Orc Undead Sports Warrior

Chapter 149 Choose 5 from 2

After the meeting, Zou Zhen led the other two people to the training ground.

"Everyone come over here for a moment, I have something to say, come over now!"

Zou Zhen clapped his hands, signaling everyone to gather.

Wen Ningyi, Zhang Yuanteng, and Hu Huo, who were closer to Zou Zhen, walked over before he could finish speaking. Lu Wei and Shen Liang, who had just finished a 60-meter race, walked over quickly, chatting and laughing.

"The reason I called everyone here today is to inform you of something. The Asian Indoor Championships will be held in Doha, Qatar next month. We have been training intensively for almost four months and need some competitions to get back into shape. This year, while ensuring everyone's physical condition, the Track and Field Management Center will try its best to arrange more competitions for everyone to train. You can't become a champion just by training!"

Because our main goal this year is to win a medal in the 4x100m relay, the leadership reserved two spots for us in the 60m. After discussion, we're going to finalize these two spots today. If we designate only two people, the others will definitely feel it's unfair. So, we're thinking of having a selection race tomorrow morning at 10 am, with the top two going to the competition. Does anyone have any objections?

Before anyone could speak, Zou Zhen added, "Let's try a different approach. Anyone who doesn't want to participate, say so now!"

After saying this, everyone shook their heads. Although the Asian Indoor Championships were considered a relatively uncompetitive event, people from the Gulf region always put a lot of effort into organizing competitions, so the food, accommodations, and facilities should be quite good.

"If there are no objections, then continue training. I'll reduce your training this afternoon. Go home and get some sleep tonight. Take tomorrow's selection competition seriously! Is there anything else you want to ask? If not, then you can leave!"

Zou Zhen is indeed decisive and efficient. From urging everyone to announce the competition slots, it only took about 5 minutes. Not only did he achieve the desired effect, but he also did not delay the training.

"Wait, Coach..." Zou Zhen had barely finished speaking when a timid voice came over. Everyone turned to look and saw it was Wen Ningyi. He was holding up his right hand, but it wasn't straight; it was bent at the joint, as if he was ready to pull his hand back at any moment.

"Xiao Wen, is there anything I didn't understand about what I just said?" Zou Zhen frowned when he saw Wen Ningyi's timid and hesitant manner. He thought to himself, "How can a grown man be so awkward? How can someone so uncooperative be suitable for sprinting?"

"Coach, can I participate in the selection trials too?"

Wen Ningyi spoke, but his tone didn't seem very firm.

Zou Zhen's heart skipped a beat when he heard Wen Ningyi say that. No wonder Jiang Jianjun said in the meeting room earlier that designating team members might dampen the enthusiasm of other team members.

Wen Ningyi, who is currently the first substitute for the relay team, is not even sure if he is qualified to participate in the selection competition. If Lu Wei and Shen Liang are designated, Zhang Yuanteng and Hu Huo will definitely feel uncomfortable. They were the champion and runner-up of last year's National Track and Field Championships, and their qualification for the competition is probably much more than that of Lu Wei and Shen Liang. If he arranges the competition quota so casually, it will definitely cause dissatisfaction among the other team members, thereby affecting the team's morale.

It seems that compared to Jiang Jianjun, I really haven't considered the team members' thoughts enough.

Zou Zhen was also born into poverty. When he joined the national team, everything was decided by the coach. Most of the team members came from similar backgrounds and didn't know much about track and field. Their idea was simply to train hard whatever the coach told them to train.

If I achieve good results and stay on the team, my family will be able to make a living.

Most of the coaches of that generation have this mark on them. Many of them are also quite arbitrary in the training process. They make decisions on their own and do not care about the specific situation of the players. The only requirement is to follow them.

This moment made Zou Zhen suddenly realize that he needed to change his old methods, since his son was older than these children. When he was young, he was afraid of his father's authority and dared not rebel too much.

Then one day, for some reason, his child suddenly started going against him. Zou Zhen had always been puzzled. He had worked hard for half his life to give his family a better life, so why was his son fighting with him every few days, and seemingly uncompromising?

Seeing Wen Ningyi's reaction, Zou Zhen now seems to have figured something out. He wonders if he has been too restrictive with his children and the team members in front of him, and has not allowed them to show their true selves.

"Coach Zou, the young man is asking you a question!" Jiang Jianjun nudged Zou Zhen, finally pulling the coach, who was lost in thought, back from his mental reverie.

When Wen Ningyi saw Zou Zhen staring straight at him without moving for a long time, he froze as if he had said something wrong and angered the coach. He became a little timid.

After being nudged by Jiang Jianjun, Zou Zhen immediately reacted: "Oh! Haha, of course you're included. You're being too polite with that question. Although you can't play according to the current order, if any of these four players encounter an unexpected situation, you must step up, and there can't be too much of a gap between you and the team. The team also attaches great importance to your training, and you must always be strict with yourself!"

After Zou Zhen finished speaking, he touched his nose, a gesture that made Jiang Jianjun smile. Zou Zhen had a habitual gesture: whenever he said something insincere, he would unconsciously touch his nose.

Sometimes, it's necessary for someone who's used to speaking the truth to tell a few kind little lies when pressured by circumstances.

Upon hearing this, Wen Ningyi's face immediately lit up with a smile, and he seemed a little flattered by Zou Zhen's words.

"Xiao Wen, run well tomorrow. If you do well, we'll go to the Doha race together!"

Shen Liang spoke to Wen Ningyi with great enthusiasm, as if he were the one who had been recommended for admission and everyone else was vying for a spot.

"Heh!" Lu Wei sneered at Shen Liang.

"Shen Liang, don't brag. Whether you can win tomorrow depends on your performance."

Zhang Yuanteng chuckled and playfully punched Shen Liang on the neck, teasing him. Hu Huo, standing nearby, also smiled but remained silent.

Everyone knew that in a 60-meter race, Shen Liang was practically unchallenged. It was only recently that he was surpassed by Lu Wei, a training superhuman. However, Lu Wei's advantage in the first 60 meters is now very small, and he can't guarantee he'll beat Shen Liang every time.

Often, in competitions where good spots are awarded, coaches will designate their favorite players to participate. This time, the selection process was rather rushed in terms of time, but it was fair to everyone. It all comes down to who takes training seriously and is responsible for their career during this period.