Chapter 178: Old Friends (2/2)
”Dai Li!” Yuejin Chen was surprised. ”You're here too! Aren't you working for the provincial team now?”
”I am working for Tsinghua University temporarily,” Dai Li explained briefly.
”Tsinghua University!” Yuejin Chen was shocked. He was still confused why Dai Li had gone to Tsinghua, as there seemed to be no relationship between their group and Tsinghua University. But he believed what Dai Li said.
”The Department of Sports in Tsinghua University is much better than our Hanbei Sports College. I am sure you will get dozens of golden medals. Dai Li, What program are you in?”Yuejin Chen asked.
”The sprinting team,” Dai Li answered.
”Sprinting! That's the top program in Tsinghua University. I heard there is an athlete on the track and field team in Tsinghua University who is so good that the national team asked him to join them multiple times, but still couldn't get him to say ”yes.” He is here for the games, isn't he?” Yuejin Chen asked.
Dai Li nodded with a smile. He knew Yuejin Chen was talking about Guohong Niu.
”It's going to be an exciting match. A fight between two tigers!” Yuejin Chen laughed.
”A fight between two tigers?” Dai Li looked at Yuejin Chen, confused.
”You don't know?” Yuejin Chen sighed, then continued, ”You have a tough opponent this time. There is a really excellent athlete from Jiangdong who is qualified to play for the national team. He may even be better than your athlete!”
Dai Li frowned. He couldn't believe what Yuejin Chen had just said.
The level of the university athletes varied. But one thing was certain—there couldn't be candidates who were too good due to the enrollment rule.
There was only one enrollment rule—athletes who joined the national competitions before were not allowed to attend University Games.
For all sports, national competitions included the national track and field championships and the Grand Prix; the swimming national championships, the Youth Championships, as well as the national professional swimming league; the National Basketball League, the national championships, the Grand Prix, the professional league, and the tour; the Super Soccer League, the first and second league, and the football team games; and finally, the FA Cup, the Table Tennis Super League, League A, and other regional professional competitions.
Anyone who had been to the games mentioned were not allowed to participate in the National University Games. This had ruled out a lot of top athletes from the National University Games because top athletes would not stay in the college and give up great opportunities just to join the games.
Many top athletes would go to college and finish their undergraduate studies, but when they were given the opportunity to be in the games, they would definitely skip school for it. They needed the experience and opportunity toget exposure.
Once you were involved in national contests, you couldn't go to the National University Games. Because of this, athletes in the University Games were usually not top athletes. They were not capable of being in other national contests, which meant the University Games were their only shot.
Guohong Niu was an exception. He was qualified enough to join the national team, but he didn't want to be there; instead, he had stayed in university to continue his training. This was mainly because Guohong Niu was studying in Tsinghua University, and had an emotional attachment to the famous school. If it had been some other average university, he probably would not have stayed.
Therefore, when Dai Li heard there were athletes as good as Guohong Niu coming to the game, he was really surprised.
I can't believe there is someone better than Guohong Niu, and that he is from the Dongjiang team. They must be from a top university, otherwise the university wouldn't allow the athlete to stay. Even if it's not as good as Tsinghua, it can't be too bad. Nandu University is the only university in the Dongjiang Province, and it is a top 10 school.
Dai Li clenched his fists subconsciously. He really wanted to know who the athlete was!