The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 1057 - 1026: Outstanding Performance

Chapter 1057: Chapter 1026: Outstanding Performance

The food tasted good, and He Tiantian ate very well today.

They didn’t suffer from any digestive problems due to being abroad; everyone adapted very well.

As such, they were in great condition, which helped them to fully engage in their training and achieved good results.

After dinner at 6:30, everyone rested for a while and then went to the meeting.

At the meeting, Ambassador Li of Country H in Spain, along with his assistant, came over and the meeting was chaired by Coach Wu.

The swimming team from Country H was in Spain, and the ambassador should have come, especially since patriotic overseas Chinese had sponsored the national swimming team, a connection that he had facilitated.

Without spending his own money, he was able to provide some benefits to the athletes, which also counted as one of his achievements.

Later, the athletes would say that the 1986 World Championships were held in Madrid, Spain, and that Ambassador Li there had sent them consolation gifts.

Although it wasn’t a significant political achievement, it sounded good when spoken of.

Ambassador Li spoke some words of encouragement and then presented the sponsorship gifts to the athletes.

The male athletes received a stylish men’s watch and the female athletes a women’s watch, which was very exquisite. Although not very expensive, it was a brand much loved by the local youth in Spain and had a very unique design.

Afterwards, there were also Spanish specialty red wines and some other small local specialty items.

He Tiantian also received a gift, but she didn’t mention that it was sponsored by her parents.

"Sister He, this watch is really beautiful," Xie Feifei said as she immediately put it on.

"Yes, it is beautiful," He Tiantian nodded, "but the competition is about to start; let’s wear it after the competition is over.

"You’re right, if it gets water on it, the watch might break," Xie Feifei took it off her wrist and carefully put it away.

Xi Rongrong and Liu Yihua also cherished it, as though they also had salaries, those salaries were very low and couldn’t afford such things.

They hoped that after this competition, they would receive some prize money and rewards to improve their family’s situation.

Jiao Lihong and Cai Fenfang had already put their watches on, and could not let them go.

Even upon seeing He Tiantian, Jiao Lihong had no intention of confronting He Tiantian, the older woman.

The next day, in the morning, they went to check the competition venue and then went to the designated location for training.

The third day was the opening ceremony.

The delegation from Huaxia was stronger this year than in previous years.

Due to the Western blockade, the outside world did not know much about Country H, and participating in sports events was a great opportunity to showcase Huaxia’s elegance to the outside world.

This was also why He Tiantian, despite her age, was still very good and likely to challenge for a gold medal, and why Coach Wu, despite other opinions, let her compete.

Apart from the World Youth Championship, which had age restrictions, other events did not have age restrictions.

As long as one swam fast, nothing else mattered.

Coach Wu casually glanced at He Tiantian, hoping that she could change the situation of Huaxia Country’s swimming team never having won a gold medal in the World Championships.

He Tiantian, with a strong sense of awareness, looked towards Coach Wu and then smiled, indicating that she would do her best.

This time, He Tiantian had signed up for seven events.

Freestyle 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, and 1500 meters.

Another event was the breaststroke, 100 meters and 200 meters.

The last was the 400-meter freestyle relay, which was a team event.

The first leg was Xie Feifei, the second leg was a female athlete from Coach Wang’s team named Yu Jingjing, the third leg was Jiao Lihong, and the fourth leg was He Tiantian.

Originally, Jiao Lihong wanted to swim the last leg because it was the most crucial moment before the end, and as long as she won the championship, she would shine brighter than the previous three swimmers.

However, Coach Wu, considering the overall situation, still placed He Tiantian in the last position, with Jiao Lihong third.

Jiao Lihong was not convinced and even made a fuss at Coach Wu’s office.

Coach Wu immediately told her that this was a team event, and if she did not comply with the arrangement, she shouldn’t compete at all to avoid bringing emotions into the arena, which could affect the overall result.

Of course, Jiao Lihong did not want to miss out on such a great opportunity and reluctantly agreed, though gritting her teeth.

The competition began.

From the beginning with the draws, He Tiantian unsurprisingly advanced as the first in her group.

Xie Feifei, Xi Rongrong, and Liu Yihua also performed well.

The athletes from other countries were not very familiar to Xie Feifei and the others, but they thought that by following Sister He, they would be a step closer to the medals.

Bai Qiongyu, He Jingyu, Wang Shuping, and He Doudou watched almost every match of He Tiantian and cheered for her.

Finally, it was the final round.

Coach Wu looked at the list of finalists with tears brimming in his eyes.

A total of twelve athletes entered the finals.

Of these, seven were female athletes, and five were male athletes.

Among them, He Tiantian’s performance was so brilliant that it dazzled all the coaches.

She was first in every event.

Oh my goodness.

Even if not all the events were won, securing half of them would still make history.

Coach Wu patted Zhu Zhitao’s shoulder hard and said, "Zhu, well done, you have two athletes in the finals under your guidance."

"It’s all thanks to the head coach’s discernment and guidance," Zhu Zhitao chuckled, feeling incredibly pleased inside.

Among the female athletes, the best performance was by He Tiantian.

Though he played a minimal role in coaching He Tiantian, it didn’t count for much, especially since Xie Feifei had indeed made great progress under his guidance.

"Haha, you sure have a way with words," Coach Wu laughed, "Go back and boost the morale of He Tiantian and Xie Feifei. Strive for the championship."

"Absolutely," Zhu Zhitao nodded, "We will prepare in the best condition possible."

He Doudou cheered for his sister every day, almost losing his voice.

However, every time he saw his sister, he would forget all else.

The 100-meter freestyle race was about to begin.

In this event, only He Tiantian had made it to the finals, facing seed players from other countries.

He Tiantian, in lane five, seemed rather short in front of a group of tall foreigners.

During the initial heats, He Tiantian’s stature had already drawn much criticism, with some saying Huaxia Country had no one else to send.

Hearing the comments around him, He Doudou was so angry he wanted to fight those people.

Sister He was impressive and did not disappoint He Doudou.

With her repeatedly taking first place, she completely transformed people’s perception of this petite woman from Country H, leaving them astonished.

When Sister He made it to the finals, He Doudou went up to the man who had ridiculed her and said, "My sister may be small, but she is full of strength."

In He Doudou’s mind, his sister could do no wrong; Sister He was extraordinary, and anyone who said otherwise was his "enemy!"