The screen was awash in blue—the camera had zoomed in on the fifty-meter pool. The water was calm as of yet, and the announcer and the commentator continued to speak.
“The individual medley has traditionally been the strong suit of Western swimmers.”
“That’s right. As I said before, it’s not just about technique. It requires a great deal of stamina. Western athletes have an innate physical advantage. Swimming is a sport where physical attributes have a particularly significant impact on the performance. Swimmers from the US and Australia are known for their great performance in this category. They’re all close to two meters tall,” the commentator said.
“Haha! That’s incredible. But there were some Asian athletes in the past who performed quite well, weren’t there?”
“Of course. For example, there is the Chinese swimming hero, Ye Xuewan, who won two medals in the female individual medley in the Olympics. That made quite a stir.”
“She set a world record, right?”
“That’s right. And a Japanese swimmer won an individual medley gold medal at a global event, though it wasn’t the Olympics. That caused quite a stir at the time as well.”
“It’s because it’s that rare, isn’t it?”
“Of course. Everybody expected someone from the US or Australia to win, but it turned out to be an Asian, so...”
“But no one from our country has ever done it—won a gold in the individual medley in the Olympics.”
“No. I think we could look forward to that changing this year. Gwon here has reached the finals for the first time ever for a Korean swimmer. He was ranked first even in the preliminaries.”
“He won gold in the 200-meter individual medley at the Asian Games two years ago. Gwon is seventeen years old this year. He’s attending Ozford High School in Australia, and is 188 centimeters tall. And... he’s still growing, isn’t he?” asked the announcer.
The commentator looked as proud as though the swimmer were his son.
“Yes. He was reported to be 186 centimeters tall last year. The year before that—during the Asian Games—he was 183 centimeters. And he was only in his third year of middle school at the time.”
“Gwon’s growing, not only in terms of his records and his height. He’s already taken gold in the 200 and 400-meter freestyle, the 100-meter backstroke, and silver in the 200-meter butterfly. If he wins another gold medal here, that’ll be four gold medals in a row. Ah! The race is about to begin.”
The announcer had hardly finished before the buzzer went off, and the swimmers took their spots on their starting blocks. The cameras alternated between shots of the audience and the swimmers. The starting roster appeared on the screen, and the announcer began to speak again in a calm voice.
“And we have South Korea’s Gwon Jaekyung in lane four.”
The lineup disappeared, the swimmers took their marks, and at the sound of a short electronic tone, they dove in.
“And it’s begun!”
The bar went silent. Everyone who had been chatting and laughing was now watching the TV screen with bated breath, and the same was true of Jiheon’s table. A few employees had even turned their chairs, completely immersed in the race.
Jiheon’s chair had been facing the TV from the start, though he hadn’t intended it to be the case, and he didn’t need to shift around any. He kept his eyes on the screen and picked up the beer, which had gone lukewarm. Maybe it was the silence, but the sound of the beer going down his throat sounded louder in his ears than usual.
“The swimmers are starting the race with the butterfly stroke. Noah Kenny in lane five in the lead.”
“The butterfly stroke is his specialty. He won gold medals both in the 100 and 200-meter butterfly this year.”
“And Gwon’s specialty is freestyle?”
“Yes, but he’s talented at the butterfly as well. He won the silver medal in the 200-meter butterfly this year, in fact.”
“And as we speak, Noah Kenny in lane five has just reached the first turn. Close behind are Gwon in lane four and Phil Abramson, who is an athlete from the US.”
“Now Abramson is the holder of a new world record in the 200-meter backstroke. He won the gold medal in yesterday’s 200-meter backstroke event.”
“But he had to settle for silver in the 100-meter, as Gwon beat him by 0.05 seconds.”
“Yes. Jaekyung’s final spurt in the last ten meters was fierce.”
While the announcer and the commentator continued to explain, the athletes had already swum halfway across the fifty-meter swimming pool with the backstroke. They covered the remaining distance in no time at all, and three swimmers in the middle lanes reached the touchpads at the same time.
“Noah Kenny from lane five and Gwon Jaekyung from lane four touch their 100-meter touchpads almost at the same time! And the rankings... They’ve changed! Gwon Jaekyung from lane four is now leading!”
The announcer declared. Cheers broke out in the bar instantly. The event was only halfway through, but people were clapping joyously, almost as if Jaekyung had already won the gold medal.
“Now, it’s time for the breaststroke segment. Gwon Jaekyung in lane four is maintaining his lead, with Noah Kenny close behind.”
“There is almost no difference right now.”
“Kenny’s specialty is the butterfly, and Gwon’s freestyle. Interestingly, both of them are least confident in the breaststroke.”
“That’s probably the case with most swimmers. Unless they specialize in the breaststroke, most professional swimmers will say that the breaststroke is their weakest stroke. But that’s only because the breaststroke is relatively slower than the other techniques. The truth of the matter is, they are great at all the strokes. Athletes who take part in the individual medley are good at all of them. It’s just that the breaststroke is slower, by its very nature.”
“I’m sorry, one moment! Noah Kenny is pushing forward!” shouted the announcer, cutting the commentator off.
“He’s speeding up! Past the 135-meter mark... Ah, it’s Noah Kenny in lane five taking the lead. He was the first to reach the 150-meter touchpad. In second place is Gwon Jaekyung from South Korea, 0.02 seconds behind.”
The announcer sounded deeply chagrined. Those who had been celebrating as if Jaekyung had won gold now looked dejected, as if he wouldn’t even get bronze.
“Why is he so bad?” shouted one of the male students at the college students’ table, loud enough for the girls to hear.