47.70!.....
That was Chen Shu's time in this swim.
He floated in the water, took off his swim cap, and gasped for breath.
Looking at the bright red number on the scoreboard, a smile appeared on his lips.
Although he only received 200 experience points for this race, even if he had won first place, he was already satisfied.
This personal best was already the third best in the team.
Wang Hao Yu had swum a 47.69 during training, his most impressive time.
But in competition, his personal best was 47.89, still a difference from Chen Shu's time.
He was already the second best swimmer in the team.
"Coach Cui, gold medal!"
"If we can swim this time, we can even get the relay gold medal!"
Shi Ming Bo was extremely excited, his grip on Coach Cui Deng Rong's sleeve was almost tight!
How could he not be excited?
For a long time, China's 100m freestyle relay has been missing one person.
Missing a second seed, right behind Pan Zhan Le.
Wang Hao Yu, to be honest, was really a little short of it!
As a result, their group of four could only get fourth place every time!
At best, they could fight for the top three!
But at world championships, every time they were just a little short.
Just missing out on the medal, the bronze medal.
It was truly very unfortunate.
But now, Chen Shu's emergence, if he replaces the slowest one, Ji Xing Jie, there's a full second advantage!
Of course, this is the most ideal scenario.
The pool is ever-changing, anything can happen.
But at least, there is hope now!
Before, there was no hope at all.
More than a second faster, this means they can make the strongest push for the gold medal.
Cui Deng Rong, of course, understood, and immediately turned to walk towards the outside of the training ground.
Shi Ming Bo heard his voice: "I'm going to find the team leader!"
While coaches have a say in team member selection, the final decision is made by each team leader.
This change of players is not a joke, it involves many aspects.
For example, if they lose, they have to withstand the pressure, especially the external public opinion, the reaction of domestic netizens, if it's too big, it will definitely alarm the higher authorities.
This coaching staff, and the person who makes the final decision, will all be held accountable.
Also, the main player being taken off and the substitute being put on, all need explanations and reports, it's not as simple as wanting to switch and switching, so simple.
"Shu ge, you're awesome!"
"You're not just a little awesome, this little Paris is easily in your grasp!"
Ji Xing Jie was truly convinced, even if his main player position was taken, there's nothing to say.
Skills are not up to par!
Sports competition is so realistic, you need more practice if you're not good.
New generations replace the old, even if you are an Olympic champion, if you can't win against the younger generation in practice and competition, then you should retire, you have to retire.
Let alone Ji Xing Jie, who never got a medal in the relay, there's no burden for him.
At this time, everyone's thoughts are actually very pure, just trying their best to fight for this medal.
Even though he is a substitute, if Chen Shu gets a medal, he can also get it.
Substitute players, getting gold medals, are also gold medal players, recognized by the country.
Without Chen Shu, he might not even get a medal; whoever it is, they all want a medal, it doesn't really matter whether they are in the competition or not.
"You're calling him Shu ge already!"
"Haha, I really have to call him ge, 47.7, awesome!"
"I can only drink your bathwater..."
Wang Hao Yu, who had swum a 48.10, said helplessly.
He swam slower than yesterday, his condition was indeed not good.
The other two were about the same.
They were all slower than yesterday.
One is that they haven't fully adapted to the pool, after all, it's 70 cm shallower than usual.
Second is that frequent urine tests also have an impact.
The most important is the mentality and acclimatization.
Yesterday was the first trial run after rest, there was a rush in the heart.
But now, on the second day, everyone is clearly a little tired.
"The coach must have gone to fight for you!"
Chen Jun Er also came over and patted Chen Shu on the shoulder.
Although Chen Shu was only 13 years old, he was already 1.7 meters tall, mainly because his leg frequency was very fast, he was indeed a very promising swimming new star.
Coupled with the system's support, he is definitely a talented young man, like every swimmer who first participates in the Olympics.
In Olympic history, there have been a total of 9 young athletes who participated in swimming at the age of 13, Chen Shu is the ninth.
This year, Zheng Hao Hao, Chen Shu's teammate from the skateboarding team, is 11 years old and has broken the record for the youngest athlete to participate in the Olympics in Olympic history.
"Ge, I'm sorry, I really want to fight for this relay spot!"
Chen Shu said to Wang Hao Yu and the other three with a serious face, the three had no surprise at all.
Young players should have this kind of drive.
If you're not even willing to fight for a spot, how dare you try to get the gold medal.
"It's okay, it's just a spot, whoever gets it is the same!"
"I might not be able to get a medal, Shu ge definitely has a better chance than me!"
"Indeed!"
"You don't have to worry about our side, we're willing to let you in!"
The three of them supported him.
Wang Shun also walked over, he is an old player, also the captain, and the first winner of the 200m individual medley gold medal in Chinese Olympic history.
"The coach must be fighting for your spot with the team leader!"
"But, this is how it is, you're only 13 years old, and you haven't participated in this kind of international competition, the leaders will definitely be worried, what if you don't perform well, they have to take responsibility!"
"Relax, if it doesn't work out, let us brothers take care of the prelims, you can get in for the finals!"
"Okay!"
It's no problem for Ji Xing Jie and the four of them to enter the finals in the prelims, the main thing is the finals.
On the other side, Cui Deng Rong and team leader Huang Wei were indeed arguing.
"Old Cui, you can't say that a kid suddenly swims well, so you change the lineup on the spot!"
"This is a big taboo in competition!"
"Moreover, Chen Shu's main event is the 50m, you let him swim the 100m, he hasn't even competed in it, can you guarantee he'll perform steadily?"
"And he's 13 years old, can he keep up with his physical strength?"
Huang Wei's words are certainly reasonable, but Cui Deng Rong was very angry: "Team Huang, what's the situation with the swimming team now?"
"It's not time to be conservative, the whole team has no energy, finally we have a kid in good shape, let him on, first get a prelims first place, we need to boost morale!"
"This is definitely not appropriate, if he's going to be on, it's the finals, not getting a medal in the finals is nothing, but the prelims must not go wrong, what if, Old Cui?"
"You're afraid of what ifs!"
"Let's compromise, let the kid on in the finals, in the finals!"
Huang Wei's idea is in line with Wang Shun's, this is the safest approach.
Cui Deng Rong shook his head: "The finals are over, as you said, the kid, what if he doesn't perform well, domestic online bullying will drown him in saliva, saying he's using backdoor connections, it's better to let him test it out in the prelims!"
"Let him get a feel for the competition, if he can really swim it, he'll have a better chance in the finals!"
"If he can't swim it, I'll write a self-criticism!"
Losing in the relay prelims is not a big deal.
This is different from table tennis or individual events, where losing a guaranteed gold medal point will lead to questioning.
Not making the finals in the prelims, domestic audiences won't think much of it.
This is unlike the finals, which are about the gold medal, who wouldn't be worried?
To be honest, these relays are not within the expected gold medal range.
If they really don't make the finals, they just don't.
The Swimming Association won't punish them too much.
At most, Cui Deng Rong will need to explain the reason for the player change.
"Hey, Old Cui, why are you doing this!"
Huang Wei sighed: "This kid is only 13 years old, if he develops well, he can participate in several more Olympics, these foreigners are targeting him so much, do you think a 13-year-old kid can handle this kind of pressure?"
"The relay is gone, it's gone, this talented young player can't be ruined!"
The two of them each have their concerns.
"I think we should still ask his own opinion, we certainly hope to add another medal!"
"But, we have to prepare for the worst-case scenario, every athlete has to be mentally prepared!"
Huang Wei, as someone who has been there, certainly knows how bad the domestic public opinion environment is for athletes.
This operation of temporarily putting a young player in to gain experience, if anything goes wrong, not to mention the athlete, the entire coaching staff will suffer.
"Yeah, I'll ask the kid what he thinks!"
"I'll tell him about the worst-case scenario..."
Cui Deng Rong said, Huang Wei nodded: "Chen Shu is 13 years old, right? It's best to ask his parents!"
"Okay!"
"Then this time, let him try it out; I actually think, the young player's mentality is much better than the few adult athletes!"
"At least, they don't have pressure, they win, they earn, they lose, it's nothing!"
"Hahaha, that's true!"
With Cui Deng Rong's premise of self-criticism, Huang Wei could only agree with his plan.
If something happens, at least there's someone to take responsibility.
Otherwise, if they change players, the first person they'll look for is Huang Wei.
Now, Cui Deng Rong has taken on this responsibility.
It's just, I don't know, whether this is a good thing...or a bad thing.