Chapter 114 Why Does the Relationship Have to Be This Song?
Although the two coaches said they were reassured, they took Feng Simai to get a check-up as soon as they returned to China, and also brought Yang Yiyan along, as the girl's back and ankle injuries had been aggravated recently.
The X-rays didn't show any injury serious enough to affect subsequent training or competition. In their words, it was "serious for an ordinary person, but normal for an athlete."
Nevertheless, Xia Yuezi made two preparations. After all, although the World Championships were important, her physical condition was more important than the next season.
However, what no one expected was that within a month of the start of the World Championships, "elderly athletes" from various countries were getting into trouble one after another.
First, Anthony, who had just won the European Championships again, sprained his ankle during training and withdrew from the World Championships; then Claire suffered a back injury that left her almost bedridden; Wayne was even more unlucky, getting into a car accident the day before the team was to depart, and after the World Championships, he was still in the hospital, only able to watch the live broadcast like other skating fans.
As a result, the singles competition at this World Championships has become a medal battle among athletes under the age of 20, with some skating fans jokingly referring to the men's singles competition as "another round of the Four Continents Championships".
Because the three athletes standing on the podium were none other than those who stood on the podiums of the four continental competitions this year, only their rankings had changed.
In the final official photo, Lin Ye stood on the highest podium with an expression that seemed to be both crying and laughing. Fujiwara Yoshino next to him also had red eyes, with a hint of resentment. Only Feng Simai smiled the most genuinely.
Looking at the World Championships roster, Lin Ye and Fujiwara Yoshino have the highest difficulty level on paper. They can already consistently perform three types of quadruple jumps and combinations, and they are also working on mastering the fourth type of quadruple jump.
The coaching staff also treated it like a competition, with one day they would release a single satellite jump, and the next day they would release a series of satellite jumps, which not only surprised the figure skating fans, but also made people in the circle nervous.
Once the opportunity to win gold was presented, the two put in all their effort and started with their highest level of performance from the short program. This scared the other young players into abandoning their usual high-stakes performances and instead showcasing their highest difficulty levels. They then put on a spectacular fireworks display at the World Championships.
Two skaters on the podium faced the same situation as these young skaters. Lin Ye's gold medal win was due not only to luck but also to his continuously improving consistency, ultimately outscoring Fujiwara Yoshino by nearly ten points in the free skate technical score.
Xia Yuezi overheard Song Qiao declare on the spot that he would give bonuses to Lin Ye's coaching team, especially the foreign coach.
As for the women's singles, the biggest highlights are still Polina and Yang Yiyan. Although their best results in the World Championships were both silver medals, Xia Yuezi didn't really expect Yang Yiyan to win the gold medal.
After all, Yang Yiyan still had 3A reserves back then, but the difficulty of the two is not the same now. In addition, with Russian judges scoring their own athletes, as long as Polina doesn't perform terribly, the gold medal is already in her hands.
However, compared to the two singles events, pairs skating seems to be facing a more difficult situation.
The Cao-Lu pair won the bronze medal this time, but they made a mistake in the single jump.
Over the years, both of them have been plagued by injuries. Their highest difficulty level for a single jump is 3lo. The other pair, He Qi, who came in ninth place, is still stuck in the 3S range for their single jump. Their difficulty level is far from enough to take over from their seniors.
The European and American pairs now competing with them for the podium are not only healthier than the Cao-Lu pair, but they can also consistently perform both the 3LZ and 3F single jumps. Their throw jumps are about the same difficulty. If there's any difference in their technical skills, it's probably the quadruple twist.
But the gap is clear even to figure skating fans, and the coaching staff cannot ignore it. The fact that European and American skaters are not using the twist in official competitions does not mean that they have not been training. It may be that, like He Qi and his partner, they have not yet successfully mastered this routine.
By the time of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Cao Jinhui was 21 and Lu Sheng was 25, which was their best chance to win a gold medal.
Even though Xia Yuezi knew that they would have to go through another difficult period, she couldn't help but hope that they could achieve their wishes during this period.
Xia Yuezi gradually discovered that the current timeline of figure skating development seems to differ somewhat from that before.
Take the men's singles quadruple jump as an example. The quadruple jump configuration that includes advanced quadruple jumps should not appear until next season, but some players have already used it. What's even more frightening is that Coach Ma said that Lin Ye even has the idea of using the 5-4 configuration next season.
On the women's singles side, the most typical example is Nina. According to another timeline, she should be in the third or fourth tier of the American system now. However, her form rebounded before Pyeongchang, and she won a ticket to the Winter Olympics through hard work. She also won a team spot and retired beautifully with an Olympic team medal.
But now, after just over a year of slump, it seems like someone is chasing after her, urging her to grow, and she has managed to return to 80% of her previous level this season.
After Xia Yuezi discovered this, she also recalled the situations of others, who had also experienced varying degrees of change.
While this might seem like self-aggrandizement, it's likely that her emergence altered the original development path of Asian figure skating, forcing European and American skaters to continuously improve, leading to the current situation. And this timeline is moving in an even more unknown direction.
After the World Championships, Yang Yiyan devoted herself to preparing for the college entrance examination. Many things were discussed by Xia Yuezi and her parents before the athlete was informed.
In addition to regular meetings, Xia Yuezi also contacted choreographers abroad. As early as during the competition, the two children in the adult group had already identified their partners, exchanged contact information, and reserved their schedules.
According to Xia Yuezi's arrangement, Yang Yiyan and Feng Simai will prepare four programs this season, each with difficulty and choreography based on Olympic standards. Yan Rui, who just passed the application to move up a group, will also need two new programs.
The only thing that still gives Xia Yuezi a headache is Feng Simai, who is unwilling to give up on "Killer Tango".
"I've already learned how to skate the love theme, so why can't I skate this song?"
Seeing the boy's unhappy face, Xia Yuezi put one hand on her hip, restrained her emotions, and patiently persuaded him to give up the idea.
"The love you're learning is the passionate first love, but 'Tango the Killer' is about two people testing each other and being wary of each other. Let alone a greenhorn like you, even a seasoned lover wouldn't dare to guarantee that he could perfectly portray it."
Feng Simai stubbornly retorted, "I can learn it. If the state of first love can be learned, then this state can also be learned. All the pieces I've skated in the past have proven that I can handle different styles."
Xia Yuezi always gave Feng Simai the right to choose songs, only checking whether they were suitable before making the final decision. In the past, if he felt that a song was not suitable, he would change the song himself as long as the coach's reasons could convince him.
This was the first time he had ever insisted on playing a piece of music with such a strong attitude.
"Why does it have to be this piece of music?" Xia Yuezi asked curiously. "Give me a reason that you can convince me."
Feng Simai was silent for a moment, then lowered his head. His voice was lower than usual, which made people feel that he was serious.
"Because I really like this film, it's like my relationship with this sport."
Xia Yuezi raised an eyebrow, not expecting such an answer, and waited with great interest for him to continue.
"Because I like them, I have also paid attention to the lead actors. Although I don't agree with their behavior, they have interpreted a kind of relationship, whether in movies or in real life."
"When you like something, the feeling is like a surging tide, binding you to it; but when you don't like it anymore, it's like the tide receding, leaving behind a mess."
"That's how I feel about figure skating. I love it, so I can endure all the pain and enjoy every moment on the ice. But it can also create a distance between me and others without my knowledge. For example, with the quadruple jump, I have to be fully prepared for every jump."
Xia Yuezi was stunned. All along, Feng Simai had explained the selection of songs to her from the perspective of the character itself, which sounded like a director explaining a play. Only this time, he was starting from his own perspective.
Moreover, Feng Simai herself has excellent emotional expressiveness, and because of this, she is not afraid that he will not be able to express the inner meaning of this piece.
If that's the case, Xia Yuezi seems to have no reason to stop him.
Feng Simai kept his head down and didn't look up until he finished speaking. He clutched the hem of his clothes, and as he didn't hear a reply from the coach for a long time, his heart sank.
Just as he was about to defend himself again, he heard Xia Yuezi speak, her voice containing a hint of amusement.
"Okay, you can give the choreographer a brief overview first, and then I'll see if you can handle the show based on the results."
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