "slingshot" push-off.

In the last three steps, his stride reached 1.85 meters, far exceeding the level of ordinary people. Such an extra-long stride requires extremely strong lower limb explosive power and coordination.

Fortunately, he did a good job.

Li Jinzhe's take-off leg landed precisely 20 centimeters from the front edge of the take-off board.

This landing point has been calibrated through long-term training to avoid stepping on the line and to maximize the use of the springboard's reaction force.

At the moment of contact with the board, his knee joint bent at an angle of 135 degrees, forming a perfect "power-accumulating spring" posture, while his swinging leg swung forward and upward rapidly, with his toes pointing straight at his eyebrows.

Takeoff. During the takeoff, his arms complete key movements: his left hand swings forward and upward, palm facing forward, as if pushing away an invisible barrier; his right hand swings backward and downward, creating a powerful torque with his left hand.

This asymmetrical arm swing technique can effectively increase the height and distance of the body in the air, and is a signature move of many top long jumpers.

When his take-off leg is fully extended, the angle between his body and the ground reaches 22 degrees. This angle has been scientifically calculated to be the golden ratio that balances distance and time in the air.

After leaving the takeoff board, Li Jinzhe quickly entered the "stand-up" aerial posture.

His swing leg presses down actively, bringing it together with his take-off leg.

At the same time, straighten your chest and hips, pull your shoulders back, and unfold your whole body into a reverse arch shape.

This posture not only slows down the landing time, but more importantly, it extends the torso, leaving enough space for the subsequent abdominal contraction and leg raise movements.

During the 0.8 seconds he was airborne, his body maintained a delicate balance. Observing the high-speed camera footage, it can be seen that his head remained upright, with his gaze looking straight ahead, which helped maintain the stability of his body's central axis.

When his body reaches the apex of the parabola, he begins the abdominal contraction and leg raise movement.

Bend your knees and raise your legs, extending your lower legs forward while leaning your upper body forward.

Extend your arms forward as far as possible to touch your toes.

The entire movement was executed in one smooth motion, like a taut bowstring suddenly released.

have to say.

He is indeed quite capable.

These past few months have seen a series of impressive results.

Not fake.

They are genuinely capable.

Just before touching the sand, Li Jinzhe stretched his legs forward to the maximum, pointed his toes up, and bent his knees at a 90-degree angle.

This "horse stance" landing posture can increase the distance of the landing point and buffer the impact to protect the joints.

The moment his feet entered the sandpit, his body leaned forward, and his arms swung forward quickly, shifting his center of gravity forward to avoid sitting back and invalidating his score.

After landing, Li Jinzhe did not get up immediately, but slid forward half a meter while maintaining a forward-leaning posture to ensure that the rest of his body did not touch the sand.

As he stood up, he subconsciously looked back at the sandpit—the clear footprints were more than eight meters away from the take-off board!
This result made him clench his fist instantly and nod to the judges' table.

China Sports Channel.

"Li Jinzhe is starting up."

"Good speed, smooth movements."

"Jump!"

"Go out!"

"Let's see the final result, I hope it can exceed 8 meters..."

"8.05!"

After taking a closer look...

Yang Jian's mood immediately improved, and he announced loudly.

"Although 8.05 meters is not as good as the first jump result, it is still enough."

"He's in really good form. If he can maintain this level of performance, he'll have a very good chance in the final two days from now, and he might even be able to compete for a medal."

Li Tao also acknowledged this achievement.

Li Jinzhe.

If you perform well...

This time at the World Championships, we really have a chance.

However, on the original timeline, the reason his jump was unsuccessful was because...

At that time, blood had seeped through layers of gauze from his right foot, making it impossible for him to take off his shoes to adjust his foot.

These were his own words of frustration to reporters after the match.

So that's not the case.

He won't have had such a difficult time, only making it through the qualifying rounds.

They wouldn't perform like that in the finals; they wouldn't be competitive anymore.

That's why he needed to do a third jump in the competition.

In the decisive third jump, Li Jinzhe held his breath and leaped with all his might, reaching 7.96 meters. He ultimately qualified for the final on the 16th with an overall ranking of eighth, becoming the first Chinese to reach the long jump final in the last seven World Championships.

Just this result.

In post-match interviews, the players said, "I came to this field yesterday, but I was a little hesitant because I was worried about my foot injury flaring up."

"This competition is so important. I've been looking forward to it for so long. I have to do it, otherwise I'll let my family down and myself down."

Even this morning, after getting up, my leg cramped up after only a few exercises. The team doctor tried everything he could and applied all the available painkillers.

In his own words...

He wanted to take a risk.

There aren't many opportunities in world-class competitions.

He didn't have many opportunities in his life to compete in world-class events.

He didn't want to give up just like that.

Fortunately, this life won't have to be so tragic.

He easily achieved excellent results.

The third jump can naturally be avoided.

This not only saves energy but also reduces the burden on the body.

This will allow them to better prepare for the final two days later.

Wang Jianan is just too young.

There was some tension here, and in the end, I only managed to jump my best of 7.59 meters in three attempts.

Ranked third from the bottom in the entire group, they naturally failed to qualify for the finals.

Li Jinzhe's test evaluation of the preliminary round result of 8.05 meters showed that he didn't even need to jump the third time, and directly entered the final.

They finished second in their group, ahead of Mexican star Luis Alberto Rivera Morales' 8.04.

They've advanced to the finals.

As for the German player Christian Reif, who is second only to the group leader.

Wang Jianan was also unlucky. His group was stronger than this group, and the top three all opened the 8.10 meter mark.

There's nothing he can do about losing, but his stage is in the future.

not now.

In fact, if he hadn't suddenly won the Asian Championship and qualified for the competition, he would never have imagined that he would be competing in this match.

So it's okay to lose.

I'm just here to gain some experience.

And it all started from here.

Chinese track and field team.

The gloom of the previous few days has begun to dissipate.

It is gradually getting back on track.

"Alright, viewers, don't go away after the commercial break, there's more exciting content coming up. This is Yang Jian, the Moscow World Athletics Championships are in progress."

"I'll see you later."

(End of this chapter)