Chapter 120 Just like their predecessors did.
After the game, the team doctor examined Yang Yiyan, especially her thigh muscles and lower back, and confirmed that there was no major injury. However, she still had to undergo all the necessary physical therapy after returning home.
Based solely on the skater's own opinion, the performance skater did not withdraw from the competition but instead enjoyed a wonderful day with the other skaters.
With the conclusion of the new Grand Prix Final, many figure skating fans have started new discussions, focusing on the performances of their favorite skaters, in addition to some humorous moments and post-competition interviews.
As a top surfing competitor in the summer team, Meng Xin was naturally entrusted with the task of "public opinion monitoring" by Xia Yuezi.
In the women's singles, the most discussed player is Polina. After this victory, she has become a player who is "just one Olympic individual gold medal away from completing her career." If Polina's management company could package her better and be a little more shameless, she could even use the team championship as an example.
At this crucial time, another "bet" is bound to take place on the forum, the topic of which is "who among Polina and her successors can take the top spot in the Russian team before the Olympics".
After all, the current All-Russian Championships, also known as the Russian-Russian Battle Night, features players who, individually, are qualified to compete for a place on the podium in an A-level event.
There are many twists and turns among the various groups in China, and until the very last moment, no one knows which three athletes will secure their Olympic tickets.
Coach Meng automatically ignored the comparison posts between the athletes. After reading through thousands of posts on the forum, he had the same thought as the ice skating fans—it seemed that Xiao Yan was somewhat incompatible with the Grand Prix Finals.
Just like Lin Ye's performance in the Four Continents Championships, Yang Yiyan has never had a smooth run in the finals since she moved up to the adult group. She has won several medals in other events, but in the finals, she only has a bare bronze medal.
However, coaches would never say such things in front of the athletes, otherwise the athletes' morale would drop before the competition even starts.
December is a particularly busy month for Chinese athletes, especially those who have just finished the finals.
No sooner had their plane landed than they had to transfer to Jilin to participate in the National Championships, and in just over half a month, the Four Continents Championships would begin.
Originally, according to the leadership's intention, Yang Yiyan, Lin Ye, Feng Simai, as well as pairs skaters Cao Jinhui and Lu Sheng, who are far ahead of the rest of the country, did not need to participate in the National Championships. If they were in good form in the first half of the season, the Skating Association would directly give them a spot.
But in the second half of this season, in addition to the Four Continents Championships and the World Championships which have Olympic quotas, there is also the Asian Winter Games, which are held every four years.
The Sapporo Asian Winter Games in 2017 were originally scheduled to be held in 2015, but the General Assembly decided to hold all future Asian Winter Games in the year before the Winter Olympics, so this competition was postponed for two years.
So, it's quite remarkable that China was able to field a full complement of athletes in all three events during the second half of the season. Similarly, other athletes also had more opportunities to participate in international competitions.
Before submitting the comprehensive report of opinions from the contestants in her group, Xia Yuezi went to Lu's group to inquire about the opinions of the Heilongjiang Provincial Team and found that both sides had the same idea.
After receiving the report, the leaders stopped arguing and released the competition list early. They also used the fame of these athletes to find several advertisers, making this National Championships a great success. Even the prize money for the top three was more than before.
Not only were the leaders and athletes satisfied, but the figure skating fans were also very satisfied.
Besides a few top-performing athletes who secured all the spots, the third extra spot was filled by athletes who placed third, fourth, and fifth in the World Championships, Four Continents Championships, and Asian Winter Games, respectively, following the selection method used by Russia. These athletes were also selected as reserve athletes for other events.
Anyway, we didn't expect those athletes to stand on the podium. It's good to have another opportunity to compete abroad. What if they get a good ranking and earn a guaranteed admission spot?
Xia Yuezi also secretly complained to Meng Xin: "Did the Skating Association change its chairman? Why are they being so impartial now?"
Meng Xin glanced at the ice skating fans in the spectator area: "It's probably because there are more kids learning to skate now, which has brought the sport a bit of recognition in China."
Xia Yuezi rarely takes her children to club league or youth group competitions, but Meng Xin often travels with the team along with other coaches. She can clearly feel that the number of participants is increasing every year.
In this season's National Junior Championships, a child who participated in the Group B competition also participated in the National Championships. He has already mastered two different triple jumps and also has a triple-double combination jump that is not very stable.
Thinking of the child, Meng Xin's gaze softened as she looked at Yang Yiyan standing on the highest podium.
If I remember correctly, this was Yang Yiyan's first time participating in the National Championships, and the two seemed to have similar difficulty levels.
Although she wasn't Yang Yiyan's coach at that time, she still remembers the scene from back then.
………
"Ladies and gentlemen, what you are seeing now is the women's singles short program competition at the 2017 Sapporo Asian Winter Games. Now taking the stage is Sochi Winter Olympics champion, three-time World Champion, Japanese star Aya Yumikawa, who is 20 years old this year."
“She experienced injuries and surgery last season, and her performance in the B-level races and two preliminary races this season has not been particularly outstanding. She failed to qualify for the finals, but she still maintained her winning streak at the recently concluded All Japan Championship.”
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the biggest highlight of this women's singles competition is the match between Yang Yiyan and Yumikawa Ria.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, these two will likely secure the gold and silver medals, while the bronze medal will probably be contested between South Korea and Kazakhstan.
CCTV invited Zhao Shuhua and Jiang Shuyu to provide commentary early on. The commentary from these two retired athletes is naturally more professional and objective than that of ordinary commentators.
Although Yumikawa Ria was her opponent, neither of them intended to belittle her; on the contrary, they gave this older women's singles player, who had already achieved a successful career, full respect.
What many people don't know is that Ms. Chishima didn't initially plan to have Ria Yumikawa participate in the Asian Winter Games; her career didn't lack this medal.
However, Yumikawa Ria herself felt that if she hadn't participated in the Four Continents Championships and the Asian Winter Games, and had gone directly to the World Championships, she might not have been able to achieve this level of cleanliness.
Having a match as a buffer might be more effective, and since the Asian Winter Games are Japan's home games, she won't need to go abroad to adjust to the time difference.
Of course, there was also some unspeakable pressure that forced Yumikawa Ria to bow her head and participate in this match.
Yang Yiyan, who didn't get a good draw, was scheduled to perform right after Meng Chuanli. Like Meng Chuanli, she also planned to choose one of the two matches.
Although there was a month between the two competitions, there was an even more important competition waiting for her. She couldn't afford to waste her energy on other things, so she simply gave up the Four Continents Championships, where she had already won the gold medal.
Thus, the clash between two top Asian athletes took place a month earlier than scheduled at the Asian Winter Games.
Xia Yuezi whispered, "It seems that Mengchuan hasn't fully recovered yet. She hesitated before jumping to 2A, probably considering whether to jump to 3A here."
The two coaches kept a distance from Yang Yiyan, ensuring that the contestants wouldn't hear their conversation while still keeping an eye on them out of the corner of their eye to prevent any accidents from happening to them.
Meng Xin, who came from a pairs figure skating background, is not particularly good at jumping. During her career, her highest single jump difficulty was the 3S. After retiring, she didn't even know if she could still do a double jump. At this moment, we can't analyze her jumps based on Yumikawa Ria's jumps. We can only discuss it with Xia Yuezi from the perspective of what she is good at.
“I agree with you. Her skating speed this season is noticeably slower than before the surgery, but her acceleration is also very obvious when she spins, so I am more inclined to believe that her stamina issues have not yet been resolved.”
Coach Xia nodded: "Not only that, I feel that her jump is heavier than before. Although she is still wearing the same Costum, she does look stronger than last season."
As soon as she finished speaking, Yumikawa Ria lifted her foot and completed the 3F, and the audience on the sidelines was immediately ignited, with cheers and applause almost drowning out the music.
Xia Yuezi frowned almost imperceptibly and subconsciously glanced at Yang Yiyan, who was standing in the shadows. Yang Yiyan had her head down and was raising her hand and turning around in the shadows, as if she was practicing footwork.
She had always known that Yumikawa Ria was very popular in Japan, and the related income had put her in the top 100 of the athletes' income rankings. However, the audience's current behavior has already caused trouble for the athletes.
This not only put pressure on Yang Yiyan, but also affected the home team player, Mengchuan Liya.
If this weren't a program she skated last season, and she weren't familiar with it enough, and her mental fortitude was strong enough, the athlete would probably panic the moment she couldn't hear the music, causing her movements to become chaotic.
Seeing that Yumekawa Ria's performance was coming to an end, Xia Yuezi walked over to Yang Yiyan and gently patted her shoulder as a reminder.
"It's your turn to go on stage."
Yang Yiyan took out the earphones from her ears, turned her head to look at the ice rink, then took off her scabbard and calmly handed it to her coach.
Yumikawa Ria's performance ended amidst applause. She supported her back, slightly out of breath, and bowed to the surroundings with a polite smile to express her gratitude. However, as she approached the exit, Xia Yuezi, who was standing beside her, did not miss the fatigue in her eyes.
Without needing to say much, Xia Yuezi understood the plight of Japan's top female player, and her eyes unconsciously drifted towards Koike Akina, who was sitting in the first place.
Then, she thought of Yan Rui.
The younger generation hasn't grown up enough to take over yet. As their senior, I bear the pressure for them, but I also hope they can quickly regain their strength so that they won't be immediately defeated by the storms of life after they leave.
Just like their predecessors did.
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