Chapter 10 Gold Medal: The First International Competition Gold Medal
Yang Yiyan stood on the ice, enjoying the cheers of the ice skating fans, and every now and then a few more dolls would appear on the ice.
After bowing and expressing her gratitude, she returned to her coach's side, clutching the doll. Xia Yuezi hugged her, her eyes filled with pride.
At another ice rink entrance next to Yang Yiyan, the Korean coach followed the teacher and student to their respective waiting areas out of sight before turning his attention back to the ice rink.
Xia Yuezi sat in the chair without being nervous. This program was the best performance among all the contestants so far. In the absence of European and American contestants, as long as the judges are not blind, the score will not be low.
She heard the broadcast and looked at the large screen in front of her.
With a technical score of 37.93, a program content score of 26.14, and a short program score of 64.07, it is currently ranked first.
Xia Yuezi and Yang Yiyan exchanged a glance and gave each other a high five, seemingly unsurprised by the score. On the contrary, Meng Xin in the stands silently supported Yin Yunrong's shoulder.
Currently, in the youth group of women's singles competitions, only Zhang Mengyi can guarantee a score of over 60 points in every short program without making mistakes.
Yang Yiyan's score and performance were enough for the Skating Association to approve her participation in the Grand Prix events.
After finishing her rounds, Choi Yoon-seo slid to the barrier and heard her coach say, "Yoon-seo, you have to go up to the podium."
Choi Yoon-seo turned to look at the ice rink, took a deep breath, and charged forward.
Park Young-rye sat in the stands, watching her junior sister fall on her first jump, and couldn't suppress the smile on her lips.
Afraid that the camera would suddenly turn to her, she deliberately lowered her head and covered half of her face with her hand, making it look like the junior sister had fallen and the senior sister couldn't bear to watch.
Yang Yiyan had no idea what was happening on the ice rink; all she could see was the low-calorie dark chocolate in her coach's hand.
"It's settled then, after you finish this, go back and do ten extra sets on the leg press machine."
Yang Yiyan immediately nodded in agreement, and as soon as she got the dark chocolate, she stuffed it into her mouth, afraid that the coach would change his mind.
Xia Yuezi couldn't help but chuckle as she looked at the little girl with her cheeks puffed out like a hamster.
The short program rankings were released quickly, and Yang Yiyan was almost completely out of the top spots. The order of appearance in the free skate is linked to the short program ranking; the higher the short program ranking, the later the skater's free skate appearance.
Less than 24 hours later, the women's singles free skate began.
During the sixth practice session, Xia Yuezi's brows never relaxed. She pulled Meng Xin, who was standing next to her, and asked, "Look at that Korean guy, isn't he deliberately trying to crash into Xiao Yan's gliding path?"
Choi Yoon-seo secured sixth place in the final group, and almost immediately began a targeted jump as soon as she stepped onto the ice; Xia Yuezi had been watching her closely for a long time.
“It seems so,” Meng Xin looked over upon hearing this, a hint of disdain in her eyes, “If you don’t have the strength, you can only resort to underhanded tricks to mess with people’s mentality.”
Yang Yiyan wasn't stupid either. She glanced at the other person sideways, then turned around and did a 3lz on the ice.
Choi Yoon-seo's face immediately darkened.
Meng Xin tugged at Xia Yuezi and teased, "Your Xiaoyan is quite the two-faced one, huh?"
Knowing full well that the other party lost in the short program on the 3rd, you still danced in front of them. Isn't that a blatant slap in the face?
After not hearing Xia Yuezi's response for a while, she bumped into her again: "What are you doing?"
"It's nothing." Xia Yuezi suppressed the emotions in her eyes.
She had only thought the Korean coach looked familiar, as if she'd heard of him somewhere before, but now, seeing the methods Choi Yoon-seo used, her memory instantly returned.
In 2015, a South Korean journalist exposed a match-fixing scandal, pointing out that a coach had been involved in financial transactions with several referees and skating association staff for many years, helping his students achieve better rankings in order to secure spots in international competitions.
Following this, many athletes who had been in his group came forward to accuse him of bullying and sexual harassment within the group, including Park Young-rye, who had already left the lake.
The person who benefited the most from these events was Choi Yoon-seo, who reportedly came from a very wealthy family.
Xia Yuezi didn't pay much attention to how things were handled afterward, but now that this person was jumping around right under her nose, she couldn't stand it anymore.
If I remember correctly, this season's U20 World Cup is being held in South Korea.
After Yang Yiyan left the stage, Xia Yuezi went up to her, handed her her coat, and said nothing.
Since Yang Yiyan can adjust her own rhythm in the game, Xia Yuezi doesn't need to guide her every time. However, the feeling of being watched lingers for a long time.
The final group of competitions officially began. Xia Yuezi stood behind the barrier with her arms crossed. She had to admit that although Cui Yunshu was not a good competitor, her skills were decent. She could do four of the five triple jumps and also had a low-level triple jump combination.
After skating this program, the free skate and total score were followed by a PB, which means the best result of a career.
She raised an eyebrow slightly, clicked her tongue, and glanced at the girl warming up at the backstage entrance. A slight smile appeared on her lips, and her mood wasn't so bad anymore.
After Yin Yunrong finished skating, Cui Yunshu was still in first place, with only a 0.43-point difference between them. Meng Xin was very satisfied, at least this program was satisfactory.
She walked over and stood next to Xia Yuezi, watching Yang Yiyan who was about to go up to perform.
The free skate program, "Miss Saigon," is an adaptation of the Italian opera "Madama Butterfly." Despite the controversy surrounding this work in East Asia, it remains a popular choice for female skaters.
To better suit the role she was portraying, Yang Yiyan asked her mother to modify the Costum to a backless style, with white as the main color and red floral patterns below the waist, adorned with red rhinestones.
At first, Xia Yuezi was worried that Yang Yiyan, at her current age, wouldn't be able to convey the emotions of the piece, but after seeing her practice version, her doubts disappeared.
Yang Yiyan didn't choose the love story part, but rather the part about maternal love in the film. Xia Yuezi initially thought it was the choreographer's idea, but the choreographer was embarrassed and said it was the contestant's own idea.
She said, "Mothers' sacrifice for their families has always been a typical feature of East Asian culture, and my mother is no exception, so I wanted to dedicate this program to her."
The girl on the ice rink appeared even softer under the lights. She knelt on the ice with her hands folded over her chest, as if she were holding a baby in her arms.
Xia Yuezi's gaze softened unconsciously.
As the music started, Yang Yiyan swayed her upper body slowly, humming a lullaby to lull the child to sleep. Then she slowly got up, her face beaming with a smile, full of hope for everything.
Her first jump is a 3LZ, with her left foot in a shallow outward position while charging up. If the view is not good, you could even call it a flat edge. Then, she immediately returns to the inside position the instant she touches the ice.
Xia Yuezi was not far away and could clearly see the swing blade.
She frowned slightly. Yang Yiyan's hook jump already had problems. After the blade was modified, she could control it for two weeks, but could only barely control it for three weeks. Now that she has gained weight, she can't even barely control it anymore.
Yang Yiyan was unaffected and remained immersed in her emotions. Her legs were in a V-shape, and she tightened her body the moment she took off, landing on the ice in 3 seconds.
As the piano music gradually quickened, Yang Yiyan raised her left leg and bent forward, forming a windmill shape. She then immediately squatted down, raised her right leg, and completed ten full squats before standing up, pulling up her right skate. She leaned back and performed a bent-over spin, then lifted the skate with one hand while keeping the other hand behind her back with her palm slightly open.
The entire routine includes difficulty in entry and posture, and even the obvious acceleration during rotation meets the criteria for an advanced level.
The music stopped for a moment. Yang Yiyan stood still, and when the music started again, she lunged forward, her right knee sliding off the ground.
Xia Yuezi took a deep breath and watched as Yang Yiyan slightly raised her right foot, spun around on the ice, quickly tapped the ice, and then pulled it up after landing, completing a 2lo.
This is the first combination jump in the free skate: 3F+2lo.
Yang Yiyan raised her hands, her large, sweeping movements combined with her footwork, bringing the emotional intensity of the performance to a climax.
After landing on the ice with 2A, Yang Yiyan gently twirled on the ice, her red and white skirt dancing like a water lily blooming on the ice.
As the program progressed into its second half, the piano music became more soothing.
With a light and graceful landing of a triple jump (3T+2T+2Lo), Xia Yuezi was completely relieved. The subsequent single jump and combination jump were Yang Yiyan's best jumps.
However, an unexpected incident occurred: Yang Yiyan's axis shifted when she jumped 3lo+3lo.
A LO (lo) combo is different from a T (t) combo. If there's a problem with the first jump, as long as you can land, you can reduce the difficulty and salvage the situation by using some ice during the T combo. However, whether you can successfully complete a LO combo depends entirely on the axis of the first jump. If the axis is off, it's almost impossible to complete the second jump.
After landing on her first 3lo, Yang Yiyan flipped to the side and continued gliding to the music.
Meng Xin took a step back, relaxing her tense state: "Luckily she didn't fall. This girl reacted quickly enough."
A somersault might result in a deduction of at most a point of GOE, which is better than a fall, as a fall would not only deduct all 3 points of GOE but also add another point to the total score, affecting the program's content score.
Xia Yuezi glanced at Coach Meng, who was still shaken, and her lips twitched. She, the head coach, hadn't said anything, but the one watching from the side was quite frightened.
However, what she is more worried about now is Yang Yiyan's mental state.
The last single jump is 3F. She has already jumped 3F+2lo before. Based on the difficulty level that Yang Yiyan has mastered so far, she can only connect 2T without changing the first jump.
She was afraid that Yang Yiyan might act impulsively and lose her composure, ending up on the 3F+3Lo floor.
Although she can complete this jump in training, the success rate is not high. Falling at this time would be a loss and would also invalidate the jump.
Fortunately, Yang Yiyan remained relatively sober and managed to complete the entire program without any major incidents. When she left the stage, she supported herself with one hand behind her back and slowly skated to the exit.
"Did you twist your back?" Xia Yuezi took the doll with one hand and gently supported her with the other.
After leaving the field, Yang Yiyan could no longer control her facial expression, and a trace of pain appeared in her eyes: "I strained it."
Xia Yuezi felt a hardened muscle on Yang Yiyan's waist and asked Meng Xin to go find the team doctor first, while she accompanied Yang Yiyan to wait for the division.
She dared not massage the little girl easily, for fear of aggravating her injuries.
Watching Yang Yiyan lean listlessly on his shoulder, he decided that he still had to practice the 3T jump when he got back, even if he could only master one type.
If you were to injure your back during a competition, doing various spins would already be difficult enough; you couldn't possibly go on a LO (Lo) spin. In that case, you could head straight for the ambulance after you get off the ice.
Lost in thought, they heard cheers from the stands, and when they looked up, they saw the results on the big screen.
With a technical score of 63.29, a program component score of 53.64, and a free skate score of 116.93, plus the short program score, the total score is 181.00, ranking first.
Xia Yuezi hugged the person in her arms and whispered, "You've worked hard. Let's go back and rest."
The team doctor was already waiting backstage. Yang Yiyan lay face down on the yoga mat with an ice pack on her lower back.
"It's not a big problem. Just apply ice for half an hour when you get back, and lie down and sleep overnight." The team doctor sprayed Yang Yiyan's waist a few times with the spray, then turned to Xia Yuezi and said, "Remember, don't massage her when you get back."
Xia Yuezi carefully wrote down the doctor's instructions: "Okay, I understand."
The organizers quickly set up the podium, and by the time the staff went to invite Yang Yiyan, her back pain had subsided.
Xia Yuezi stood by the barrier with her entourage and explained the award ceremony process to her: "Go up when your name is called over the loudspeaker. There will be photographers recording the award ceremony. Remember to take photos with the other contestants. After you're done, don't leave. Come over and get the national flag to go around the field."
Yang Yiyan looked at her coach in surprise and asked, "Coach, why do you look so familiar?"
After all, China's women's singles team doesn't have many medals in international competitions these days.
Xia Yuezi almost lost her smile. She turned her head and stared at the little girl with a serious expression: "Haven't you eaten pork? Haven't you seen a pig run?"
"Oh." Yang Yiyan looked away without asking any more questions and ran towards the entrance of the ice rink with small, quick steps.
Xia Yuezi patted her face and slowly exhaled. Luckily, she reacted quickly, otherwise she would have been exposed again.
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