Chapter 128 (2021-202...)

The first stop of the 2021-2022 Short Track Speed ​​Skating World Cup. In the 1000m semi-final, Ren Xiyao bent down to tie her skates when a sharp pain suddenly shot through her lower back. She paused for a moment, then tightened her laces without flinching, straining until her knuckles turned white.

"Are you alright?" The team doctor squatted down beside them, his voice low.

"I can skate." She stood up and stomped her foot. The pain shot through her nerves like an electric current, but it wasn't noticeable because of the skates.

Lin Shan leaned over and bumped her shoulder: "Did she eat gunpowder? She broke a record right off the bat?"

Ren Xiyao didn't speak, but just stared at Sal's cornering line. The Dutchman had adopted a new cornering technique, lowering his center of gravity, like a knife flying close to the ground, and this way of cornering was very suitable for the physical qualities of Europeans.

The starting gun fired, marking the start of the new season's competition. Since her return, Ren Xiyao has continued to focus on the 1000m and 1500m. Domestically, there's a lack of promising young athletes in long-distance events. Xu Qinghe, the oldest member of the women's team, is at a level capable of reaching the A-group finals, but next is Ren Xiyao. And in the 1500m, the athlete who reached the B-group finals is Wang Lu, only a year younger than Ren Xiyao. The younger athletes below her show no signs of improvement. When Ren Xiyao first returned, there was a girl from the Lan Hai Club who outperformed Ren Xiyao in the 1500m, winning the gold medal at only 17 years old. However, she didn't continue skating; she came from a wealthy family and had excellent grades. With the bonus points from her national championship, she entered a very good school.

If seeing young players rise to prominence during her developmental years might have caused her a sense of crisis, now that she's nearing the end of her career, it feels more like an urgent need for opportunity. She truly needs it. But she also loves the sport and hopes for a continuous stream of talent, regardless of which club they come from. She can certainly retire, but only if she's beaten fair and square.

Now, following her, Wang Lu is the next runner-up in the 1500m and 1000m. She has ambition, but her results are consistently in the B-group finals. Only occasionally can she reach the A-group finals. Ren Xiyao has a grudge against her and acknowledges Wang Lu's consistency in relays, but believes she is not enough to carry a long-distance event alone. Therefore, when discussing the development of the team, she always feels a heavy burden, a burden that was amplified to its maximum on the day Xu Qinghe retired.

Xu Qinghe's retirement ceremony was simple, held in the training hall. Her hands trembled slightly as she took off her national team uniform, and Ren Xiyao reached out and caught the jacket embroidered with the national flag.

"Are you really not going to fight anymore?" Ren Xiyao asked.

“The doctor said that if I fall on my knee again, I might be paralyzed.” Xu Qinghe smiled, fine lines appearing at the corners of his eyes: “I used to think that as long as I loved it, I could overcome all the pain. But now… love alone is not enough.”

These words pierced Ren Xiyao's heart like a thorn. Unbeknownst to her, she was 28 years old. She was no longer the fearless young player she once was. The new kids on the team called her "Sister Ren," the masseuse gave her half an hour longer to relax her muscles than others, and the team doctor always made sure she took chondroitin... All of these things reminded her that her time on the field was counting down.

On the way back to the dormitory, Lin Shan suddenly said, "Sael has already beaten you twice this season."

"Um."

Are you scared?

Ren Xiyao looked out the window; it was snowing at the base. "I'm more afraid of not having a chance to lose."

Lin Shan understood the meaning of those words. Unbeknownst to her, she and Ren Xiyao had already been together for 14 years. The same question was also troubling Lin Shan. She was three months older than Ren Xiyao, and this year she was 28 years old. In short-distance events like this, which demand explosive power, she was already a veteran. This might be her last Olympics. But Lin Shan didn't say anything; she didn't want to distract Ren Xiyao anymore. Or perhaps she had her own ambitions. Two Olympic journeys. Pingcheng was originally the most promising in the 500m and women's relay. Ultimately, she only won a bronze medal in the 500m. Actually, bronze was a good medal, ranking third in the world, but people will only remember the first place. And in the women's relay, she was disqualified in the semifinals. Now, at the Beijing Winter Olympics, at the Olympics held on her home turf, she wanted to win a gold medal more than anyone else. She didn't want to retire like this. She had come this far. Leaving like this would be truly unwilling.

Snow blanketed the ground in Xinjiang, making the scenery even more magnificent. However, there was little opportunity to appreciate it. Soon, she joined the national team and arrived at the athletes' village for the Winter Olympics in Beijing. On the day she checked in, Ren Xiyao put a note on her bedside table: "The Last Dance".

From the room window, you could see the Shougang Big Skiing Platform, its steel frame gleaming coldly in the sunlight. Lin Shan was scrolling through Weibo on her bed when she suddenly screamed, "Holy crap! You're third on the trending topics!"

#Ren Xiyao, Gold Medal Quality Inspector#

You don't even need to click to know. This is part of the Winter Olympics promotion. The Pyeongcheon Winter Olympics short track speed skating team won the only two gold medals. One for the men and one for the women. The women's team even won the gold medal for three consecutive Games, and they were quite popular at the time. Now, at the Winter Olympics held on home soil, she's in top form. She's a gold medal favorite, and she's beautiful. Just like Kwon Ji-yong once said, her face is a face that's perfect for the camera, with a natural story. She has sponsors and a club behind her. This kind of promotion, even if she doesn't care, is necessary, and she can't do without it. More importantly, she has to win the competition held on home soil.

Ren Xiyao snatched the phone and turned it off: "Stop looking at these things."

"Let's talk after the competition." Ren Xiyao took out kinesiology tape from her suitcase; her entire body was now wrapped in tape. She looked like a mummy without her clothes on, and Lin Shan next to her wasn't much better off. This was the fate of athletes, I suppose.

"Stay calm!" the coach yelled from the sidelines.

She lowered her center of gravity, using the endurance of a long-distance runner to overcome the bursts of short-distance speed. Her change of direction was still a textbook, textbook right-angle maneuver. She completed two overtakes in two consecutive corners, instantly taking the lead. Half a lap's time and date completely solidified the advantage of the mixed team. By the time Ren Xiyao and the men's team completed their handover, the Chinese team was already leading by half a corner.

The moment he crossed the finish line, the entire stadium erupted. The captain slammed his fist on the commentary table: "See that! That's the value of a veteran! So what if he's 28? He can still skate at the speed of an 18-year-old!"

Ren Xiyao took off her goggles and saw the word "CHINA" flashing on the big screen. Lin Shan climbed onto the protective mat and gave her a bear hug as she slid over, almost falling down himself.

During the award ceremony, she bit her lip as the national anthem played. This mixed relay gold medal was not only China's first gold medal, but also the first mixed relay gold medal in the history of the Winter Olympics. It was also her first team gold medal in her professional career. For an athlete who grew up under a state-run sports system, recognition in a team event is the highest form of recognition.

By the time the women's 1500m final arrived, one-third of the Winter Olympics competition had already passed. Sal kept a close eye on Ren Xiyao during her pre-race warm-up. The two had faced each other four times this year, each winning twice.

“I will win today,” the Dutchman said in English. Sal was very direct, unlike South Korean skaters like Kim Sook-yeon and Park Min-hee. Her ambition was written all over her face, and her skating style was as clean and sharp as a sword.

Ren Xiyao adjusted her neck brace: "See you at the track."

Ren Xiyao anticipated the situation and swiftly changed direction to avoid the center of the chaos. A gasp erupted from the audience, and the captain's commentator exclaimed, "Beautiful! That reaction was incredible! This is where the veteran's experience shines!"

Ren Xiyao was aware of this during her injury recovery period, so after her comeback, she intentionally focused on technical adjustments, as she was essentially starting from scratch. Ren Xiyao's playing style now is different from what it was four years ago. However, Jin Shuyan hasn't changed. Therefore, in terms of adaptability to the current competitive landscape, although Ren Xiyao hasn't played as many matches in this cycle as Jin Shuyan, she is better able to control the game.

In that brief moment of chaos on the field, Jin Shuyan was pushed back, and because she moved too late and was disrupted, she had to adjust her position by about a bend in the road. At this point, she was already quite far ahead of Ren Xiyao.

In the final two laps, Ren Xiyao relentlessly pressed Jin Shuyan's line. She stared intently at the pristine ice 15 meters ahead, her mind blank. Almost all her energy was focused on sensing the sounds behind her. Desperately controlling her line, she could sense that Jin Shuyan had also used a right-angle turn, a tactic she had perfected over the past two years. But how could Ren Xiyao, who was also adept at right-angle turns, not recognize it? What kind of sound would such an entry into the turn make on the ice?

Therefore, her response was very mature. She tightly controlled the line, as the line is a crucial element in short track speed skating. As long as the line is well controlled, even if the skaters behind are much faster than those in front, without a good line selection, it is still impossible to overtake. So, without a line to overtake, Kim Suk-yeon was firmly trapped behind.

The last bend. Crossing the finish line, unsurprisingly, Ren Xiyao won gold!

2 minutes 16.779 seconds, a new Winter Olympic record! This is her second gold medal. How to put it? At this moment, she seemed to have returned to her twenties, free from the burdens of injury. And without the pressure of time. It was as if, here, at this moment, the 28-year-old had reached her prime.