Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Is this considered drawing the worst draw? They have to follow the pacesetter. This is a 5,000 meters race; it takes up too much energy to lead this race. Maybe they have a good balance of strength on their team like the Ethiopia and Kenya. If they stay in the lead it can only help the other athletes.
As Dai Li thought this, his eyebrows furrowed together.
Using standard running strategy is the safest bet, but the result of the lottery box is saying that following normal strategy is not my best option, which means that I should rule out this safest tactic.
If just running as normal is the worst draw, what would be the opposite of that? Would it be lucky if I let my athletes lead the race?
As mentioned before, there were not many options available to track coaches. For example, Dai Li’s choice right now was to either have his athletes run with everyone else others or have them run in the lead. If he excluded running in the lead, then there would was only one choice…
There was a trace of hesitation in Dai Li’s heart. The lottery box, once again, gave a seemingly unreasonable result.
However, taking into account the warning about the women’s 4×100 meters relay race, Dai Li decided to believe the prediction.
Dai Li waved his hands and called over the three athletes who would be participating in the race to the side and whispered softly.
“You want us to lead?” The three athletes looked surprised. It was apparent they also knew that this was not a good decision.
However, seeing Dai Li’s solemn expression, the three did not object but decided to carry out Dai Li’s strategy.
…
A total of 16 were participating in the men’s 5,000-meter final. Everyone formed an arc in front of the starting line, waiting for the race to startl. After the starting pistol sounded, all the athletes ran and the players in the outer lanes tried to merge inward; the players in the inner lanes began to try and seize more favorable positions.
There were 12 and a half laps in this race. Most of the time was spent running along with others, so it was critical to occupy a more favorable position on the track.
What people didn’t expect to see was all three American contestants rushing to the front of the pack. They planned to run in the lead!
“The Americans are leading!” The coaches of other countries looked at Dai Li. They had expected Dai Li to let his athletes run along with the others obediently.
“The U.S. team actually chose to lead. This is too radical!”
“I don’t know if the physical strength of the U.S. team will be enough to support them until the end.”
“If another country leads, the Ethiopians will be able to save some of their physical strength. They will definitely win.”
The people around began to whisper softly.
On the track, the three Ethiopian contestants were stunned. They had superior strength, so their original plan had been to alternate the lead between themselves. They could constantly control the rhythm of the race and let the other participants become drained. They did not expect the American team to take the lead.
Two Ethiopian athletes both looked at Ramsay at the same time. They needed to know what he wanted them to do.
Ramsay made a sign for running along with the others, indicating to his teammates not to take the risk and that they should follow at the back with peace of mind. In Ramsay’s mind, if someone was willing to lead, why not save their strength? It took 12 and a half laps to run 5,000 meters anyway. The competition still had a long way to go!
Although the American team was not as strong as the Ethiopian team, they were able to get to the final, which meant they were definitely top-level runners. They also had a vast amount of competitive experience and they naturally knew how to use the alternate leading strategy.
The first lap, the second lap, the third lap… The American team was not slow and the other players did not have the intention to surpass the American team. When everyone saw that the Ethiopian team did not make any moves, they followed along at the back with peace of mind.
Half of the 12 and a half laps passed in the blink of an eye. Nothing too exciting happened. The American team was still leading and the other players were still following behind. It seemed that there would only be changes when the players started to speed up in the second half of the race.
On the eighth lap, the American team had been in the lead for three-quarters of the competition. This type of leading was physically exhausting. They were significantly slower than at the beginning of the competition. It seemed that it would be difficult for them to keep the lead.
Ramsay, who had been running along in the back, realized this. He gestured to his teammates, indicating to them that, after entering the tenth lap, they should accelerate and overtake the American team.
On the ninth lap, the American team slowed down even more.
Since the American team was leading, when they slowed, the players who were following at the back naturally caught up and got a lot closer. All the athletes were all clumped together. The front and back were very close and there was not much space.
Ramsay saw that the American team slowed down again. He decided to accelerate in advance. He gestured to his teammates.
The teammates noticed and immediately nodded. They then began to accelerate, wanting to surpass the American team.
Ramsay suddenly felt someone push him from behind. He lost his balance and fell to the ground. Then, the man who pushed him also fell down, landing on top of Ramsay.
Ramsay had been pushed by his teammate on accident. His teammate had fallen because somebody had stepped on his heel. He subconsciously wanted to hold onto the person in front of him to maintain balance, but he ended up pushing Ramsay to the ground.
His heel had been stepped on because when he accelerated the runner behind him, wanted to keep up with him, also chose to accelerate.
When the two were originally running along with the others, they had fallen into a synchronized rhythm. However, after he accelerated, the rhythm of the two people desynchronized, causing the person behind to step on the person in front. The person in front lost his balance and fell straight to the ground.
This initiated a domino effect. He not only pushed Ramsay, but he also fell on Ramsay. The contestant behind him did not react fast enough and also fell, and then the contestant behind him could not dodge it and fell to the ground as well.
In the blink of an eye, seven or eight contestants crashed. They either weren’t able to dodge in time and just crashed into the pile, or they stumbled due to another runner getting out of synch. Only a few people who were relatively further away were able to react in time and bypass the scene of the accident.
Of course, the American team was not affected by this collision, as they were well ahead of it.
“They collided!” Dai Li exclaimed.
He knew that the biggest beneficiary of this collision was naturally the American team. There were two and a half laps left for the competition. Others colliding together at this time was akin to handing the first place position to the American team’s hands.
If it weren’t for the fact that the American team had gotten slower, closing the distance between the runners at the front and the runners at the back, the collision would not have been as big as it was.
In long-distance running, it was quite normal for athletes to accidentally step on the feet of others. It was also common for them to lose a shoe. As for being knocked down, it was not impossible. There was even an athlete who had been knocked down on the track and lost his shoe, only to win the race barefoot.
The best time to be knocked down was at the beginning, when one still had a chance to catch up. However, there were only two and a half laps left in today’s competition. At this time, the athletes did not have much strength left. Getting up,re-accelerating after being knocked down, and trying to catch up required great physical fitness and running skill. Before they were able to catch up, the competition would be over.
I finally understand why running along with others was the worst draw. Most of the players who were running along with the others were knocked down to the ground. If we had chosen to run that way as well, the same thing would’ve happened! Dai Li thought in his head.
The sudden collision stunned the audience and the sound of exclamations echoed through Maracana Stadium.
The sprint king, Ramsay, fought hard to crawl out from underneath the mess. After he stood up, he did not pay attention to his teammates and he did not check whether he was injured. Instead, he put his legs forward and started running.
He was still eager to become the champion. He still thought he could catch up.
He not only needed to catch up with the three American contestants, but also a few of those who had not fallen in the accident.
Ramsay then demonstrated why he was called the sprint king. He was so fast it was like he had not just ran ten laps.
Finally, when the competition entered its final lap, he began to catch up with the other athletes.
One, two, three. One by one, the athletes were being overtaken by Ramsay and he left them behind.
Whenever he surpassed an athlete, there were deafening sounds cheers from the audience.
Ramsay was the long-established “king of long-distance running.” He was the ruler of the man’s long-distance running and he was the biggest star in this competition. Any unbiased audience member supported him.
The contestants on their last lap were entering their final sprint. The Americans knew that their had been a collision, so they stopped alternating the lead and unleashed their full force.
Now they were competing against each other. If they could beat their other two teammates, they would get a gold medal. If they could defeat one teammate, they would get a silver medal.
Ramsay was still faster than the American team, but he had fallen behind too much.
Finally, Ramsay caught up with the American athlete in third. When he approached the contestant in second place, the finish line was already in sight.
Ramsay crossed the finish line. He did not congratulate the American player who got first place. Instead, he was annoyed and kneeled on the floor. Tears were quivering in his eyes. He felt that if he had been given another lap, he would definitely have been able to win first place!
The “king of long-distance running” ended his journey at the Olympics with a loss because of an accident!
…
“We won! We really won!”
The American team was jubilant.
Although it sounded a bit disgraceful to win the competition because of such an accident that was the way it often went. There would always be accidents, and every time there was an accident, there would always be beneficiaries and victims.
In the studio of the TV broadcaster, the two commentators started to comment on the competition.
“I didn’t expect such an upset from the American team. The ‘king of long-distance running’ Ramsay only got third.”
“Ramsay was really unlucky. He had an obvious advantage in strength, but his run was ruined by chance. The American team took advantage of it and had it easy. The American team’s luck was really good.”
“Don’t forget, if the U.S. team didn’t choose to use the strategy they did, they would’ve fallen into that accident. So it’s not so much that the American team was lucky, it’s better to say that the American team’s strategy were successful!”
“Hey, I just noticed that among the five events that have been completed today, all the gold medals have been taken by the American team! They have already won 25 gold medals in the track and field events.”
“That’s right, and the last two events, the women’s 4×400 meters relay and the men’s 4×400 meters relay, are also events that the American team is strong in. They are basically destined to get those two gold medals.”
“That is to say, of the seven gold medals produced in today’s track and field events, all will likely be taken away by the American team? My God! How can the American team be so strong?”
“The funny thing is that before the Olympics, some people said that this is the weakest American track and field team ever. Now, it seems that it wouldn’t even be too much to call them the ‘dream team’!”
…
“Coach Li, have you noticed that the five gold medals produced today are all ours, and the next two gold medals will also be ours!” Downey looked as if he could kiss Dai Li.
“Yeah, seven gold medals. Even I did not think that we could take all seven gold medals in today’s competitions!” Dai Li pointed to the stadium and then said, “The United States is the world’s best country in track and field. No matter what the past was like, or what the future will be like, today is a great day of miracles in American track and field!”
“Yes, a great day of miracles!” Downey nodded solemnly, then looked at Dai Li with a look of admiration. “I have the honor to witness this day, and you, you created this day!”
