Chapter 50: I Must Get You into the Olympic Team
By 3:30, the BBC television crew had finally arrived. Many other reporters who had gotten wind of the event also crowded into the archery hall. Looking at the chaotic scene, the organizers announced that the broadcast would begin promptly at four o'clock.
Diana Rigg also rushed over at this time. Today, she was wearing the stylish suit she had bought while shopping with William. It suited her perfectly.
Diana Rigg greeted William with a smiling hug and, in front of the crowd, gave him a kiss on the cheek.
The reporters, seeing the kiss on the cheek, groaned in disappointment and playfully urged Diana to kiss William on the mouth. But as a media professional, Diana knew she had to be mindful of her public image.
After Arthur's words yesterday, William was hesitant to have a public girlfriend. His mother was already a potential weakness, which was a big enough headache. He really didn't have the energy or strength to deal with the threat of multiple girlfriends being used against him.
At four o'clock, with the BBC's live broadcast equipment finally ready, Diana Rigg walked to the center of the venue with a microphone.
"Hello everyone, and welcome. I'm Diana Rigg, reporting live for the BBC from the London Olympic Archery Hall. Today, we are here to witness William Devinshire fulfill a promise he made to me and the public—to complete what seems like an impossible challenge: shooting a 70-meter target with a bow and arrow while blindfolded. And he has to hit the ten-ring."
"Well, we will now ask Mr. William Devinshire himself. William, do you have confidence in today's challenge?"
"Of course," William said. "I'm confident in my archery skills. But talk is useless. The only way to know if I was telling the truth is to try it."
Diana Rigg turned back to the camera. "That's right. At this point, words are superfluous; only facts matter. We will now give our challenger some time to prepare. William, good luck!"
William smiled at the camera and walked to the shooting line to prepare. He knew there was no point in saying anything more. Whatever he said, the audience would just think he was bragging.
After sending William off, Diana Rigg said to the camera, "Viewers, today we have invited a special guest, Mr. Smith Brown, the head coach of the England National Archery Team."
The camera panned to Smith Brown, who walked over to join Diana.
"Hello, Diana. Hello, viewers. I am Smith Brown, head coach of the England archery team," he said.
Diana Rigg held the microphone to him. "Hello, Smith. I'm glad you could accept our invitation to be here as our special guest. Do you think William can succeed today?"
Smith Brown considered the question carefully. "If it were anyone else, I would definitely say it's impossible. But this is William Devinshire, the dream lover of every girl in England. With him, I can only say that anything is possible. Although I think the probability is not high..."
"But, since it's William Devinshire, I wouldn't dare say anything bad about him. Otherwise, when I go home tonight, my two cute angels at home might not let me in the house." After speaking, Smith Brown gave a helpless shrug to the camera.
Brown's words made the audience at the scene and those watching on TV laugh. No one expected this serious-looking, 50-year-old man to be so humorous.
Diana Rigg laughed. "Alright, a message to the two little angels of the Brown family: we're discussing this under normal circumstances, not including William, so please don't keep Mr. Smith out of the house for his professional opinion."
She turned the microphone back to Smith Brown.
He smiled at the camera and said, "Under normal circumstances, without aiming equipment, our eyes can barely see the target from 70 meters away. The bullseye, from that distance, is as small as a thumbtack, maybe even smaller."
"Therefore, you don't use your eyes to see the bullseye itself, but to aim. I have no idea how William plans to aim with his eyes closed. But, since he's William Devinshire, anything is possible. Let's wait and see."
Diana Rigg asked, "Mr. Brown, if William can really do what he said, is it possible for him to qualify for the Sydney Olympics?"
Hearing this, Smith Brown's expression became serious. "Today's test is at 70 meters, which is the same distance as in the Olympic archery competition. If he gets a good score, I think his chances of participating in the Olympics are very high. After a formal test, of course. We welcome any talented English archer to try out. Archery is a sport where results speak for themselves."
"Okay, thank you for your explanation, Smith Brown. The staff on site is now signaling that William is ready. Let's turn our cameras to him," Diana said.
The camera focused on William, then zoomed out to the targets 70 meters away. There were five targets set up. William would shoot three arrows at each target, for a total of two rounds and 30 arrows.
Diana watched William draw his bow, her heart pounding with nervousness. Right now, the person who most wanted William to succeed was probably her.
If he failed, it would be a blow to his reputation, but as long as the result wasn't too terrible, it wouldn't have a lasting impact on him. For her, however, the consequences would be significant.
If William succeeded, her fame would skyrocket. If he failed, her rivals would tear her down. So, Diana Rigg prayed to God, begging for William to be in excellent condition today and hit the bullseye with his first arrow.
And it seemed God had heard her prayers. The first arrow William shot hit the center of the first target with a satisfying *thwack*—a perfect bullseye.
"Ah! Ah! Ah!" Diana Rigg shouted with excitement as she watched the replay of the arrow hitting the bullseye on the monitor.
The audience and reporters at the scene also gasped. They hadn't expected William to actually back up his claims.
Then, William began shooting arrows in quick succession. Every single one landed in the center of the bullseye. Not a single arrow missed the ten-ring area.
After William had shot his first 15 arrows, every one of them hitting the center of the ten-ring, Smith Brown was in disbelief. *How is this possible?* he thought. *This result has already broken the Olympic record.*
Smith Brown was an expert, the coach of the national team. As far as he knew, no one could shoot 15 consecutive arrows with a 64-pound bow and hit the ten-ring every time. And William looked so relaxed. Smith Brown sighed in his heart, wondering at the strength in William Devinshire's arms. How did he train? Would he be even more formidable in a real competition?
*No, I have to get him on the archery team. He's a born champion. He could win the individual gold, and maybe the men's team could win a medal too. If I can find two more reliable teammates, the men's team might even win gold!*
Smith Brown's heart soared at the thought. Under his leadership, the England archery team could break the monopoly of the South Korean team and win two Olympic gold medals for their country.
By then, he would be famous too. Money and glory would come rolling in.
Thinking of this, Smith Brown was determined to get William Devinshire onto the Olympic team. Even if William didn't want to, he would use the media to force him to join. He was tired of living this hard life.
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