Orc Undead Sports Warrior

Chapter 161 Shot Put Qualifying Round

Soon, the competition began. There were 21 qualified team members. Lu Wei saw that his throwing order was 15th, which was really annoying. The qualifying round, which could have been finished in one go, was now being spent watching other people's throwing performances.

The first player to appear was a player from the host country, which was clearly a move to let their own teammate advance first. The other players participating in the qualifiers probably thought the same thing.

However, having the advantage of being the host country doesn't guarantee a quick entry into the finals. The competition relies on strength, and only when the strength is there will the advantages of playing in the competition be effective.

The Spanish athlete, Manuel Martinez, made a lukewarm first throw, achieving a distance of 19.56 meters, which is a respectable result.

It's probably because the season has just started and everyone's feeling a bit off. If it were the end of the season, and his execution of that routine was more fluid, he could probably throw 20.3 meters without any problem.

The players who went first did not advance directly to the next round as he had hoped.

Many people think that the qualifying score is easy to achieve. Many team members' best scores, and even their average effective scores in regular competitions, far exceed the qualifying score. It seems that they can advance to the finals with just a casual effort.

It's not that simple in reality. Many field events don't yield ideal results on the first attempt. Athletes need to adjust their angle and force based on their physical condition during the competition. While adjusting their technique, athletes also need to use the sport to boost their morale and get excited.

Many experienced players don't exert themselves at the beginning of the game, but rather achieve a good result on the second or third shot.

The second player to appear was a team member from Taiwan. Judging from the screen, this player should be named Chang Ming-huang. His first throw was over 17 meters, which is basically a hopeless performance. This result is not competitive in mainland competitions.

Yesterday, I heard Coach Jiang mention when he was looking at the list of participants that this athlete had previously competed in both shot put and hammer throw, but his results in the hammer throw were not good, so he then focused on shot put.

The third to appear was last year's World Champion, Hofa. Although he looked a little heavier than last year, you could tell that he had trained well this winter, and at least his core strength was no weaker than last year.

Hoffa first raised the shot put with one arm, then lowered it and used his chin and neck to hold the shot put in place. Then Lu Wei saw him hunch over, spinning like a ball for one and a half turns. Just as his face was about to face the throwing area, he suddenly released the shot.

Hoffa roared loudly as he took the shot, showing that his first attempt was very effective.

Amidst the gasps of the audience, the shot put powerfully surpassed the 21-meter line by a considerable distance.

Without a doubt, Hofa advanced to the final with just one attempt, his throw reaching an impressive 21.49 meters. If this were the final, he would have completely dominated the game, just like in Osaka.

"This young black guy is in good form. It seems we're in for a tough fight if we want to win the gold medal at this year's Olympics!"

Coach Jiang started talking the moment Hoffa made his move, and several coaches next to him nodded in agreement, including Wang Qiao and Coach Sun.

In terms of age, Coach Jiang is probably older than these people, but his mind is still very clear. With so many years of leading teams in international competitions, he can always quickly judge the athletes' physical condition and technical characteristics.

After the throw, Hoffa spread his hands and clapped to the audience, which quickly rang out in unison.

In this self-motivational aspect, this guy would be world-class in any project; he always manages to elevate his mental state by relying on the audience.

The athletes from various countries then achieved scores of around 19 meters, which looked like they were shooting at a target with a shot put. The distance of around 19 meters was the bullseye, and everyone was vying to throw the shot put into that circle.

The match only broke from its dull pace when the 11th player, Belarusian player Myknevich, appeared. The giant bear, who is over 2 meters tall, did not use the spinning throw technique.

Perhaps due to physical reasons, or perhaps because it was just a qualifying round, he completed the competition using a sliding throw.

When the shot put easily crossed the qualifying line, the entire audience erupted in enthusiastic applause; everyone could tell this guy was quite capable.

The next three team members struggled at the 19-meter line before it was Lu Wei's turn to go up.

When the referee called out Lu Wei's name, he first breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that it was finally his turn.

If Lu Wei makes it to the finals in the 60-meter dash today, he will have to compete five times. Although, based on his current form, these two events don't seem to be too physically demanding for him, Lu Wei certainly can't calmly watch the other athletes compete at this point.

After Lu Wei entered the arena, cheers erupted from the Chinese athletes' section.

"Compared to other athletes participating in the shot put competition, Lu Wei's height is only considered above average, and his weight is probably the lightest. This is the first time I've realized how petite Lu Wei is. Little Lu Wei, haha!"

Shen Liang never missed an opportunity to annoy Lu Wei in front of others. When others heard him say this, they also noticed that Lu Wei, who was 1.97 meters tall and weighed 110 kilograms, looked very lean among these shot put athletes, while the others were all covered in fat and looked like their bellies were about to fall out.

Lu Wei closed his eyes, mentally reviewed the key points of the movements, and then silently chanted, "I absolutely have to get it right the first time, otherwise I'll be wasting my whole morning here..."

Waiting to go on stage is indeed quite agonizing. It takes about two minutes for each person to get ready, and I sat there for almost half an hour before it was my turn to go on stage.

At this moment, he seemed to understand why Pitkamagi only arrived at the stadium during check-in at last year's World Championships—because he had warmed up enough while waiting for others to enter the arena. With his seasoned experience and composure, there certainly wouldn't be any problems.

No more thinking. Lu Wei concentrated, fixed the shot put on his chin, and then began to push off the ground, spin, and release it.

"Hmm, the footwork was clearly defined, and the power of the strike was well controlled, but the arc was a little low!"

After Lu Wei threw the shot put, Wang Qiao nodded in satisfaction. The landing point of the shot put clearly showed that the throw had exceeded the qualifying line.

The indoor competition venue wasn't as chaotic as the outdoor one, and the referees quickly set up their instruments at the landing points.

The electronic screen showed that Lu Wei's throw was 20.95 meters, making him the first athlete to advance to the finals so far in the competition.

Seeing his results, Lu Wei was overjoyed, happy that he no longer had to wait in line. The waiting time for the qualifying rounds had become a major worry for him.