Chapter 407: The greatest moment in track and field history in 16 years

Ten minutes later, the long jump began.

Long jump is He Zhongqiu's strongest event at the moment, so it is also the event that Director Liu and Li Hong are most looking forward to.

Director Liu and a group of other leaders did the same and followed to the sand pit for long jump.

"Dear audience, Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon, and he is making preparations now."

Li Hong said to the CCTV camera: "The current Chinese long jump record was set by Lao Jianfeng in 1997, 8.40 meters, and no one has been able to break this record in the past 10 years.

The current Asian men's long jump record was set by Saudi athlete Kuwalidi in 06, with a height of 8.48 meters.

Zhongqiu has revealed before that his training results have reached the level that allows him to challenge the 8.95m world record. Let us look forward to the moment when he takes off."

Twenty minutes later, it was He Zhongqiu's turn to jump first.

Hundreds of cameras could not be squeezed on both sides of the sand pit, so they could only be placed on both sides of the jumping track.

The photographers were very serious because He Zhongqiu had the potential to break the world record of 8.95 meters, and they all paid close attention.

This grand occasion made the three referees extremely alert, and Director Liu and others looked very serious.

Among the three referees, two are Chinese and one is white, a referee from the IAAF.

Starting from the take-off step, He Zhongqiu measured thirty steps, a distance of about forty-five meters.

The 45-meter run-up was enough for him to enter the intermediate running stage and run at almost the fastest speed.

An assistant referee solemnly leveled the bunker, and the referee in charge of measuring the wind speed shouted, "Wind speed 1.1 meters per second."

In track and field competitions, the wind speed for the 200m, 100m, 110m hurdles, and the long jump and triple jump events cannot be greater than 2 meters per second in the tailwind, otherwise the IAAF will not recognize the results.

At this time, the referee raised a red flag, indicating that He Zhongqiu could jump.

"So nervous!"

Across the sand pit, Li Hong looked at He Zhongqiu who was dozens of meters away and suddenly said.

"Yes!"

Yang Jian also said.

In front of the two people, CCTV's camera was aimed at He Zhongqiu, who was dozens of meters away, and the lens zoomed in for a close-up.

In Yanjing and CCTV's live studio, Han Qiaoshen and the other two also became nervous.

Far away in the United States, Michael Powell was also a little nervous.

He has held the world record for long jump for 16 years. Can it be broken by the famous Wolverine?

He just received many phone calls from reporters asking for his opinion, but he did not express a clear opinion.

He compared Wolverine's speed and aerial ability, with a 9.91-second 1.3-meter run and a vertical jump of over meters, both of which surpassed him.

So in his heart, he thought Wolverine had the potential to break his world record.

But in fact, when he jumped 91 meters in 8.95, he himself did not expect it, and since then, he has never achieved a similar result.

His best result in the 92 Olympics was 8.64 meters, but he only won the silver medal.

In 93, his best result was 8.59 meters, winning the World Championships for the second time in a row.

In other words, after jumping 91 meters in 8.95, he has not even jumped 8.7 meters.

At the competition venue of Yutong International Sports Center, He Zhongqiu half-leaned over with his left arm in front and his right arm behind. After pausing for three seconds, he exerted force with his feet and swung his arms forcefully, rushing forward.

"here we go!"

At the end of the sand pit, Li Hong shouted loudly.

"here we go!"

In the live broadcast room, Sun Zhenping shouted loudly.

He Zhongqiu accelerated with all his strength, getting faster and faster.

In the 35-meter race, he started halfway at meters and ran at full speed.

With this upright start, his explosive power is too strong and he accelerates very quickly. He reaches full speed in just over 30 meters and enters the mid-run stage.

The last five steps, 2.85 steps each, covered a distance of fourteen meters in an instant.

"Oh!"

He stepped on the pedal about 25 centimeters away from the bottom, stepped on it very forcefully, then jumped with all his strength and flew forward.

"So high!"

When He Zhongqiu flew up, the media reporters on both sides exclaimed in their hearts.

He Zhongqiu began to walk in the air, one step, two steps, three steps, as if he had lost gravity. As his body slid down, he actually took the fourth step.

"God, he took four steps?"

"Oh my god, is the earth's gravity gone?"

On both sides of the sand pit, all the reporters and referees were extremely shocked.

In 1991, when Powell jumped 8.95 meters, he took three and a half steps in the air, half a step more than others.

It was this half step that allowed him to create a world record that has been difficult to break to this day.

The faster the run-up speed, the higher the jump height, the longer the time in the air, and the more steps you take, this is what long jump is about.

And now, He Zhongqiu has taken the fourth step, which is enough to shock the world.

With a slight sound, He Zhongqiu fell into the sand pit.

"How many?"

Everyone is anxious.

"It's broken! It should be broken!"

Director Liu, Luo Chaoyi and Feng Shuyong were standing at the edge of the sand pit, staring at the mark where He Zhongqiu had just jumped out, their hearts beating fast.

He Zhongqiu stood up and looked at the referee.

At this time, the first referee indicated that the first jump was valid, and the other two referees immediately pulled out the tape measure and began to measure the distance.

"How many?"

Feng Shuyong asked impatiently.

"8...8..."

Staring at the number on the tape measure, the white referee in the sand pit stuttered a little, his face full of excitement and disbelief. "Eight points?"

Luo Chaoyi was so anxious that he wanted to kick the white man.

"8.99 meters."

The referee shouted in a shrill voice in English.

"Oh!"

Director Liu and others were stunned at first, but after they realized what was happening, they immediately cheered and jumped for joy, not caring about their manners anymore.

"8.99 meters? I really broke it! I broke it on the first jump! What a talent!" Far away in the United States, Michael Powell's mind was blank.

"Crack, click, click!"

The flashlights in the hands of nearby media reporters began to flash wildly, and reporters from far away rushed over, and the scene suddenly became chaotic.

"what?"

"It's broken! The world record that has been untouched for 16 years has been broken!"

"Is it really broken? Is it broken just like that?"

"My God, this is the greatest moment in world athletics history in the past 16 years, no less than the moment when Michael Johnson set a record of 19.32 seconds."

"In the first jump of the preliminaries, Powell's 8.95 meters was broken just like that? He is indeed the Wolverine who creates miracles!"

"I can't believe it. A record that has lasted for 16 years has just been broken?"

Through the live broadcast of hundreds of TV stations, at this moment, countless people around the world were shocked, and many even could not accept it.

Li Hong said to the camera very excitedly: "Dear audience, just now, the greatest scene happened, He Zhongqiu's first jump was 8.99 meters, 8.99 meters.

He broke the world record for men's long jump that had been untouched for 16 years. He created a new world record for men's long jump. This record was created by us Chinese..."

boom!
At the Yu Tung Centre Stadium, cheers and shouts spread in all directions like a volcano erupting.

“8米99！8米99！8米99……”

Just like the 9.88 seconds just now, huge cheers rang out again in the Yutung International Center Stadium and lasted for a long time.

In the CCTV live studio, Han Qiaoshen and the other two were so happy as if they had found a mountain of gold. They were so excited that they couldn't speak clearly and started to stutter.

After calming down, Sun Zhenping analyzed with some regret: "Look, the position of the mid-autumn jump is still some distance away from the pedal, and there is still room for improvement in technology.

If you jump on the pedals, it will be incredible, definitely over 9 meters, or even 9.1 meters, an unimaginable result."

Sun Haiping nodded quickly and said, "Yes, yes, the technique still needs to be honed. There are still two jumps in the preliminaries and three jumps in the finals. There is still a chance to set a new world record."

Han Qiaoshen suddenly said with some worry: "You performed so well in the preliminaries, I hope you can perform so well in the finals as well."

"It doesn't matter. The preliminary results count too. He has already got the A standard. No matter how he jumps, the championship will definitely be his." Sun Haiping said with a smile.

"That's right." Han Qiaoshen said with a smile.

Sun Zhenping suddenly said, "Did you pay attention? Zhongqiu just took the fourth step in the air, but he landed before he finished the fourth step, which can be considered three and a half steps."

"Three and a half steps, the same as Powell, incredible flying ability." Sun Haiping exclaimed.

Far away in the United States, Michael Powell received many phone interviews from reporters.

"Michael, do you recognize Wolverine's world record of 8.99 meters?"

"Well, as long as the IAAF recognizes it, I will certainly approve of it."

"Do you think Wolverine took any of that stuff?"

"The media reported that the Athletics Federation had conducted a urine test on Wolverine before the race. The results will prove everything. I have no opinion on this."

Powell knew very well that in the American track and field and swimming circles, there were too many people taking drugs, and it was even a collective behavior. Some obtained special permission on the grounds of cardiac asthma and took drugs openly. He didn't know whether Wolverine was involved.

Although He Zhongqiu broke the world record with his first jump, he did not plan to participate in the next preliminaries, but directly participate in the finals.

More than an hour later, the final began.

However, He Zhongqiu's luck and condition seemed to have run out in the preliminaries. In the final, he committed a foul in the first jump, was conservative in the second jump, and only jumped 8.75 meters. The third jump was slightly better, and he jumped 8.85 meters.

In the end, he won the championship with a score of 8.85 meters.

Although not as good as the first jump of 8.99 meters in the preliminaries, the result of 8.85 meters is still the second best long jump result in the world in 16 years.

There was a 400-meter preliminaries in the morning. He sat on a bench and changed his long jump spikes, but did not immediately change into sprint spikes. Then he accepted an interview with Li Hong.

There were so many reporters around that they were crowded together in circles, making it impossible to get through. There were seven or eight cameras hanging above their heads, and the sound of shutters clicking could be heard all the time.

"Zhongqiu, congratulations! You broke the world record on your first jump."

"Thank you!"

"At that moment, you seemed to break free from the earth's gravity, as if you were really flying, with wings, and you looked particularly beautiful in the air."

"It's OK. I didn't master the take-off of the first jump well. I didn't step on the board. It's still a bit far from breaking 9 meters."

"Does this happen often during normal training?"

"Yeah, there were a lot, but not this big. I was mainly worried about fouls, so I was a little slow in my steps. Also, there were some problems with my movements in the air, as I didn't master the angle of the jump well."

"Do you have the confidence to break nine in the future?"

"It depends on the opportunity. If the jump is better or the flying angle is better, there may be a chance to break it."

"Crack, click, click..."

Afterwards, amid the sound of media shutters and flashes and the cheers of the audience, he won his first track and field medal.

At this time, countless media around the world began to report the news that He Zhongqiu broke the men's long jump world record.

Some media outlets publish supplementary reports, while others report on the Internet.

"8.99 meters, Wolverine created the greatest moment in the history of world track and field in 16 years!" New York Times.

"8.99 meters for Wolverine, the greatest moment for East Asians!" Tokyo Daily.

"8.99 meters, Korea's greatest moment!" Korea Daily.

"Warm congratulations to Mr. He Zhongqiu, a famous Chinese athlete, for breaking the 8.99-year-old world record for men's long jump with a score of 16 meters. For more details, please watch the news at 12:30."

All CCTV channels reported the event in a rolling broadcast format.

The news of the 8.99-meter explosion swept the world in an instant.

Soon, the IAAF and the Asian Athletics Federation both called the China Athletics Federation to congratulate He Zhongqiu on breaking the men's long jump world record.

(End of this chapter)