Chapter 64 Generally speaking, most of the luck...
Generally speaking, most sports teams train from Monday to Friday. During the high-intensity preparation period of the season, they may train six days a week, or five and a half days a week, or even six and a half days a week. Different sports have different training methods, and they may train for three days and rest for two days, or train for three days and rest for one day, etc., all of which are adjusted according to the specific arrangements of each sports team.
Furthermore, there is an adjustment period before the competition, so it is quite unpredictable overall. The winter training center where Ren Xiyao is located usually gives a full weekend off a week before the competition, and Ren Xiyao happened to celebrate her birthday on that weekend.
Back at the training base, the familiar atmosphere washed over them. The air was thick with the chill of the ice rink and the distinctive scent of athletes' sweat. The walls were covered with photos of past outstanding athletes and inspirational slogans. After two days of on-ice training this week, they were heading to Hohhot to participate in the elite league. The current league's points system involves two legs. The top five athletes from both legs will advance to the national team.
Actually, they had always trained with the national training team, but in the past two years, the team has had its own considerations. In addition, the winter training center has a solid foundation and systematic arrangements. Therefore, in the past two years, the winter training center has not allowed athletes to participate in the selection for the training camp in April.
This selection process is crucial because veteran athletes who underwent adjustments after the PyeongCheng Winter Olympics, including former Olympic champions and world record holders, have chosen to return to compete alongside the younger generation. This means the competition will be exceptionally fierce, especially considering the 2018 PyeongCheng Winter Olympics. Teams need to start building their form two years before the Olympics, gradually reaching their peak. This means only one season to adapt, and the World Cup members selected this season will not only determine who represents China in the upcoming World Cup series but also serve as talent reserves for the Winter Olympics cycle two years later. Therefore, everyone is giving it their all.
Winter sports in 2015 generally adhered to the saying "winter sports don't cross the Shanhaiguan Pass." Most attention was focused on the three northeastern provinces. Domestic competitions were also primarily held in the northeastern region. However, it's encouraging that in 2015, China completed its bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics. This is an important window and platform for expanding the influence of winter sports in China.
The nation has also increased its investment in and development of winter sports. The goal is to achieve full participation in all winter sports by 2022. Previously, there was a significant shortage of athletes in many winter sports. Ice sports such as short track speed skating, figure skating, and speed skating were among the earliest to emerge and hold a prominent position in winter sports, serving as China's main events at the Winter Olympics. In snow sports, aerials constitute the majority.
The two elite league matches were intense from the very beginning of the pursuit races, and the overall pace was noticeably higher than last season. Everyone was working hard during summer training.
The journey from the pursuit race to the semifinals was relatively smooth for Ren Xiyao, though with some twists and turns. Overall, she successfully advanced to the finals in all the events she participated in. In domestic competitions, apart from established athletes who have already achieved outstanding results in short or long distances and generally focus solely on their main event, most other athletes participate in all three events.
In general, the 500m and 1000m races weren't very suspenseful, although the competition was fierce. Ren Xiyao achieved good results in both events, winning gold and silver in one. Since the captain's injury and retirement, and Li Jie's retirement, the domestic 500m gold medalists have basically been Lin Shan, Ren Xiyao, Xu Xin (from the same training center), Su Meng (from Zhanqing Club), Zhou Han (from Kunji Club), and Bai Xue (from Lanhai Club). These five are essentially the top tier of domestic 500m runners. Individually, they would be highly competitive on the international stage.
As for the 1000m, we must add veteran Xu Qinghe, who also excels in long distances and won two gold medals at the Vancouver Winter Olympics. Solskjaer also won a gold medal in the 1500m at the Solomon Islands Winter Olympics and is competitive in both the 1000m and 1500m. Wang Lu from Lanhai is also highly competitive in long distances. Young athletes are also being actively developed. Overall, the current women's short track speed skating team is developing very well, with athletes from all three generations (veterans, middle-aged, and young).
In the two legs, Ren Xiyao achieved 4th place and a gold medal in the 1500m event. She won a silver medal in the first leg of the 1000m event and is currently ranked third in the standings; the final race is crucial for her.
The sound of the skates scraping the ice was clear and pleasant. When the referee rang the bell on the final lap, she was half a body length ahead of the second-place finisher.
Coach Zhang from the club on the sidelines slapped the protective mat: "Good!"
1. Ren Xiyao (Longcheng Club)
2. Xu Qinghe (Zhanqing Club)
3. Xu Xin (Longcheng Club)
Sister Xu slid over and patted her on the shoulder: "Not bad, the summer training was quite effective."
Ren Xiyao unscrewed the bottle cap and took a sip of water: "Sis, did you release the water?"
Xu Qinghe smiled and said, "I'd like to, but my knees won't allow it."
The two walked side by side towards the rest area. The ice rink lights shone brightly, and coaches and players from various teams sat scattered in the stands. Once the results were finalized, the national team roster would be determined.
She glanced down at her phone; the lock screen displayed a message from Kwon Ji-yong three hours earlier: "Tell me when you're done."
The coach yelled from the side, "Stop playing on your phone! Come over here and review the game!"
Ren Xiyao put her phone back in her bag and followed the coach to the video analysis area.
The announcement was posted that evening, and barring any major surprises, Ren Xiyao made it into the national team roster, finishing second in the selection competition. Lin Shan also advanced smoothly, finishing fifth.
The members of the 2015-2016 short track speed skating women's team. Led by Xu Qinghe, the team consisted of Xu Xin, Ren Xiyao, Wang Lu, Su Meng, and Lin Shan. Their training will focus on relay events, with the team awaiting the World Cup.
At the end of October, the national team departed for Canada to participate in the first leg of the 2015-2016 World Cup series. Before leaving, she received notification that she had been accepted into a graduate program. Even amidst her busy schedule at the end of September, she managed to attend an interview. Her undergraduate GPA was also very high; although not as high as those who majored in academics, it was certainly respectable. All the results were as expected, and it was still a cause for celebration.
Stepping onto the Montreal ice rink again marked her return to the international stage after a long absence. Entering the Canadian competition venue, top athletes from all over the world gathered together, and the atmosphere was filled with a mix of languages, creating a unique sense of tension and excitement characteristic of international competitions.
Everything seemed so familiar, yet tinged with a sense of strangeness. In two years, she had only played three international matches against me. She was incredibly nervous and anxious.
However, training, jet lag, and adapting to the ice... her tight schedule forced her to put all of that aside for the time being. She focused on pre-competition preparation, studying her opponents' videos, and adjusting her own condition.
Amidst intensive training, the preliminary rounds arrived. Ren Xiyao participated in the 1500m and 1000m(a) events at this event.
In the 1500-meter preliminary round, she was placed in a highly competitive group with top runners from South Korea, the Netherlands, and the United States. Before the starting gun fired, she stood on the starting line and took a deep breath. She told herself to stay focused and decisive. She believed she was in good form.
The starting gun fired! The race began at a rapid pace. The skaters glided closely together, the sounds of blades, breathing, and the cheers of the crowd mingling together. She sensed the difference between international and domestic competitions; the pace was faster, and the competition more intense. In domestic competitions, the first few laps of the 1500m race saw skaters conserving their energy, but in international competitions, from the second lap onwards, skaters from Europe and America, with their superior stamina, began aggressively vying for position.
A sudden surge of fear coursed through her body like an electric current, causing her to stiffen instinctively. Her movements froze for a split second; she hesitated. This opening lasted less than a second. By the time she reacted and tried to exert force again, the opening had vanished, and the competitors in front of her had returned to their positions and locked their inner passages.
She missed her chance, but worse, her hesitation disrupted her speed and rhythm. Now in fourth place, she had to take the outside lane to advance. But the runners ahead were all top athletes from various countries. She forced herself to stay on the outside lane for four laps. Finally, in the final sprint, she managed to overtake, finishing third. Only after all the groups had finished and their scores were calculated did she barely advance to the next round.
This preliminary round cast a shadow over her mind. She thought she had completely overcome the psychological barrier caused by her old injury, but in this high-intensity, high-competition international arena, that subconscious fear resurfaced.
The worst was the women's 1000m preliminaries. Compared to the 1500m, the opportunities are fewer and the changes are more volatile. Controlling the start and the overall pace, as well as speed and decisive handling of corners, are crucial. During an acceleration on a corner, she and a Dutch skater next to her cut into the inside lane almost simultaneously. Their bodies and skates were very close together, a classic "race for the lane" situation. In the past, Ren Xiyao would have used her speed and power to secure a favorable position without hesitation.
But this time, just before the collision, her brain seemed to sound an alarm, and her body instinctively swerved to the side. This slight dodge caused her to lose her balance. Although she didn't fall, she was pushed out of the optimal line by the skaters next to her, and her speed dropped sharply. Worse still, because the referee deemed her action as obstructing another skater, she was immediately penalized for a foul and disqualified from this round of the competition.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
