Chapter 122 At this Winter Olympics, she will…
At this Winter Olympics, she will focus her main efforts on the women's 1500m and 1000m individual events. She will not be participating in the relays. This is partly because her injury remains serious, and partly because the women's team still has a strong chance of winning gold in the relays this year, so these events cannot be counted as her achievement.
The competition at the Olympics is far more intense and brutal than the domestic qualifiers. Top athletes from around the world will fight tooth and nail for their respective countries' honor. The South Korean team has completely transformed this season, with Kim Suk-yeon leading the charge in the national qualifiers, far surpassing others. Lee Eun-jung and Park Min-hee are considered the second tier. These three can all be considered contenders for the top spot on the South Korean women's team. In addition, Germany's Anna, Canada's Rita and Sankes, and the Netherlands' rising star Saar are all absolute gold medal contenders. The competition has been fierce from the very beginning. And the short track speed skating at the Pyeongsang Winter Olympics has been fraught with controversy and uncertainty from the outset.
The referee's decisions cast a shadow over all participating teams. It wasn't just the Chinese team; teams like the Netherlands and Canada also faced numerous baffling calls. Some collisions that should have been indisputable were ignored, while minor physical contact was penalized as fouls.
This unfair ruling created an extremely tense and oppressive atmosphere throughout the competition. Athletes not only had to compete against their opponents but also constantly be wary of the referee's "invisible hand." The women's relay team was the most unfortunate. This year's women's team was very strong, definitely a contender for gold; everyone thought they were guaranteed at least one medal. However, a collision on a bend in the semi-finals resulted in a penalty, ultimately disqualifying them. Ren Xiyao's 1000m race also ended in a foul in the semi-finals due to minor physical contact during a bend.
This shadow loomed over everyone's hearts. Until the women's 1500 meters. This was her strongest event, and also the event in which the Chinese team successfully defended their title in the past two Winter Olympics.
In the preliminaries and semifinals, Ren Xiyao skated with exceptional caution and steadiness. She tried her best to avoid any unnecessary physical contact with her opponents, and with her rich competition experience and excellent tactical awareness, she successfully advanced without any major incidents. However, as the competition progressed, the post-competition icing and physiotherapy became longer, and the effects of the injections became increasingly apparent in such a high-intensity competition.
February 17th arrived. The atmosphere at the Gangneung Ice Sports Centre was incredibly tense. In the stands, the Chinese national flag and the Taegeuk flag shone brightly, and cheers from spectators from both countries rose and fell.
Ren Xiyao and Xu Qinghe stood side by side on the starting line. Xu Qinghe is the gold medalist in the 1500m at the last two Winter Olympics. This time, after fierce competition, they both reached the A final in the 1500m. Their goal is to achieve a three-peat for China in this event. All three South Korean athletes have advanced to the A final, along with Canada's Sanx.
The starting gun fires!
From the start of the competition, the South Korean skaters adopted an aggressive, leading strategy. The 1500m is their strong event, but they had lost gold in the last two Winter Olympics. This time, competing on home soil, they had three skaters in the finals. Therefore, they played very proactively, trying to firmly control the pace of the race. Before the competition, the media practically declared the gold medal to be awarded to the South Korean skaters. The Korean Skating Association, of course, knew that Xu Qinghe was getting old, and this was likely her last Olympics. As for Ren Xiyao, she hadn't competed in any international competitions for a year, her training environment was mediocre, and she had only been recovering from a major injury for two months. They didn't think she still had the ability to compete for gold.
But no matter what they thought, Ren Xiyao and Xu Qinghe remained calm and composed in the middle of the group, observing their opponents' movements and waiting for the best opportunity to overtake them.
As the competition entered its second half, the competition became exceptionally fierce. Physical contact between the athletes increased, making everyone's hearts race.
With only three laps to go, an accident occurred. Canadian driver Shanks, attempting to overtake, collided with Park Min-hee, and both crashed off the track. The scene became even more chaotic.
However, all of this seemed to have no effect on Ren Xiyao. Her eyes remained sharp as a hawk's, fixed intently on her opponent ahead.
With two laps to go, Ren Xiyao and Xu Qinghe suddenly accelerated simultaneously! They overtook Zhou Qinghe on the outside and Ren Xiyao on the inside, taking over second place before Li Enjing could react and deviate from her course. Immediately on the straight, she created space for overtaking. At the next corner, she began to widen her lap to chase, maintaining incredible control throughout the corner without slowing down!
Such a powerful overtake was only possible before her injury. Even then, despite Kim Suk-yeon's renowned superior stamina, she still lacked the advantage against Ren Xiyao. After her injury, South Korea's pre-race assessment didn't believe Ren Xiyao possessed the ability to overtake like that. Therefore, their strategy from the beginning wasn't to leave her with the stamina to battle Ren Xiyao on the outside in the final three laps. So, almost without suspense, in the final lap when everyone's stamina was nearly exhausted, Ren Xiyao's unexpected and powerful attack gained the upper hand almost instantly. She completed the overtake cleanly and flawlessly.
On the final lap, she could feel pain all over her body. Even her consciousness was fading; she felt like she was about to fall off the track. Only her powerful will remained in control, supporting her and allowing her to maintain the movements she had practiced countless times. Her adrenaline was pumping. All she wanted was to be the first to cross the finish line, which was so close yet so far. 20m, 15m, 10m—she was just subconsciously staring at that one bend, staring at the finish line ahead.
Finally! The moment Ren Xiyao completed her sprint, the entire stadium erupted in thunderous cheers!
Ren Xiyao crossed the finish line first with an almost overwhelming momentum!
Gold medal! The Chinese team has achieved a three-peat in the women's 1500m short track speed skating event at the PyeongCheng Winter Olympics!
When the final confirmation of Ren Xiyao's gold medal win was displayed on the big screen, the entire Gangneung Ice Sports Center erupted in jubilation! Chinese coaches and athletes who hadn't competed embraced each other, tears of joy streaming down their faces. Chinese spectators in the stands waved their national flags and chanted Ren Xiyao's name loudly.
Ren Xiyao slowly glided to the sidelines, her chest heaving as she gasped for breath. Sweat soaked through her uniform, blurring her vision. Her body trembled slightly from extreme exhaustion and pain. She received the national flag from her coach. How could one describe the feeling of being embraced by the national flag? It was absolute happiness. The weight of the flag on her shoulders was heavier than she had imagined.
The camera panned across her face. A bright, relieved smile spread across her face. She made a "W" sign with her fingers towards the camera—a sign of "win." She had won; she had finally won.
She did it! She won this incredibly prestigious gold medal with a flawless, uncontroversial victory! Throughout the entire competition, she gave the judges no chance to criticize. Her skating was clean and crisp, her overtaking maneuvers decisive and resolute; she completely crushed all her opponents with absolute strength.
To win the 1500-meter race with such a dominant performance, especially after suffering from injuries for so long and not participating in official competitions for so long, is simply an incredible miracle! She thought that the saying "When your body reaches its limit, your will will help you break through" was particularly true. This was the most accurate description of her at that moment.
As Ren Xiyao raised her head to greet the Chinese audience in the stands, her gaze inadvertently swept over the seats occupied by the Korean Ice Hockey Association officials and the executives of the Lanhai Club.
Those who had tried to use the paperwork to push things along, those who had hoped she would never be able to stand up again, were now looking at her with complicated expressions.
Ren Xiyao's eyes instantly turned cold and sharp. She slowly raised her right hand, extended her index finger, and pointed lightly in the direction where the Korean Ice Hockey Association officials and the leaders of the Lanhai Club were.
Her face was expressionless, but that simple, slightly provocative gesture was like an invisible sword, piercing the hearts of those people.
It was as if it were a silent declaration: Did you see that? I won the 1500-meter gold medal that you all cared about most! No matter what you have done in the past, nothing can stop me from standing on the top again!
After completing this action, Ren Xiyao slowly glided towards the athletes' exit amidst cheers from the audience.
However, just as she was about to leave the ice rink and disappear from everyone's sight, her body suddenly swayed violently and then fell straight to the ground!
"Xi Yao!" Lin Shan and the team doctor exclaimed and rushed over immediately.
Ren Xiyao ultimately couldn't hold on. Her already overburdened body finally reached its limit after fulfilling her mission of winning gold. She was rushed to the medical center in the Olympic Village and then transferred to a local hospital.
Fortunately, she was not in mortal danger. However, her old injuries to her left shoulder, knee, and lumbar spine were aggravated by this high-intensity competition, requiring a long period of rest and treatment.
On the day the Pingcheng Winter Olympics closed, Ren Xiyao felt a weight lifted from her heart. At least she had been to this Olympic arena. Even if she couldn't return, her career wouldn't have been so regrettable. She had done right by her country and by the coaches who had protected her.
She completed everything with a weighty Olympic gold medal. Ultimately, she was redeemed by that vibrant red. At this moment, she didn't care what those lurking in the shadows thought. She didn't want to think about the future either. All she wanted now was a good night's sleep, to temporarily cast aside all the pain and exhaustion.
At this moment, the ice and fire of Pingcheng seemed to have temporarily returned to calm.
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