Chapter 68: The Last Shot (1/2)
Chapter 68: The Last Shot
Translator: Nyoi-Bo StudioEditor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Group A had one less person than group B did, so their game went faster. The snatch competition ended quickly.
The athlete who had ranked No.1 in group A was Dashan Fang. He was the top weightlifting athlete in the country. He pouted his lips and smiled smugly. His snatch record was 141kg. He felt like it would be easy to win the entire competition.
”Snatch has actually always been my weakest lift. I did not expect my performance to be this good. Clean and jerk is my specialty. This championship is mine!” Dashan Fang thought the clean and jerk would only require him going through the motions. After his performance today, the championship would be his without a doubt.
As he was thinking this, the sound of applause suddenly echoed from group B.
”There is one more person in group B. The competition has not ended yet.” Dashan Fang leaned back in his chair, not caring about the competition in group B at all. To him, people in group B were losers that had no chance at all.
Dashan Fang's coach suddenly ran up to him hurriedly and said, ”Dashan, someone in group B lifted 141kg also.”
”What?” Dashan Fang stood up straight and asked cautiously, ”How could group B have such an overqualified athlete? Who is it? Is it someone new?”
There were many talented weightlifting athletes in the nation. No one could predict when a dark horse would show up, which worried Dashan Fang a lot.
”I guess you could say he is a new face, but he isn't, really. It was Aiguo Jiang who lifted 141kg,” the coach said.
”I have heard that name before. Oh, I remember. He is an athlete who is quite old right? I think he should be over 30 years old. I remember he used to be in the 69kg weight class. How come he is in the 62kg weight class? Did he drop to a lighter weight? But how is that possible? How could an athlete in their 30s drop to a lighter weight class yet retain so much strength?”
”I know, right? I was surprised when I saw him. I'm also wondering how he made it into the 62kg weight class. I did not expect to drop to a lower weight class. You need to be careful. He is an experienced veteran. He knows all the tricks, and he is good at the clean and jerk!” The coach looked at the list of names in his hand and continued, ”You are lucky that you were 0.04kg lighter than him in the pre-weighing. We have the upper hand now.”
…
Clean and jerk was easier for athletes to use their strength than the snatch. This was why the records were always higher in the clean and jerk competition. It also required more technique. The ability of national weightlifting athletes was generally quite good, so they normally performed better in the clean and jerk.
The first athlete in group B to make an attempt chose 145kg, which was 30kg heavier than their snatch had been.
The weight increased gradually until it reached 160kg, at which point Aiguo Jiang finally stepped on the field.
At the sound of the starting ring, Aiguo Jiang successfully completed the movement, then dropped the barbell on the ground. It bounced a once it landed, even though even it weighed 160kg. The people near the field could feel that the ground shake when it fell.
As this was happening, applause could be heard from the people spectating group A. It sounded like thunder.
Dashan Fang raised his hands and began to celebrate his victory. The pace was a little bit slower in group A. Dashan Fang had just finished his second trial lift of 169kg.
The news of his lift was passed on to group B. Dai Li walked over to Aiguo Jiang and said, ”My bro, Dashan Fang from group A just lifted 169kg. Your snatch records were from before were identical. He is now ahead of you by 9kg, and he is lighter than you. I think we should try 170kg for now. You've lifted it before during training.
”Okay, let's go to 170kg!” Aiguo Jiang said firmly.