Chapter 530: 530
On the sixth day of the track and field events, the finals for the women's long jump, women's 200 meter, and women's 200m hurdle were scheduled .
The U . S . team had superior strength in the long jump, both men's and women's . There were two U . S . athletes in the final, Barrett, a veteran, and Seid, the record holder of women's long jump in the Indoor World Championships . They were both likely to win the gold medal .
Barrett was 31 years old, making her a real veteran . In the qualification matches in the US, Barret didn't win the qualify . However, due to the dosing scandal, the athletes ranking higher than her dropped out, which gave her a spot .
Seid was the champion in women's long jump in the last Olympics .
Seid also won the Indoor World Championship and had the record for that competition . Scores for indoor competitions were usually lower than outdoor ones . The world record was 7 . 52 meters, the Olympic record was 7 . 40 meter, while the indoor world record, held by Seid, was only 7 . 22 meters .
Both the world record and the Olympic record were created in the 1980s and 1990s and weren't comparable to the scores nowadays . A result of 7 . 22 meter would win the athlete any world championship .
In the last Olympics, Seid won the champion with a result of 7 . 12 meters . While to win this Olympics, the athlete would have to get better than 7 . 10 meters to win the gold medal and better than 7 . 00 meters to win a bronze medal, according to gambling companies .
It was not difficult for the two U . S . athletes to jump higher than 7 meters without the help of the state scale .
Dai Li loved this scale so much now . It was as if it was custom-made for the U . S . team because they could lock in a championship if they have one lucky maximum condition from the scale .
The competition went much as Dai Li expected . The two U . S . athletes got their higher-than-7 . 10 results on their fourth and fifth attempt and locked in the gold and silver medal before the match finished .
Finally, Barrett won the gold medal with 7 . 17 meters and Seid failed to defend her championship and won a silver medal .
Barrett was very excited about winning the championship . She had always been one of the best in the world, yet she had never won any gold medal in a world class event . Being 31 years old, she had intended to retire after this Olympics and this gold medal was the best award of her career .
With a gold medal, the US team led by Dai Li continued their show of winning at least one gold medal every day .
The next final was the women's 200 meters, which was one of U . S . team's strengths . The U . S . team would not be defeated by any opponent other than Jamaica .
The two best players on the Jamaican team won the gold and silver medals in women's 100 meters . They also dominated the women's 200 meters, winning the gold and silver medals by the same two players, leaving only the bronze medal to the U . S . team .
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The last match was the final of women's 100 meter hurdle .
In this event, America's dominance was almost unchallengeable . They could win the championship in the Olympics even if they sent their second class players .
It turned out that they not only won the gold medal, but also won silver and bronze medals .
The gold medal was planned . Dai Li was not surprised . He had not expected that they also would win the silver and bronze medals .
For the second time, three U . S . flags were raised in Maracana Stadium . .
Downey, standing next to Dai Li, began singing The Star-Spangled Banner along with the music . It hurt Dai Li's ears, but Dai Li could feel Downey's excitement .
The U . S . athletes and coaches were much like Downey, watching the flag raising with great joy .
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This reminded Dai Li of the Asian Games he had went to several years ago . When the Chinese team won the championship, Dai Li had been exactly like Downey was now .
This is what Olympics are for! It's not only high-level competition, nor only about victory and passion . It's about the honor of the country . In times of peace, nothing can give people honor like this . Dai Li couldn't help but sigh .
…
The reporter Ran Liu wrote a report and sent it to China immediately after she finished the interview with Dai Li . She didn't even have time for supper .
The ringing of her phone woke Ran Liu up from her dream . She checked the time, finding that it was a little past two o'clock in the morning . The caller was her section chief back in China .
Ran Liu was a little annoyed at waking up in the middle of the night . She knew, however, it was a normal time for her section chief, as it was afternoon in China . He called her for work .
This is what journalism was like . She took up the phone and said, "Hello chief . This is Ran Liu . "
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"Ran, I've read your article on the interview of Coach Li," her section chief said .
"Ok . Is there anything that should be revised?" Ran Liu asked, resisting her sleepiness .
"No need for revision now . " He paused, and then said, "It won't be published now . "
Hearing that her hard work was rejected, Ran Liu didn't feel sleepy anymore . She asked immediately, "Why?"
"There is a problem with your article . You wrote that Dai Li was transferred to the Intangible Application Committee for Taijiquan after the strike and then he resigned . This will cause a misunderstanding among the readers and they may think Dai Li was transferred to the committee because he was oppressed by someone," Ran Liu's section chief said .
"Chief, you really think that is misunderstanding?" Ran Liu snorted and then said, "Our best coach was transferred to a committee to apply for the intangible heritage status for Taijiquan . Isn't that deliberate oppression? What I have written is the unbiased truth . The readers will think as their reasoning tells them . "
"Ran, it is for your own good that I reject this article . You should know that those things are really complicated . If your article was published, you would offend a lot of people . I did this to protect you," the section chief said .
You are protecting yourself, nothing more! Ran Liu thought to herself . She despised what her section chief was doing, but she didn't say it . There was nothing she could do about the article's rejection . Her hard work had been in vein .
On the telephone, her section chief continued, "Ran, we are in pursuit of harmony everywhere . We, as the media, should remember this and stop writing anything that would affect this harmony . Harmony first, right?"Please download our sponsor's game to support us!