Chapter 006: Is it really necessary to be this cruel

The swimming team of Nankang University sent 8 members to participate in this swimming competition, and currently, 7 have been eliminated in the preliminaries, leaving only Du Ke remaining

Ah, a comeback, once again witnessing a last-minute turnaround. I enjoy watching comebacks, but please, let it not happen to our team!

At this moment, the female athlete from the Physical Education Institute in lane four has touched the wall first, securing the first place in her group. Following closely, Su Yun and the athlete in lane two touched the wall almost simultaneously, making it difficult to discern who touched first, thus obtaining the second place in the group

After the last female competitor touched the wall, the electronic scoreboard mounted on the wall of the swimming pool displayed the results of the eight lanes

At this moment, the organizing committee began the announcement: "Women's 200-meter breaststroke preliminaries, competitors in the second heat, please take your positions. Lane 1, Xiong Liduan from Provincial University of Industry. Lane 2, Chen Qiujv from Southern Normal University. Lane 3, Su Yun from Nangang University. Lane 4, Wan Ting from Nangang City Sports College..."

Therefore, our Daan Port swimming team now has only one last hope..." The six members of the Nangang University swimming team, who had been eliminated, all looked towards Du Ke in the athletes' area, "I hope we don't suffer a complete defeat; at least last year, Team Su made it to the finals.

Du Ke returned home to the sports community, and during dinner, the three of them were all at the dining table

Subsequently, the preliminary rounds for the 100-meter events took place, which included the 100-meter freestyle and the 100-meter breaststroke. After the preliminary rounds of the 100-meter events concluded, Wang Qiuyue and two other female competitors were also eliminated

Lane 3, 3 minutes 12 seconds 89

At 9:00 AM, the preliminary rounds officially commenced. The first events were the preliminary heats for the men's and women's 50-meter events

Lane 4, 3 minutes 10 seconds 02

The competitors from sports universities, as well as athletes from high-level pilot sports teams in certain universities, have essentially reached the level of professional athletes, qualifying them for provincial and municipal sports teams. This relatively specialized group of university students accounts for approximately 10% of all participating university students.

Du Ke chuckled and said: "Director Ke, your keen insight is truly remarkable; the common folk are indeed at fault. Yes, I did sign up for the swimming competition. I thought I would achieve some results first and then share the news with you, to bring you a pleasant surprise"

After a brief lunch break, the preliminaries resumed at 2:00 PM. Only Jiang Zhigang, Du Ke, and Su Yun remained in the athletes' area, while the other 6 eliminated competitors took their seats in the audience.

"What the hell, Team Su has actually been eliminated..." Liu Chenxiao on the stands stared in astonishment at the results displayed on the big screen

Is this still considered a provincial-level university student competition? It seems to be reaching the standard of professional players

As soon as the race started, Su Yun fell behind. However, she made timely adjustments and, after the first turn, she caught up with an opponent, placing fourth. After the second turn, she overtook another competitor, moving up to third. By the final turn, Su Yun had reached second place, trailing the first-place female athlete from the sports university by one and a half body lengths.

Eight female competitors lined up in a row, their variously colored tight swimsuits accentuating their graceful figures. The stands were filled with numerous spectators, numbering in the hundreds, mostly local university students. University students could enter the competition for free with their student ID cards, while the general public could purchase tickets, which were reasonably priced, ranging from 20 to 50 yuan

It's your turn, Su Yun, keep it up! 666! Du Ke is also cheering for Su Yun

It is indeed a bit unexpected. Jiang Zhi's expression was serious; the highly anticipated Su Yun could not even make it to the finals, which troubled him greatly. In addition to the competition schedule in his hand, he also held a double-sided printed A4 sheet. This A4 sheet contained records of various swimming strokes and levels on one side, while the reverse side listed the test scores of athletes at all national levels, from international champions to third-level athletes, all printed on the paper

Du Ke expressed his dissatisfaction: "This is unfair. They are professional athletes from the sports academy, competing against us amateurs puts us at a disadvantage. Why not conduct the competition in groups like CUFL? Amateurs could be placed in a campus group, while professionals could be in a super group"

Today, the preliminary rounds of the swimming competition will take place for various events. Jiang Zhigang has already obtained the schedule for the competition order, and eight team members are gathered around him, awaiting instructions

Hearing the cheers from her teammates, Su Yun became even more nervous, to the extent that when the starting signal gun went off, she jumped a beat late.

The remaining 6 team members returned to school, while Du Ke and Su Yun went home together. They are both locals, sometimes staying in the school dormitory and sometimes returning home.

The qualifying standard for female 200-meter breaststroke athletes at the second level is 3 minutes and 13 seconds. The top three in this group have all reached the standard for second-level athletes, and this is just the preliminary round; it is estimated that they have held back somewhat. Su Yun has done her best; there is nothing more she can do. Sports competition is indeed this cruel. " Jiang Zhigang shook his head, then looked at Du Ke, revealing a look of desperation mixed with hope: "Don't feel pressured; just give it your all.

3 minutes and 12 seconds is quite impressive. Speaking of which, Team Su is not swimming slowly either; breaststroke is her strong suit, and she seems to be performing at her normal level.

Du Ke was not happy: "Hey, Coach Jiang, why do you have so little confidence in me? What if I pull off an upset?"

This is difficult to articulate; one can only say that there are very professional individuals, but the majority of university students are still at an amateur or semi-professional level.

Lane 5

Ke Meihua is currently employed at the Provincial Sports Bureau in the Mass Sports Department, holding the rank of Director. She also served Du Kesheng half a bowl of rice, asking, "What suddenly made you think of participating in the swimming competition?"

The results of the eight swimming lanes are ranked as follows:

At this moment, the athlete in the second lane surged forward, overtaking two competitors in the final 25 meters, and had already caught up with Su Yun

In the third lane, Su Yun from Nangang University faced a tough situation, finishing just 0.3 seconds behind the second place and ultimately placing third, resulting in her elimination

Many young men in the stands are taking photos with their phones, enjoying the sight of swimsuit models without spending any money, which is quite a bargain. The 6 members of the Nangang University swimming team who were eliminated are also in the stands, loudly cheering: "Go Team Su, muah!" It seems their enthusiasm as spectators is much higher than when they were athletes.

Three male team members, Du Ke participated in the 400-meter freestyle, Liu Chenxiao in the 50-meter freestyle, and Wang Qiuyue registered for the 100-meter breaststroke Liu Chenxiao and Wang Qiuyue both signed up for short-distance events not because of their remarkable explosiveness or sprinting ability, but because they wanted to finish swimming earlier and return home sooner

Hmm! Su Yun clenched her fist to encourage herself

Su Yun, there is no need to be nervous. Just perform at the level you have trained for, and there should be no problem making it to the finals. Jiang Zhi, breaking from his usual seriousness, gently reassured Su Yun. He held the competition order sheet in his hand and said: "The women's 200-meter breaststroke preliminaries are divided into four groups, with the top two from each group advancing to the finals. Su Yun, you are in the second group, which includes a female athlete from the Physical Education Institute. The other six competitors are unlikely to reach a professional level, so as long as you swim faster than the other six, you will qualify for the finals"

Ah, the pressure is immense. Du Ke quickly scarfed down a few bites of food, and after finishing his meal, he returned to his room, played a few rounds of League of Legends, and then went to sleep

On May 5th at 8:00 AM, the swimming team of Nankang University, consisting of 8 members, gathered at the Asian Games City Swimming Pool. Jiang Zhigang took them to the organizing committee for pre-competition registration. Once the registration was completed, they officially entered the competition preparation phase

Apart from the professional athletes from the sports academy, the competitors from other schools are also quite strong. Du Ke observed for the entire morning and reached this conclusion

Lane 2, 3 minutes 12 seconds 59

What is the actual standard of the provincial university sports games?

The large screen is connected to the electronic timing device at the swimming pool, serving as a terminal display. The swimming venues that have hosted the Asian Games are indeed of high caliber

Su Yunchao walked to the referee area, and after her identity was confirmed, she ascended the diving platform of Lane 3

In the fourth lane, Wan Ting from the Sports College of Comcom City, mhetushu.com, secured first place in her group and advanced to the finals

Jiang Zhigang pointed to several male athletes wearing silver swimming caps and said: "These few are from the Nankang City Sports College, specializing in swimming. They are the strongest among them. Given their level, more than half of them can qualify for the city swimming team, and the tallest one, he estimates, can make it to the provincial team"

What?

I can only say that the competitors from other schools are stronger

Five female team members, with the leading performer Su Yun signing up for the 200-meter breaststroke, while the other four female team members registered for either the 50-meter or 100-meter events. Apart from Su Yun, the other four female team members also approached the competition with the mindset of finishing their events quickly to get back to the shore and watch. They have a profound understanding of the principle of 'friendship first, competition second'

Jiang Zhigang: "National competitions are the only ones that should be divided into amateur and professional groups. If the provincial university games were to establish a professional group, it would turn into an internal competition for a few institutions, contradicting the principle of 'full participation'. I don't expect you to swim better than the students from the sports university; just swimming better than other amateur competitors is sufficient. I don't expect you to come in first place; just don't come in last and embarrass me."

"Good job!" replied Du Dewei, Du Ke's father, "The preliminary round is tomorrow, right? I will go to the venue tomorrow to see how much you have regressed, kid."

"Is it really this brutal in competition?" Du Ke was somewhat surprised. He was well aware of Su Yun's capabilities; Su Yun had just passed the national level 2 athlete test for women's 200-meter breaststroke and obtained the level 2 athlete certificate. He never expected that Su Yun, a level 2 athlete, would be eliminated in the preliminaries of her strongest event.

In the second lane, Chen Qiujun from South China Normal University secured second place in her group, earning another spot in the finals for her group

In the span of a morning, the strength of the swimming team from Nankang University was decimated by three-quarters, leaving only Du Ke and Su Yun, who had yet to compete, to hold onto the hope of advancing to the finals

"If it can be done, then let's talk about it later. Empty talk harms the country; show me some real results instead of just talking nonsense," Jiang Zhigang said, a person known for his straightforwardness and somewhat utilitarian approach. He pointed to the pool and added, "Get in the pool; we need to hurry, as more and more people are coming."

Is that so? Ke Meihua smiled with great significance, "You have to prepare for exams and also get ready for the competition, you are indeed very busy. Are you confident about tomorrow's preliminary round? Can you make it to the finals?"

Du Ke: "The pressure of studying is quite high. It is already May, and by June, the exams for all subjects will begin. The earliest exam in our department is scheduled for the end of May. Additionally, we will have to take the English Level 4 exam in the first semester of our sophomore year, and I have already started reviewing for English."

Other schools also have special admissions, right? Su Yun appeared somewhat nervous, as it was soon her turn to take the stage

Du Ke's mother, Ke Meihua, glanced at Du Ke and asked, "Du Ke, you haven't been home for the past month. What have you been busy with?"

"Keep pretending, you rascal." Ke Meihua placed a piece of char siu into Du Ke's bowl, "For this Provincial University Games, our provincial bureau is one of the organizers. I saw you at the opening ceremony today. After returning to the bureau, I checked the registration form from your university, and you signed up for the 400-meter freestyle. This is nothing to be ashamed of, not even something to hide from your parents?"

After Su Yun came ashore, he walked dejectedly to the athletes' area, greeted Jiang Zhigang and Du Ke, and then went back to the locker room to change his clothes

Hmm?

Both Du Ke and his son were taken by surprise, pausing their chopsticks and forgetting to pick up any food

Both of them have a particularly good mindset and possess self-awareness

With only 25 meters remaining, if Su Yun can maintain her pace, she will secure second place in the group and advance to the finals

The eight members of the swimming team each took a jump and swam 200 meters, after which they finished their session and left the swimming pool. After leaving the swimming pool, Jiang Zhi announced the immediate disbandment, stating that there would be no training in the evening, allowing everyone to engage in free activities and relax.

After the conclusion of the 50-meter freestyle preliminary round, Liu Chenxiao was eliminated, along with two female competitors.