Chapter 84 The time spent together is always too short…

The time spent together was always too short, and Kwon Ji-yong and the others returned to South Korea the next day. Ren Xiyao, on the other hand, went back to her school in Beijing. She was using her vacation time to finish her thesis. This year would finally be the season to prepare for the Olympics. Top athletes would generally be in top form this year because the 2017-18 season, which is the Olympic season, only had four World Cup events, one for adaptation, and the remaining three were qualification battles, determining whether a country's team could field its full quota in each event: three in the 500m, 1000m, and 1500m, plus relay races. All of these were determined by world rankings and points, so this year could essentially be considered the Olympic season. Ren Xiyao had also found her form in the second half of last year. Without injuries, her goals were very clear, allowing her to dedicate herself fully to the competition.

She hadn't really lived in the dorm assigned by the school over the past four years. However, she briefly stayed there for two weeks to facilitate writing her thesis and communicating with her advisor. As a senior, her roommates all had their own plans—some to study abroad, some to pursue graduate studies, and some to find jobs—so the dorm was practically empty. Her thesis was already nearly finished, so two weeks was enough to wrap it up.

After finishing up at school, I rushed back to Harbin. The process was the same as in previous years: a meeting to hear the coach's training plan. The team finished early this year, in early April, and everyone was packing up for overseas training. The acclimatization period for summer training will still be in South Korea, after which we'll move to high-altitude training around mid-June. The specific location for high-altitude training hasn't been decided yet, but it's certain that high-altitude training will be necessary this year. There are two important events this season: the Asian Winter Games and the 13th Winter Games. One is the highest-level competition in Asia, while the 13th Winter Games is the most important competition in China.

The importance of the 2013 Winter Games is undeniable, but it's arguably even more troublesome than the Asian Winter Games. This year, their team will be supporting the newly established Mingfei Club. As for their old rival, Lanhai Club, they've already established joint training relationships with four or five clubs. They signed a large number of athletes two years ago. After this year's joint training, many athletes will come from their club for the 2013 Winter Games, even though they'll be representing other clubs. However, their contracts with Lanhai Club essentially still belong to Lanhai Club. Originally, each club had three slots, but now there might be more than three truly belonging to Lanhai Club on the field.

Teamwork is very common in short track speed skating and is part of the tactics. The more skaters on the same team, the more likely this is to happen. They can use tactics like alternating leads, surrounding and blocking, and cutting off the skater's path to prevent overtaking. This is why the 2013 Winter Games were so troublesome in this regard. The skaters from Lanhai went to the sports university for summer training; although both are in South Korea, they are no longer at the same training base.

In the sweltering heat of Seoul, the air seemed to be on fire, with waves of heat and the incessant chirping of cicadas. For Ren Xiyao, if her return last season was marked by tentative steps, a cautious recovery from injury, and an intense desire for victory, then this season, standing at the starting line, Ren Xiyao presents a completely different picture.

Her condition was surprisingly good.

It wasn't the kind of "good" that was deliberately tense and forced through willpower, but rather a relaxed, confident, and effortless "comfort" that radiated from within. The ice skates seemed to have become a part of her body; every push and every glide was accompanied by a smooth, flowing quality.

"It was very comfortable to skate on." This was the sentence Ren Xiyao said most often when reviewing the game with her coach at the beginning of summer training.

This feeling of "comfort" is not some mystical concept. It is a manifestation of a high degree of harmony and unity between the body, technique, and mindset.

The physical fitness test data during summer training also confirmed this. Her VO2 max, lactate threshold, leg power, and many other indicators reached their personal best levels, even surpassing her peak before the injury. More importantly, her physical reserves and recovery ability have significantly improved. In the past, after consecutive high-intensity training or competitions, she would feel significant fatigue buildup, but now she can recover from fatigue much faster and still be in top form for training the next day.

This sense of physical freedom made her appear exceptionally relaxed. No longer needing to carefully avoid specific angles of force application, or constantly monitor her body's reactions during training, she could fully immerse herself in refining her technique and practicing tactics. This relaxation was also reflected in her skating posture. Her movements were more fluid and coordinated, and the increased core strength made her more stable at high speeds, allowing for more effortless control of her center of gravity.

"Xiyao's skating now has a 'lightweight' feel to it." Coach Wang and Coach Jin watched her train from the sidelines and discussed in hushed tones: "Look at her push-off, she has fully mastered the power, but the moment of exertion does not seem clumsy, and the transition is very smooth. This shows that her muscle power generation pattern and coordination have reached a new level."

The "propelling efficiency" mentioned by the coach is one of the most significant areas of improvement for Ren Xiyao during this summer training. At its core, short track speed skating is about skating the prescribed distance at the fastest speed. Propelling efficiency directly determines how much forward momentum is generated from each push. From the angle of the skate to the ice, the timing of the push-off, the smoothness of the weight transfer, to the speed and trajectory of the recovery leg, every detail of Ren Xiyao's skating has been repeatedly refined and polished. With her unique feel for the ice, she skates with exceptional lightness and fluidity.

The speed that used to require her to exert all her strength to keep up with now seems to be achievable with only 70-80% effort. This means she has more physical and mental energy to save for crucial moments in the game, for tactical execution and overtaking.

This improved efficiency in her push-off has significantly enhanced her absolute speed and cruising ability on the straights. In mixed training sessions with male skaters, she has even been able to hold her own in certain skating sections. This signifies that Ren Xiyao's raw talent has firmly established her among the world's top women's short track speed skating athletes, making her a formidable force that no opponent can afford to ignore.

If physical fitness and ice-jumping efficiency are the foundation, then the improvement in technique is an even more gratifying change that Ren Xiyao has shown during this summer training.

Cornering is the soul of short track speed skating. Ren Xiyao's cornering technique is already outstanding, especially her "right-angle change of direction," which amazed the world at last season's World Championships. But she wasn't content with that. This summer training, she and her coaching team further optimized and refined this technique. Moreover, South Korean coach Kim Seon-hoon, who previously coached Victor, has a lot of experience in this area. When Ren Xiyao demonstrated this aspect of her change of direction last season, he contacted her to discuss tactics and techniques. This season, she returned to coaching, and with Coach Kim's experience, her technique is becoming increasingly mature.

Simply put, a "right-angle lane change" is about overtaking or getting past an opponent with an extremely short line when entering a corner. This requires strong core strength and precise control. Previously, its application was more of a matter of timing and naturalness, with a high degree of chance. Now, Ren Xiyao has much more control over it.

She can use it not only when she is in good physical condition, but also consistently perform this move in the latter part of the match when her physical strength is greatly depleted. This means that the "right-angle change of direction" is no longer just a high-risk, high-reward "gamble" for her, but has truly been integrated into her technical system and become one of her regular tactical options.

After training ended, what's rare is that the four of them reunited this year, and Rita also came to South Korea for training this year.

"So you're really planning to try and break your captain's 500m record?" Rita poked at the chicken breast in her salad with her fork. "The women's 500m record is like an insurmountable chasm, still a long way off."

Ren Xiyao slowly peeled a boiled egg: "It's just a reference for training explosive power. You all know that I'm focusing on long distances now."

"Come on," Lin Shan said, sipping her drink through a straw. "She said the same thing last year, and she's only competed in a few 500m races. She's getting closer and closer to the record with each race."

"And her right-angle changes of direction are getting more and more refined. She's using them more and more freely now. She skates really fiercely. Last time I competed with her in the 500m, she was chasing me like crazy. I felt like she was a zombie that was about to rush up and eat me. It was so scary."

Li Enjing nodded thoughtfully: "Compared to Kim Suk-yeon now, apart from Kim Suk-yeon having slightly better stamina, I estimate that you two are about 60/40, you 60 and she 40. The current head coach of the women's team seems to be a hopeless case. If he can't produce results this year, we might really have to change coaches in the Olympic year. No matter how much those old fogies at the Sports University protect him, it's useless. This Olympics is our home turf."

Rita put down her fork and leaned forward, saying, "Last year there were rumors that your home women's team wasn't doing well and that they were going to change their head coach. Is that true?"

Li Enjing nodded indifferently and said, "Really. I don't know how many teacups have been smashed in the conference room. The current head coach is not very capable to begin with, and the team he's using is the same team left behind by the previous head coach who went to Blue Ocean. Although that coach wasn't a very good person, he was very good at managing people. The current one is not only bad in character, but also not good in ability. The players don't respect him, and there's no unity between the team and the players."

Ren Xiyao frowned: "I think Coach Jin is really great. He guides us very meticulously. If he could be the head coach, your team would improve a lot. Why not let him be the head coach?"

Lee Eun-jung glanced around and whispered, "Of course it's because he fell out with the sports university. He was upright when he was an athlete and refused to associate with those people. As a rookie athlete, he didn't want to grovel before the veterans or give up his spot, so he was bullied a lot. Even after he achieved success, he still had to give way to the veterans. When he was still active, he didn't even need to retire, let alone anything else. Over the years, the Korean Skating Association has forced out quite a few people, some even to the point of causing deaths. Everyone just has to make do."

For a moment, no one knew what to say. It was Lee Eun-jung who spoke up first: "Your captain's performance has already caught up with the men's world record. But Coach Kim said that in the next two years, both men's and women's performances should improve significantly again."

Ren Xiyao pursed her lips and said, "Yes, that's definitely the trend."

"So your goal is the current men's team record."

"Just for reference."

"Oh, just for reference, okay! Then we'll learn from you too."

The four of them burst into laughter. Rita raised her iced Americano: "Come on, let's toast to our reference point!"

Amidst the clinking of glasses, Ren Xiyao noticed Li Enjing's gaze. Li Enjing winked at her and whispered, "You're in really good shape this year. Keep it up!"

"Let's cheer each other on!" Ren Xiyao raised her glass in response.