Chapter 404: Securing Two Qualifications in a Row

Chapter 404: Securing Two Qualifications in a Row

Though the Lion City was not large in territory, it boasted a sports city of considerable scale—the first integrated venue in Asia combining sports, leisure, entertainment, and living. This symbiotic ecological development model was hailed by many countries as the future of sports-oriented development and a key node for urban complexes, with some even exaggerating it as a paradise for athletes.

The main sports facilities of the sports city included a stadium with 55,000 seats, a retractable roof, and comfortable cooling systems; a swimming center with 3,000 seats (expandable to 6,000 for special occasions); a 3,000-seat indoor court; a 12,000-seat indoor gymnasium; a water sports center; an indoor multi-purpose arena; and a range of diverse community sports facilities.

Additionally, there were libraries, museums, shopping malls, an indoor hot spring spa, a food court, and more.

The Asian venue for the judo event of the Kyoto Olympic Intercontinental Qualifiers was held in the multi-purpose arena of this sports city.

Upon landing with the team, Meng Fan checked directly into the athletes' center, not foolishly seeking any high-profile VIP airport services, nor would the airport openly grant him any special treatment.

The qualifiers began on the 14th, and on the 13th, athletes started weighing in, undergoing relevant tests, and drawing numbers. The process was similar to regular judo competitions, except that in these individual qualifiers, the chance of encountering top-tier opponents was very low. This was because some well-known athletes might miss the ranking tournaments for various reasons, failing to make the top 16, and thus using the qualifiers as a last resort.

Of course, for Meng Fan, whether there were any strong competitors slipping through the net made little difference—as long as no force majeure incidents occurred, everything would be fine.

According to the rules, each weight category in judo had only four qualification spots through the intercontinental qualifiers: the champion, runner-up, and two third-place finishers.

Meng Fan's match in the heaviest weight category was scheduled last, starting at 3 PM on the 16th, with a total of 32 athletes competing for the four spots.

"Meng Caipeng!"

As he was warming up by the mat, Meng Fan heard a shout. Without guessing, he knew it was no one else but Meng Caitang calling him that way.

Meng Fan looked toward the sound and spotted Meng Caitang among a group of people. The group appeared to be Chinese international students, and he also saw two familiar faces: one was Lin Xiaoxiao, who had come to pick him up on behalf of Meng Caitang last time, and the other was Wu Yuandi, who had gone with Wu Ji to rescue people in Siam.

Were they all here together just because they were Chinese students, or was this guy actually pursuing Meng Caitang?

Last time in Siam, Meng Fan had learned that this guy liked Meng Caitang, but it seemed like a secret crush. Back then, he had even tested whether Meng Fan approved of him pursuing her. Meng Fan wondered if he had started his pursuit yet.

Meng Fan made a phone gesture to Meng Caitang, then continued warming up. After finishing, he returned to the rest area and waited for the match to begin.

Like previous judo competitions, it was divided into Groups A and B. Meng Fan was in Group A. In the first, second, and third matches, he won all by ippon. After all, in his weight category, there were no athletes ranked in the world's top 16, nor any strong competitors slipping through, so the sweep went smoothly.

In the fourth match, the last of Group A, Xiao Yunlin on the sidelines was a bit nervous. He knew Meng Fan had a high chance of winning, but he held his breath until Meng Fan stepped onto the mat and won by ippon again in an instant. Only then did Xiao Yunlin exhale deeply—the qualification was secured.

Meng Fan also breathed a sigh of relief. Though confident in victory, it was a one-shot competition, so there was a little pressure. If he had lost the last match of Group A, there would still be a repechage, but the feeling would have been different.

Next, Meng Fan had one final match to fight. Even if he lost, he would still be the runner-up, which naturally earned a qualification.

Of course, it was hard for Meng Fan to lose unless some force majeure incident occurred. Otherwise, even if he stood still, his opponent couldn't move him.

And Meng Fan certainly didn't want to lose. Winning the championship meant three championship honor points—why would he pass that up?

Moreover, maintaining a winning streak was also a record.

After Meng Fan's final match, the individual judo intercontinental qualifiers concluded. Next, after a one-day break, the mixed team qualifiers would begin. Some athletes would return to their home countries first, but Meng Fan would stay.

"Another match?"

"Yeah, there's a team competition to fight."

After the match, Meng Fan met Meng Caitang and also saw the sizable group of international students.

The students were enthusiastic, all asking for photos and autographs.

When Wu Yuandi saw that Meng Fan wanted to greet him specifically, he subtly shook his head at Meng Fan, so Meng Fan didn't say anything more.

After all, whether Wu Yuandi was pursuing Meng Caitang was their business. Meng Fan couldn't pretend not to know him because of that, but since he asked, Meng Fan could only act as if they didn't know each other.

The first time Meng Fan came here, Meng Caitang had taken him around the National University as her boyfriend. Now, of course, everyone knew they weren't in a romantic relationship, and they also knew they were siblings—since everyone knew Meng Fan had an older sister named Meng Caiwei, so Meng Caitang was obviously either an older or younger sister.

Several of the international students present liked Meng Caitang, but even knowing that Meng Caiwei had no boyfriend, few dared to pursue her openly. It wasn't because they feared Meng Fan as a future brother-in-law, but because Meng Caitang herself was too "fierce." A single line like "If you can't even study well, don't talk about love" was enough to silence these top students.

After getting photos and autographs, the students obediently dispersed at a glance from Meng Caitang, who then chatted briefly with Meng Fan.

"No match tomorrow—can we go out? Last time I didn't get to show you around properly."

"Probably not."

"How many days does your team competition last?"

"Should be one day."

"Then you leave right after? The day after tomorrow, the night of your competition, there's a concert at the indoor gymnasium. I have tickets—do you want to go?"

"I think I saw a poster too. Is it Shi Shiwu's concert?"

"Yeah."

"I'll see how things go."

"Alright, I'll save the tickets for now. Oh, by the way, Second Sister said she's already bought tickets for all three events—weightlifting, wrestling, and judo—for the Olympics, plus the opening ceremony. The whole family plans to come watch your matches during summer break. Is there still one weightlifting qualification left?"

"The weightlifting qualifiers are at the end of the month. That's quite generous—I thought opening ceremony tickets were already sold out?"

"Who knows? Let me tell you some good news: I'm going to the United States in a week."

"What for?"

"To participate in a project—a top-tier scientific research project in my field."

"Are you really aiming to become a scientist?"

"Strictly speaking, I'm already a scientist, okay?"

"I don't really understand the world of you academic elites."

"Sorry, I happen to understand the world of you athletes."

"Can't continue this conversation."

"Then don't. I'm leaving."

"..."

Meng Caitang really did leave as she said. Meng Fan rolled his eyes and returned to the team. Some team members flew back home that very night, especially those who had secured qualifications but weren't participating in the team competition—they needed to start pre-competition training.

As of now, Chinese judo had performed reasonably well, securing a total of 12 qualification spots. The women's team was fully staffed, while the men's team was missing qualifications in only two weight categories.

The next day was a rest day, with the only tasks being weigh-ins and team draw numbers.

Soon it was the 18th. The mixed team competition began with preliminaries at 8 AM. Sixteen teams participated, but not all Asian countries were eligible—this team event required a certain level of prior performance. Of course, some countries couldn't even assemble a 12-person mixed team.

The 16 teams were divided into Groups A and B. China's first opponent was Uzbekistan. At the 2018 Olympics, both Uzbekistan and China had won bronze medals in this judo event. In terms of strength, China's women's judo was stronger than Uzbekistan's, while the men's side was slightly weaker—the outcome was hard to predict.

Currently, with Japan not participating, the most likely teams to make the top three—or rather the top four—were China, South Korea, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. Of course, this assumed these four teams didn't meet in the first round. The team competition used a single-elimination format with no repechage.

For example, at the 2018 Asian Games, South Korea met Japan in the quarterfinals and was eliminated directly, failing to even win a medal. Then, well—South Korean athletes upheld their tradition of sitting silently on the mat for ten minutes in protest.

Facing Uzbekistan in the first round, China had no guaranteed win, so Meng Fan definitely had to compete.

The mixed team competition consisted of six matches: men's 73 kg, men's 90 kg, men's 90 kg+ (including 100 kg and 100 kg+), women's 57 kg, women's 70 kg, and women's 70 kg+ (including 78 kg and 78 kg+).

Winning four matches secured overall victory. If tied at 3-3, the number of ippons would be counted; the team with more ippons won. If ippons were tied, waza-aris were counted, and so on.

The match began. China lost the first match, but Cheng Xunzhao held his ground and won the second, tying the score at 1-1. In the third match, Meng Fan represented the 90 kg+ category.

To create a better scoring advantage for the national team, in a completely dominant situation, Meng Fan didn't go for an immediate ippon. Instead, he patiently scored a koka, a yuko, and a waza-ari before winning by ippon.

If the match ended in a tie, this would provide some advantage points.

With the men's side leading 2-1, the women's team, already at an advantage, gained a morale boost. They won the 57 kg and 70 kg matches consecutively, securing a 4-2 victory in the first round.

In the second round, they faced India. Meng Fan didn't need to compete, and the team advanced to the semifinals easily with a 4-1 score, securing the Olympic qualification.

In the semifinals, they encountered South Korea.

(This chapter ends.)