"Beauty and the Beast" ranked second in yesterday's short program, so Lu You and Xie Yunjun's performance order was even behind Jiang Ran and Yu Botao.
Before the start of the Winter Olympics, there were many predictions about the rankings in the figure skating world. Regardless of who was betting on for fourth, fifth, and sixth place, everyone generally believed that the first, second, and third place would come from China, Russia, and Canada.
Jiang Yu and Big Goose AB can complete the quadruple throw and quad twist at the same time, while Canada's Isabella & Aubrey are three-time Olympic veterans and have a greater nationality advantage than the Russians. Although their difficulty cannot reach the quadruple, they are also the combination with the greatest hope of standing on the podium.
Don't think that the quadruple move is easy just because the favorites to win from China and Russia can do it. Quadruple move is much rarer in pairs skating than in singles skating, and completing the quad throw and quad twist in the same program is SSS hellishly difficult. The first person in the world to clean these two moves at the same time was four years ago.
Unlike single skating which has fully entered the quadruple era, the ISU has been consciously lowering the scores for quadruple moves in pair skating in recent years. Although the official statement is that the risk factor of quadruple moves is too high and skaters are not encouraged to do it, it is not known whether there are other purposes.
When the music of "Moulin Rouge" by Ivlova & Mosokov sounded at the free skating competition, Lu You's feet no longer felt any pain at all.
If I have to describe it, it's like blocking the pain nerves alone, but you can still feel the Achilles tendon when exerting force. The effect of the blocking needle is not as strong as anesthesia.
Lu You thought it was magical when he got the blocked injection for the first time.
"No wonder so many people have to get an injection before going on stage. It feels so easy to be free of injuries. I'm sure everyone wants to have fun first," Lu You stretched his legs at a 30-degree angle against the wall and whispered to Xie Yunjun, "I feel like I'm as strong as a bull now. I can do 10 triple-A throws during the sixth practice without any problem."
Xu Yangbing and several coaches turned their heads and said in unison: "You dare?"
Lu You: Tactical retreat.jpg
"If you dare to act recklessly during the six practices before the game, I won't care about you if you become lame in the future," Lu Tingsong handed over two thermos cups and warned Lu You, "Finish the game quietly, do you hear me?"
"I know."
Lu You tilted her head back and took a big gulp of the sweet and salty sports powder. No matter how many times she drank it, the strange taste would make her cover her neck and hiccup a few times.
The Italian combination was the last of the second-to-last group in the free skating. When the music "Evita" played, Lu You and Xie Yunjun walked out of the backcourt carrying their ice skates, and warm applause suddenly became clear.
Margaret and Feiqi completed a 3LoTh jump.
Perhaps the team competition had overdrawn their enthusiasm and energy in advance, so the veteran pair lowered the difficulty in the individual competition, but for some reason, such a throw jump with a not-so-outstanding height resonated with everyone.
Lu You remembered the post-match retirement statement he saw on Twitter.
Time makes people grow old. The Fima duo, who have always been famous in the figure skating world for their refusal to admit old age, had to make the decision to retire two years after their female partner turned 30.
This Winter Olympics is their final battle. The Fima combination, which already has a team silver medal in hand, seems to have no intention of competing with the younger ones. They adopted the most stable difficulty configuration to give their careers a perfect ending.
A complete and flawless song of "Evita", dedicated to the most beloved stadium and the sport that occupied their entire youth.
“This show is so beautiful.”
Lu You looked at the two seniors who were leaning over and kissing the ice in the middle of the venue, and subconsciously took Xie Yunjun's hand: "Do you think we can skate like this until we are 32 years old?"
The boy didn't say anything.
But when his hand firmly grasped hers, two dimples appeared at the corners of Lu You's lips.
When the announcement sounded, she quickly put on her skates and quickly jumped onto the ice, dragging everyone with her.
Different from the six rehearsals of the short program which focused on throws and twists, in the six rehearsals of the free skating the two people only completed one triple twist. Lu You began to draw a cross axis in front of his chest, and then suddenly exerted force and jumped a 2S.
"It can be done," Lu You nodded towards Xie Yunjun after falling off the ice, "The axis is a little crooked, but I can bend it back after sealing it, and it won't affect the quality."
The two of them gathered together to discuss something, and in the following time, they began to practice jumps one after another on the court, and they were all 3Loop and 3S edge jumps, making the uninformed audience think they were watching single skating.
"Here it comes again," Lu Tingsong gritted his teeth, "He's starting to make small calculations again, even the Olympics are not at peace."
As expected, after the sixth practice session, Lu You's first words were: "Seniors Isabella and Aubrey have always had good relationships with referees. Xie Yunjun and I have no advantage in performance points, so it's still very dangerous to win the bronze medal with the current configuration."
Xue Chengze unexpectedly did not refute them.
The head coach just said in a deep voice: "So what plans do you have?"
Xie Yunjun said: "We want to increase the difficulty of the jump sequence and change the current 3S+2T+2T to a higher-score sandwich jump."
Lu You: "Although the success rate of the heartbeat jump is only half, I also understand that the risk is very high, so I really intended to complete the free skate as planned, but after the injection, I think my condition is enough to support me to complete a more difficult configuration."
"For Xie Yunjun and I, this Olympics actually only means bronze medals and other rankings," Lu You said as Lu Tingsong's eyebrows gradually furrowed. "If we can't win third place, fourth, fifth, and sixth place are all the same to us."
On the ice rink, Isabella and Aubrey's free skating "Bohemian Rhapsody" has begun.
This is the famous song of Queen. The whole song is six minutes long and is divided into five chapters. They chose the first three chapters of the song for editing. As veterans, Isabella and Aubrey got into the mood the moment the music sounded.
The human voice pouring out its feelings sounded with the piano accompaniment.
Two blonde dancers glided slowly on the ice. Their smooth, silky gliding instantly drew the audience into the music, as if they were at a QUEEN concert.
Isabella and Aubrey completed their jump sequence accompanied by the sound of falling ice.
3S＋2T＋2T.
That’s right, after feeling the threat from the new generation, the Canadian veterans quietly increased the difficulty while giving up the four continents to prepare for the Winter Olympics.
Now the difficulty of their continuous jumps is the same as that of Lu You and Xie Yunjun.
For veterans whose bodies are gradually declining, the time and energy required to change the first jump of 3T+2T+2T to 3S will only increase exponentially, and if they are not careful, they may suffer injuries that cannot be healed even after retirement.
So this jump combo received a GOE of 2.1 points.
A GOE of two points is not given easily in pair skating, but no one objected to it because Isabella and Aubrey's 3S+2T+2T deserved this GOE.
"Three twists."
“Triple Lutz.”
"Triple Salchow throw."
"Joint rotation."
As the movements were completed one after another and the green level 4 ratings appeared one after another, Isabella and Aubrey's scores rose steadily. When they completed the last five sets of Axel cable lifts, the technical score was fixed at 74.49 points.
Isabella&Aubry【Canada】
Technical factor score: 72.49
Program content score: 79.71
Free Skate Score: 152.2
235.71, this is the total score of Isabella and Aubrey, a score that would have been enough to win the gold medal in previous competitions, but it was quickly surpassed by Jiang Ran and Yu Botao who performed next.
This world's No. 1 pair skating combination presented the audience with a stunning quad toss and quad twist, setting a new world record with a score of 160.45 in the free skating and a total score of 243.78!
After Lu You and Xie Yunjun applauded their senior brothers and sisters, they withdrew their gazes.
"Coach, let's give it a try."
The two said in unison.
This time, no one objected.
No one knew the physical condition of Jiang Ran and Yu Botao better than them as coaches and teammates. Even so, they still completed the four-twist and four-toss on the field regardless of the consequences.
At 5:58 p.m. on July 31, 2015, the International Olympic Committee announced that China's bid for the Olympic Games was successful.
The whole country has worked hard for seven years to prepare for this Winter Olympics. No matter how the other three events have ups and downs, pair skating has always stood at the top of the world and is the pride of all Chinese people. They must win this Winter Olympics, and win beautifully.
The veterans faced the challenge head-on, and the young players had no reason to back down.
Lu Tingsong did not speak. He squatted silently and checked their shoelaces and beat their calves to wake up their muscles as usual. After a while, Lu You heard a muffled voice coming from below: "Anyway, you two never listened to what I said."
Lu You squatted down and hugged his uncle.
"We will bring back the medals," Lu You said with a smile, "After the game, if my mom hits you with a clothes fork, I will definitely be the first one to pull her back."
"The next two to take the stage are Lu You and Xie Yunjun from the People's Republic of China."
Today, the Chinese announcement sounded before the English announcement.
Taking a deep breath, the cold air filled their lungs. Lu You and Xie Yunjun pushed the baffle hard and slid into the field.
“On the ice, form China, You Lu&Yun Jun Xie!”
The two raised their hands and saluted gracefully.
Two groups of Chinese players came on stage one after another, and the audience seats had already been dyed into a sea of red by the five-star red flag.
Lu You solemnly smoothed the hem of her skirt, then helped Xie Yunjun straighten his collar. The two of them wore the costumes that Nie Hanhan and Han Feiyang had worn before, and were about to bring their share, and let the national flag be raised on the podium under everyone's eager anticipation.
“It’s so beautiful.”
I don't know who said this in the volunteer team.
Xue Chengze looked at the two figures on the ice rink.
How could the beauty of bone structure, which is created by the best years of life, the richest cultivation, training day and night, and long-term immersion in music, not be able to support the skin of figure skaters?
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