Except for taking the flight and on the day of the opening ceremony, other athletes didn’t see Gan Guoyang, because he was staying at a star-rated hotel, traveling back and forth by helicopter, giving people a feeling of being high above and untouchable.
But now, Gan Guoyang stood in front of Wang Yifu, and the two shook hands, embraced, and encouraged each other.
Gan Guoyang told Wang Yifu: "Actually, whether or not you win the gold medal, participating in the Olympics is already a success. But I believe, you will definitely win this gold medal. As for my gold medal... I’m afraid there’s no hope~"
Wang Yifu seemed much more spirited, he smiled and said: "Shooting and basketball are different. Our revolutionary division of labor is different, and we can’t apply the same standards. The first two matches have already shown the flair of Chinese basketball!"
Praising each other fiercely, Wang Yifu felt a great relief from mental pressure.
Under immense pressure, when someone influential comes over to give encouragement, the mindset can change significantly.
The coach also formulated a strategy for Wang Yifu: do not pursue a perfect score of 10, but strive for 9.5, 9.6, and avoid too low scores.
This strategy helped Wang Yifu reduce his pressure, and in the afternoon competition, Wang Yifu regained his composure and adjusted his state.
In the shoot-out, Wang Yifu gradually narrowed the gap, although he didn’t score high marks like 9.8, 9.9, but neither did he score low marks like 9.0, 8.9.
His scores remained steady around 9.5, allowing him to steadily progress, seeking opportunities to surpass.
Until the final shot, his gold medal competitor only scored 8.9, and Wang Yifu knew the opportunity had come.
As a result, Wang Yifu steadied his mind and shot a 9.7, successfully winning the championship!
At this moment, all the Chinese spectators on site, including Gan Guoyang, stood up to cheer for Wang Yifu.
Finally, Wang Yifu breathed a sigh of relief and waved towards Gan Guoyang on the stage, thanking him for his encouragement.
The Chinese shooting team earned a precious gold medal, removing the heavy burden since the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
After watching the shooting competition, Gan Guoyang took his family out at night and arranged to meet with Stockton’s family for a night tour in Barcelona.
During the day, Gan Guoyang was too conspicuous a target. As soon as he went out, it was difficult to move even a step, needing police and security to clear the way.
At night, with the cover of darkness, the situation was somewhat better, and then Stockton was a little unseen, having even less presence than Reiner in the Dream Team.
At least Reiner had a height of 2.10 meters, Stockton’s height was like an ordinary person, and with his looks, walking with Gan Guoyang, he appeared more like Gan’s agent.
Even so, Gan Guoyang still brought three bodyguards along with him to protect himself and his family.
Barcelona is a city very suitable for strolling and walking; European cities are different from America, where the old quarters retain many historical traces.
The architecture here has a strong Picasso atmosphere, with all kinds of strange spires, inlaid murals, circular arches, and other abstract styles seen everywhere.
As a city that values art education and atmosphere, Barcelona’s night is often more lively than the day.
In the 1990s, the economy of people in big cities in Spain was already quite developed.
In China, many city dwellers were still busy all day to fill their bellies, living in small houses, struggling for survival, while people in Barcelona lived like Roman times.
When there are no sports events, their schedule includes having dinner at 10 p.m., drinking to their fill, sleeping until midday the next day, having a three-hour lunch, chatting and laughing, playing and enjoying themselves, and then preparing for dinner again.
Gan Guoyang felt the prosperity, enthusiasm, and a bit of absurdity here, as the Olympics made the place even more bustling; he heard that at the Olympic Village, the Olympic Committee distributed over fifty thousand condoms for athletes to use.
At the last Seoul Olympics, only over 8,000 were provided, clearly not enough.
This time, the Olympic Committee increased the supply to ensure that men and women could engage in peak competitions at this rare event.
It should be noted that athletes are highly energetic, and their needs in certain aspects are far greater than ordinary people.
Most athletes train very hard and live in a long-term shutdown without a normal social life, often requiring abstinence to preserve stamina.
The Olympics is a great opportunity for release; as long as their own competition is finished, the remaining time can be spent on pleasure.
Everyone is young; many athletes are tall and handsome, and if they fancy each other, they can find a place for a passionate encounter.
So, whether fifty thousand condoms will be enough is a question.
Of course, for the Dream Team and people like Gan Guoyang under close scrutiny, there’s not much opportunity.
Especially since most brought their wives and children, they can only be good gentlemen.
The children got tired early, and Gan Guoyang held one in each arm; they fell asleep soundly in their father’s embrace.
After returning to the hotel, having bid farewell to Stockton, Gan Guoyang secretly arranged to meet Reiner for a drink.
In the first two games, Reiner didn’t get much playing time, only during garbage time could he come on for a short while.
Reiner was prepared for this early on, but being continuously overlooked with the Dream Team felt truly unpleasant.
Here, the spotlight was forever on Jordan, Johnson, Barkley, even the prostitutes preferred to serve them rather than the unknown Reiner.
Stockton might be more anonymous, but he brought his wife and child, he didn’t need fame, Reiner was different; he felt confused and needed to vent to Ah Gan.