Chapter 107 How to Utilize Thoughts and Battle Intent
Each adult men's singles player who makes it to the finals has at least one quadruple jump that can consistently deliver high output. Even Kevin, the rising star of the Taume University who has always been criticized for his inconsistency, has learned from his mistakes and developed a 4T+3T jump. This season, combined with last season, his success rate is about 50%.
Feng Simai's advantages have gradually faded under the impact of technical difficulty. In previous years, with the same setup, he might have been able to compete for a small medal in the short program, but this year he can only rank fifth.
Xia Yuezi stood in the aisle, tapping her fingers lightly on the partition, seemingly lost in thought. Turning her head, she saw Coach Ma beside her frowning at the scoreboard.
"Lin Ye got caught again during his ranking assessment? I think his footwork and spins have improved."
Since obtaining the A-level competition license, Lin Ye's treatment has improved somewhat, but his own skiing skills are really not good enough, so his performance hasn't improved much, and he's still hovering around the second tier.
"My step was rated Level 2, and the rest were Level 3. I only got a Q in 4LZ, but I'm already very satisfied with being in Level 2 in the short program. Now I'm just hoping that the free skate can be stable and that I won't be too hasty."
Lin Ye's short program featured a 4LZ, 4T+3T, and 3A. Even if it were a European or American skater with a slightly worse slide, this setup would still be aimed at setting a world record.
As a coach, Xia Yuezi knew all too well the importance of stability. She comforted him and told him to go back and discuss tomorrow's tactics with Lin Ye.
The Grand Prix Finals will only have three official competition days, with the final day determining the winners of six gold medals. This will also be the busiest day for Chinese figure skating fans, as Chinese athletes will be present in all six free skate events.
Coach Lu had it a little easier, as the youth pairs figure skating and the adult pairs figure skating were scheduled for noon and evening respectively. Xia Yuezi and Meng Xin, on the other hand, couldn't rest because all three skaters in their group had their competitions scheduled together, so they had to take care of the children separately.
Yan Rui was the first of the three to appear, and Meng Xin accompanied her to the competition.
Yan Rui's second leg was led by Meng Xin. Whether it was because they had conquered the 3lo or for some other reason, Yan Rui skated much more relaxedly than in the first leg.
Xia Yuezi also noticed that the children in the youth and junior groups preferred the more approachable Meng Xin to her.
Every time she stood by the ice rink, the children who were chatting would become awkward, but when facing Meng Xin, they could still muster the courage to chat with her for a few words.
During the National Championships, some fans recorded a video of the skaters signing autographs after their competitions and asked them if Xia Yuezi was usually fierce. The young skater smiled for a moment, then shook her head after three seconds. But no matter how you look at it, this answer doesn't seem convincing.
Even more coincidentally, Meng Xin also came across the video and showed it to her after get off work, teasing her and telling her to be gentler with the children in the future.
Coach Xia was somewhat saddened by this, but if it could help Yan Rui improve her performance in the competition, she wouldn't mind not going.
After watching her child go on stage at the entrance, Xia Yuezi ran into Song Ziqi's coach on her way back.
This man is also one of the many who retired after the Sochi Olympics. During his active career, like Lin Ye, he had a decent amount of difficulty in his game, but he was prone to erratic behavior. Now he is coaching men's singles players in the Beijing team.
The young man squatted in the corner, hugging his apprentice, holding a heavy bronze medal in his hands.
Song Ziqi completed a double triple A in the free skate under pressure. The coach and student almost cried on the aisle. When they saw the results in the division, the fans jokingly said that the athlete was more like the coach than the coach.
In fact, many ice skating fans posted on forums before his competition, telling him to learn the coach's techniques but not his mentality.
Xia Yuezi didn't disturb them and quietly returned to the warm-up area. Yang Yiyan was already practicing jumping, while Feng Simai carried his bag to exchange for a Kasten and found a place to train in the corridor.
Despite the somewhat noisy surroundings, many athletes remained focused on their movements or found a corner to listen to music and get into the swing of things.
At this point, most coaches will not disturb the players too much, making themselves invisible.
Xia Yuezi stood nearby, with the athletes' bags at her feet. Her eyes would sometimes be on the athletes, sometimes tilt her head back to look at the door in the distance of the corridor, and occasionally she would raise her hand to check the time.
After a while, Meng Xin appeared in the corridor, her steps light and quick. Xia Yuezi looked up slightly and, not seeing Yan Rui behind her, knew that she had done quite well.
"I got 30, and the final score was 183."
Meng Xin kept her voice low, mindful of the athletes still training nearby, but the joy in her eyes was unmistakable.
Xia Yuezi nodded gently, her emotions not fluctuating much. Meng Xin couldn't help but ask, "Are you unhappy? Even if this score doesn't get you on the podium, it's still Xiao Rui's highest score in her career."
Xia Yuezi glanced at her partner, wanting to ask her which eye had noticed her displeasure.
"No, Xiaoyan is still here, don't get too excited."
It's good to be happy when your own athletes achieve good results, but even in the youth and adult groups, there is still competition among your own team members. There are also many news reports of senior and junior athletes fighting over resources and causing a ruckus.
Even if the atmosphere in the group is good now, we can't let the senior female student notice the coach's emotions just because the junior female student performed well, and then unknowingly turn it into pressure.
Realizing the meaning behind Xia Yuezi's words, Meng Xin immediately changed her smile to one of friendliness, returning to her usual state of training the children. However, she didn't stay long before going to accompany Yan Rui near the ice rink.
After the youth group competition ended, Xia Yuezi received a text message from Meng Xin confirming that Yan Ruineng had won a bronze medal.
She added that when she looked up at the live scoreboard, the Spanish athlete's goe was so high that it was comparable to that of the adult group. However, he fell on the consecutive jumps and lost the next jump. In the end, the score difference was so great that even a miracle couldn't make up for it.
Just as she was about to reply, Xia Yuezi saw the staff coming over to arrange for the contestants to prepare for their sixth practice session. She put away her phone and followed them out.
All six female singles athletes scored above 67 in the short program, especially the top four, none of whom scored below 70.
This also means that, barring any unforeseen circumstances in the free skate, all four skaters have the ability to compete for a podium finish. However, if there are more dramatic developments, the current rankings could be completely disrupted and reshuffled.
From the very beginning of the sixth practice session, Xia Yuezi's brows remained furrowed. Yang Yiyan was skating too intensely. Normally, she was already a competitor who had participated in many international competitions, and this competition was not related to the qualification spots. Even if she was nervous, it shouldn't have affected her to this extent.
Then, Xia Yuezi saw Mengchuan Liya gliding past Yang Yiyan.
Ria Yumikawa changed her setup at the last minute in the short program, replacing 3A with 2A. She was at a disadvantage in terms of technical score and her program component score was also lower than that of European and American competitors. She ultimately ranked second in the short program.
This was actually the first time she had been outshone by other contestants in a short program.
Ria Yumikawa did not give a clear answer to this matter in the interview, but figure skating fans learned through various channels that she injured her ankle during training and is temporarily unable to perform a triple A.
After Nanako Shirai retired, Ria Yumikawa took over the mantle from her predecessor and became the new star of the Japan Skating Federation.
During the off-season, she was scheduled to participate in more than a dozen ice shows. Even the time she spent preparing for the college entrance exam was squeezed out of ice show rehearsals, let alone the season. If it weren't for a major injury, the Japan Ice Hockey Federation would almost never have allowed her to withdraw from the competition.
After this match, Japanese figure skating fans were even more panicked than Chinese figure skating fans, because Aya Yumikawa was already 18 years old, which is the age when women's singles is on the decline. Her predecessor, Nanako Shirai, was also around this time when she was gradually plagued by injuries and eventually lost her triple A.
Xia Yuezi crossed her arms and placed them on her chest, letting out a long sigh. She seemed to understand Yang Yiyan's thoughts—she had wanted to beat Mengchuan Liya a long time ago.
They have always been called the new "Asian Twins", but in the eyes of many ice skating fans, skaters who can be called the Twins must be matched in strength, but from this point of view, Yang Yiyan is not qualified.
She is indeed an Asian women's singles player who cannot be ignored, but there has never been a period when she could fight Yumikawa Ria to a standstill, neither before nor after her injuries.
Even though Mengchuan Liya is injured now, Yang Yiyan is also low on health. Since neither of them can perform at their peak, if she manages to beat Mengchuan in this match, it can't be said that she completely took advantage of an opening.
Once the thought arose, it lingered tightly in Xia Yuezi's mind, like a vine, making it hard for her to breathe.
As soon as Yang Yiyan stepped off the ice, she immediately handed her the scabbard, suppressing her irritation and trying to look at her calmly: "How does it feel on the ice?"
"It's alright." Yang Yiyan pursed her lips, her eyes fixed on the ground, seemingly trying to concentrate, but Xia Yuezi could tell that this was a sign of her being distracted.
The announcement was playing Alisa's name. Xia Yuezi didn't say much, but put an arm around Alisa's neck, pulled her into her arms, and walked backstage to the warm-up area, where she stayed with her.
It's good for athletes to have fighting spirit; the key is how they use that emotion. Sometimes, if a coach talks too much, it might backfire.
Yang Yiyan was the third to last to go on stage, and including the time allotted to the previous contestants, she had about fifteen minutes to think things through.
If she really couldn't understand, Xia Yuezi could only try to reason with her a few minutes before she went on stage.
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