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

Chapter 43 The World's Number One Swimming Demon King!
October 2003, 4, evening.

"son!"

"Hua Hua!"

"..."

As the triumphant Zhejiang provincial team bus drove into the team's gate, the athletes' parents, who had been waiting outside, immediately rushed to greet them.

Wu Jin's parents, Wu Lisheng and Xu Wanqin, were also among these people, and they already knew each other.

Parents who were good at handling things even exchanged contact information with each other.

The arts and entertainment are inseparable, and the rules that apply to the entertainment industry also apply to sports.

When you become famous, you're surrounded by kind people.

After winning the championship, you made more friends. People who used to ignore you started to talk to you, even if you weren't dressed well. In modern times, it's common for mothers and fathers to rise in status because of their sons.

"Report to the provincial team at 5 PM tomorrow!"

"Don't eat random things, and don't forget your daily training!"

"..."

Zhang Yadong stood in the car and spoke to the group of athletes, then waved.

Immediately, one by one, the children eagerly walked down from the car, and the parents couldn't wait to step forward and help their children carry all kinds of luggage.

Ultimately, many athletes are only 15 or 6 years old, and are still children in their parents' eyes.

The award-winning parents were praising the prize with pride on their faces.

Some parents who didn't win offered comfort, while others offered lessons. The quality of parents varied greatly, something Wu Jin had seen far too often in her previous life; some even beat their children after a poor performance in a competition.

Wu Jin was grateful that although her parents were ordinary, they cared more about their son's self-esteem than honors and achievements.

So after being rejected by Chen Jinglun in her previous life, the word "swimming" even became a taboo in her family.

But now, Wu Jin hopes they can enjoy a different feeling than in their previous life.

"Dad, Mom!"

Wu Jin called out to Wu Lisheng and Xu Wanqin, who were standing behind the group. Xu Wanqin's eyes were a little red, but Wu Lisheng's grin never stopped: "Come on, let's go home. Your grandparents are waiting, as are your maternal grandparents and aunt!"

"Wait a moment, I'll go say hello to the coach and the players!"

After greeting Wu Jin and Wu Peng, and saying goodbye to Xu Guoyi, Zhang Yadong and the others, Wu Jin followed Wu Lisheng and Xu Wanqin to their own little QQ parked at the door!

"Honey, you're more suited to be a teacher than I am!"

Seeing how capable Wu Jin was at such a young age, Wu Lisheng naturally assumed it was because of his wife's upbringing.

Little did Xu Wanqin know that she was also puzzled. She felt that Wu Jin had become more mature and exceptionally polite after joining the provincial team.

"Son, where's the gold medal?"

Wu Lisheng started the car, watched Wu Jin get in, and immediately turned to ask her a question.

Xu Wanqin, who was sitting in the passenger seat, also joined in.

"Ta-da~~~"

Wu Jin even added her own background music, pulling the gold medal out of her pocket and then releasing it with a swish.

The golden light shone brightly in Wu Lisheng's eyes.

"This is the first time in my life I've ever seen what a gold medal looks like..."

Wu Lisheng was grinning foolishly, but Wu Jin handed him the gold medal directly: "Dad, this is my first gold medal, I'm giving it to you!"

"what?"

Wu Lisheng was taken aback: "Give it to me? Why?"

"Without you teaching me to swim, I wouldn't be who I am today!"

"Then give it to your mom too. She's been with you all these years. In terms of hardship, your mom has definitely worked harder than me!"

Wu Lisheng dared not take credit.

Wu Jin looked at Xu Wanqin and asked, "Mom, do you think I can win an Olympic gold medal?"

"can!"

Xu Wanqin didn't hesitate at all.

"Then I'll give you my first Olympic gold medal!"

"Mom understands what you mean!"

Xu Wanqin smiled, took Wu Jin's gold medal, and then solemnly placed it in her husband's hands: "Compared to me spending time with our son, you earn money to support us, which is indeed the greatest contribution!"

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean!"

In her previous life, Wu Jin was unmarried in her thirties. Only after being reborn did she understand what her father's generation needed most.

In some ways, he was the most overlooked person in the family.

"..."

Wu Lisheng touched the gold medal in his hand. If his son hadn't been there, he probably would have burst into tears long ago.

Sometimes a man can be moved for a long time by a small gesture, especially when it comes from his own son.

His first gold medal was of extraordinary significance.

"Okay, I'll take it to school tomorrow, hehe!"

Wu Lisheng gripped the gold medal tightly, tears welling in his eyes. Xu Wanqin watched this scene and felt that this was the scene she had dreamed of all her life.

"go home!"

"Phew~~~" Wu Lisheng let out a long breath, wiped the corner of his eye with his palm, and then drove off with a smile.

"Mom, you're not angry, are you?"

Wu Jin whispered in Xu Wanqin's ear.

"No, Mom thinks you did a really good job!"

"Who taught you? Coach Xu?"

How could a 12-year-old child know this?
Wu Jin shook her head: "No, I saw it in a book!"

"Then your mom is really waiting for your Olympic gold medal, don't keep me waiting too long!"

Xu Wanqin said with a smile, and Wu Jin nodded: "Next year, the Athens Olympics, I'll try my best!"

"Don't make promises you can't keep!"

Although Wu Lisheng was happy, his professional ethics as a physical education teacher instantly kicked in: "We still need to prepare well. The Olympics are not like anything else. 100 national champions can't compare to the value of the Olympics!"

"Currently, no one in China has won a medal in men's swimming, let alone a gold medal!"

"..."

Wu Jin had heard this kind of talk too many times in her previous life and was naturally immune to it.

On the contrary, his mother usually doesn't talk much.

Listening to Lao Wu's lectures and boasting all the way, we finally arrived at my hometown, which felt somewhat unfamiliar to me, around 11 p.m.

He was familiar with the road, and the area in front of his house hadn't changed much, but the front yard and surrounding area hadn't been renovated yet.

Since it's late at night, we won't be setting off firecrackers.

Wu Lisheng originally intended to set off some firecrackers, but all the neighbors and relatives came to greet him.

As was the routine of congratulations, the whole family kept praising him during the meal, making Wu Jin feel a little embarrassed.

After finishing my meal, I quickly slipped away to my room on the second floor.

It was exactly as I remembered it: the white paint was peeling off the walls, which were covered with Thorpe posters.

Yes, this is the current world's number one swimmer.

The world's number one flying fish is not Michael Phelps, but the man in this poster – Ian James Thorpe, an Australian swimming star nicknamed Torpedo, who was Wu Jin's idol when she was a child.

This guy hasn't retired yet, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, Wu Jin might still be able to see him on the field again, and even compete against him.

Because his specialty is short and medium-distance freestyle swimming.

这家伙现在手握200、400、800、4*100、4*200五项自由泳项目的世界纪录，已经不仅仅只是奥运冠军那么简单。

He is undoubtedly the number one swimming champion in the world right now.

Three years ago, at the age of 17, he participated in the Sydney Olympics, which was hosted by his own country for the first time. He became famous overnight for competing on home soil, winning 3 gold and 2 silver medals, and becoming the most famous and dazzling sports figure of that Olympics.

Ten-year-old Wu Jin was naturally deeply moved, dreaming of becoming a man like him someday.

But more than 20 years later, Wu Jin has long since lost all her fascination with these foreign swimmers.

Thorpe was the first beneficiary of the sharkskin swimsuit after its invention.

The second one, of course, was Michael Phelps, the asthma-stricken marijuana guy.

Both are talented individuals who have been well protected by Western doping organizations, especially Phelps, whose number of exemptions due to asthma is likely to remain a world record that no one will be able to break in the future.

Therefore, Wu Jin now felt only strong irony when looking at the poster in front of her.

"These two guys should be able to meet at the World Championships in a little over two months!"

"It's a pity it's not the same event. Looks like we'll have to wait until the Athens Olympics. Phelps isn't in a hurry, we can meet him at BJ in 08!"

Wu Jin made a shooting gesture towards the poster directly opposite her, in which Thorpe stood arrogantly on the pool railing, looking down on the world.

"Snapped!"

The accompanying sound added a touch of wicked humor.

"I'll buy a phone tomorrow, and when I get back to the team tonight, I'll chat with Lao Xu about butterfly stroke!"

It's time to put the 50-meter butterfly on the agenda.

In her previous life, Wu Jin was a coach at a swimming club, and she actually had a good plan for her next few projects.

The 50m butterfly is currently the most suitable swimming style for me to practice, besides the 50m freestyle.

Then came the practice of the 50-meter frog and the 50-meter backflip.

Of course, I'm not practicing these two swimming styles to compete for gold medals; in the Olympics, apart from freestyle, there is no 50-meter event in the other three swimming styles, which is only available at the World Championships.

Wu Jin did this for another project—the individual medley.

The medley is a competition that combines four swimming styles, and Michael Phelps is best at the medley.

For example, the 200-meter mixed medley consists of swimming 50 meters each in the pool using four swimming styles: backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and freestyle.

Many people think that Michael Phelps is the strongest swimmer in history, but this concept is wrong. Apart from butterfly, he is not the top swimmer in the other three strokes, but this does not prevent him from being the "undisputed" GOAT in swimming!

This is medley swimming. As long as you can achieve above-average performance in all four strokes, and excel in one of them, you can try to challenge yourself.

Because historically, no one has ever won a championship in all four swimming styles.

Winning a gold medal with two swimming styles is extremely rare, and there's practically no one who has won an Olympic gold medal with three swimming styles, let alone four.

Once Wu Jin masters freestyle and butterfly, she can actually compete for the gold medal in the medley.

At that time, at the 08 Beijing Olympics, he might really have to face off against Phelps.

And next year in Athens, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Wu Jin's biggest rival will be the man on the poster in front of us—Thorpe!
This is the only athlete in human history in the last 100 years to win medals in the 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle events at the same Olympic Games!

(End of this chapter)