Survive as a World War II Soldier - Chapter 49



Only Noblemtl

#049

“It’s the high jump method that the director taught us. The players call it the MacArthur Roll.”

I felt dizzy from the unexpected attack.

So I knew that Westerners had a tradition of naming new things after their discoverers or developers.

But still, the MacArthur Roll… somehow, my face felt hot.

But Bradley continued his report, not knowing whether he was aware of my condition or not.

“We were right. My calculations were spot on.”

The current world record for high jump is 2.01m, set by George Hollin using a belly roll.

That’s a new men’s record, and the women’s record is much lower, at less than 1.6m.

“But Marion Holly jumped over 1.7 meters in one go.”

Although it is not recognized as a world record because it is an unofficial record, it is a whopping 10cm improvement over the existing record.

In a sport where records are measured in 0.005cm, 10cm was an eye-popping unit.

“With the Olympics just around the corner, I don’t think everyone will be able to use MacArthurroll.”

“It’s really a shame. If only other players had learned this…”

High jump coaches and athletes belatedly expressed their regrets.

Marion Holly took a risk and was prepared to fail, but time was too short for other players to follow suit.

Of course, there were those who tried to challenge it. However, it was not easy to change a skill that had been learned for a long time in a short period of time.

Anyway, the coaches’ faces changed in an instant due to Holly’s success.

“It will definitely be the most amazing scene of these Olympics.”

“The world will surely be amazed by the power of America.”

The coaches and players surrounding me as I visited to encourage Holly kept getting excited.

And as this story started to spread, more and more people started coming to me.

“Athletics is important, but swimming is also a sport with many medals at stake.”

“Yes, Japan and Germany are following along very closely···.”

What was the United States’ biggest goal in these Olympics to begin with?

It was about hitting those fucking guys in the nuts and spreading the word about American greatness.

“Don’t we need one more medal, one more new record that other countries can’t even dream of?”

When the swimming officials first came to see me, I couldn’t hide my embarrassed expression.

‘Aren’t full body swimsuits not available yet?’

In the early 21st century, the full-body swimsuit was said to be more important than the athlete’s skills, and even gave rise to the term “technological doping.”

It seemed like it would be possible to crush other countries just by introducing it, but the problem was…

‘Nylon didn’t even come out, so what···.’

Because of that, I was quite worried that I might not be able to live up to the expectations of those who were looking at me with longing eyes.

But fortunately, swimming was also something I could solve with my knowledge.

Swimmers in the 20th century were hitting the pool wall with their hands honestly every time they turned.

“Tch. That’s not how you do it.”

As soon as I finished my monologue, the swimming officials surrounded me with their eyes wide open.

“What are your ideas?”

“We don’t need any mathematical proofs.”

Perhaps because of his achievements in the high jump, the swimming world did not even ask for scientific proof.

“Yes, just give us a rough explanation and we’ll figure it out···.”

I was happy to hear that they would find the best method by conducting simulations on their own, but some people looked disappointed.

It was none other than Bradley.

Anyway, I started to actively share my ideas with the people in the swimming world who were actively coming forward.

“Are you going to put your feet down and boil some soup to eat?”

“Your feet?”

“Yeah. Is there a rule that says you have to touch it with your hand?”

The rules of the game change over time, so I asked just in case.

“Oh, no.”

“Then why do you do it with your hands? Aren’t your legs longer than your arms? If you kick the wall with your feet, wouldn’t you gain an advantage in terms of distance?”

Since you can turn from further away than when you swing your arms, you might be able to move a few dozen centimeters less than other players. And while each turn is only a few dozen centimeters, the advantage will increase as you go longer distances and have to make multiple turns.

“Oh, that’s right.”

“And if you push against the wall with your foot, you might be able to get some momentum.”

“!”

The biggest obstacle to breaking records in swimming was none other than turns.

To touch the wall and change direction, swimmers had to slow down, otherwise they might end up hitting their head on the pool wall.

It was difficult to recover the speed that had been reduced like that.

“If I kick the wall with my feet and gain momentum as the director said···.”

“It will definitely help reduce the number of records.”

“If you want to touch with your feet···.”

“Just turn in the water.”

I silently thanked the 21st Century Broadcasting Station for broadcasting the players’ turns in the water in vivid full HD.

“Oh, and one more thing just occurred to me.”

“What is it?”

“Swimming.”

This was also a great benefit of regularly watching the broadcast of the 21st century Olympic hero, Marine Boy.

‘Are there any interesting anecdotes related to swimming?’

‘Oh, right. After the players turn, they swim a certain distance, right?’

‘Yes. I believe there is a regulation limiting it to 15m.’

‘This rule didn’t exist until the 1988 Seoul Olympics.’

The sport has been transformed into a competition to see how long you can stay underwater, taking advantage of the fact that it is much faster to move underwater than to swim using swimming techniques.

‘So, after much controversy, the 15m ban was eventually put in place.’

So you’re saying it doesn’t exist now.

If you turn underwater to touch with your feet, you will end up diving anyway.

“How about taking a longer dive?”

The coaches tilted their heads at my words, but the proof was not difficult.

“Oh my goodness. I can see the records getting shorter.”

“Yes. It merges with MacArthur Turn···.”

“MacArthur turn?”

“Yes. Do you like it?”

I couldn’t say no to those who looked at me with faces like puppies expecting praise.

There was no way that the officials of other sports would leave me alone after I had conquered swimming.

Because of this, I was called to training camps for various sports every day and had to squeeze out all the knowledge I had about 21st century sports.

“Are you saying there are still players who don’t use the crouching start?”

“A kangaroo start? But···.”

Crouching start was already an old technique.

So much so that Thomas Burke, the 100m gold medalist at the first Athens Olympics in 1896, used it.

However, there were still quite a few athletes who started standing. The reason was none other than the starting blocks.

The crouching start was a difficult way to start, as you had to dig into the ground, plant your feet, and run. If you slipped even a little bit…

“The risk is high.”

“Hmm. Then wouldn’t it be better to improve the shoes?”

And to my shock, I found out that studded running shoes already existed, although they weren’t the sneakers I knew.

“But why are there so many players who don’t believe?”

“that is···.”

As always, the problem was money.

And at one point the solution to every problem was money.

It was not yet the time when sports became a competition between nations, where all abilities were mobilized to achieve better results than the opponents.

The reason the US Olympic Committee put me forward as chairman and face was none other than my fame.

I traveled all over the United States with enthusiasm to raise funds to support the team.

“Everyone, please show your interest so that our America can defeat those evil Lee guys.”

“We were the best last time, but shouldn’t we be the best this time by an overwhelming margin?”

“The best support is needed for the athletes who are trying not to tarnish the flag on their chest.”

For Americans who were going through the last boom period before the Great Depression, nationalism was still a popular item.

Thanks to this, I was able to raise more funds than I had expected.

So, of course, we provide the athletes with the latest track and field shoes.

“Hmm. At this level, wouldn’t it be possible to fit a stadium?”

“With this money?”

“Construction companies that are inspired by our players’ passion may be willing to donate their talents.”

I knew a construction company that would do its best to serve those who worked to spread the word about our greatness to the world.

Even though they didn’t have the technology to build high-rise buildings, they had no equal when it came to paving roads.

“If you think about it, isn’t a rain also a type of road?”

It was none other than the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“What kind of stadium are you thinking of?”

“I heard that the events at this Olympics will be held on the track.”

“Yes, that’s right. The IOC is supposed to set the standards for track and field events.”

The 400m track was established at the first Athens Olympics, but the shape of the track was not.

At that time, athletics tracks were straight, and oval tracks only became widespread after 1920.

I heard that this Amsterdam Olympics was the first Olympics in which the athletics track, as I know it, appeared.

Naturally, the shapes of track and field stadiums in the United States also varied.

“Then shouldn’t we also build a stadium suitable for it and practice there?”

It was no longer surprising that things that were taken for granted in the 21st century were not taken for granted in the 20th century.

For example, Finnish track and field athlete Ritola, who won four gold and two silver medals in track and field at the last Olympics, left for the United States in search of work.

And instead of systematic land training, he worked on construction sites.

Unlike the 21st century, where it is taken for granted that athletes only play sports and do nothing else to hone their skills, there were quite a few amateur athletes in the 20th century who played sports as a hobby.

For that reason, the Olympic team’s training was also far from the scientific and systematic system that I knew.

Thanks to this, I was able to bring about sufficient change even with my shallow knowledge that was worse than just a watermelon.

“Well, do you really have to go that far···.”

“You have to do it. If you don’t do it, you won’t know. If you’re going to do it, you have to do it properly, right?”

The standard length of one lap of the stadium is set at 400m, but the current reality is that the length of the previous track is different for each individual, so the curvature and length of the curved track are all different.

“How can you be so indifferent when you’re dealing with 0.01 seconds?”

“General MacArthur’s words are absolutely correct.”

“We will build a stadium that is completely in line with the standards announced by the IOC.”

Mobilizing the engineers was not difficult.

Although the field is different, the justification of supporting athletes representing the country in battle was more than enough to move the Army. And the fact that Jerry guys were coming to this Olympics was enough to make the engineers burn with crazy enthusiasm.

“How is it?”

“Excellent. Absolutely perfect.”

The U.S. Army’s proud Corps of Engineers has been building a track in Amsterdam at an incredible speed, with a track that is flawless.

My meticulousness didn’t end there.

Devil, isn’t it true that victory or defeat always depends on small details?

“I think that even if we differentiate the starting line, there will be advantageous and disadvantageous lanes. What do the coaches think?”

“Oh, athletes do say things like that. But the IOC isn’t stupid either…”

No matter how hard the IOC tries, there is something that cannot be done.

With the help of the Olympic broadcast, I knew that the outer lane had an advantage over the inner track, so I secretly leaked this to the team.

Of course, you can’t just decide which lane you’ll run in…

In the 21st century, weren’t there cases where people tried to carefully adjust the rankings in the preliminary rounds to secure advantageous lanes?

If you’re going to do something, you should do everything you can.

Absurd rumors began to circulate about my actions.

“I heard you are giving secret training to Olympic athletes these days?”

“There is a lot of talk about preparing for the Olympics like a war.”

Time passed without stopping, and the day of the final battle finally dawned.

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