Chapter 143 End. I'll always be with you.
Everyone has different views on expectations. Those with a good mindset can persevere and become top performers in major competitions, while those with a bad mindset often perform well in domestic competitions but utterly fail in international competitions, earning them the nickname "domestic champions."
Yan Rui didn't want to bear such a title, but she was also about to be overwhelmed by the pressure she put on herself.
Xia Yuezi stood on the sidelines and glanced unintentionally at the backstage entrance behind her, where she saw Yang Yiyan standing there, surrounded by coaches and athletes from other countries.
"Why did you come out?"
She was unaware of the long talk the two had last night. She walked to Yang Yiyan's side, her gaze never leaving the figure on the ice rink.
Yan Rui landed 3lo, and because of an unstable landing, she flipped backward. This was the most unstable move in her program. For her, as long as she didn't fall, it was a victory.
That's why, as she entered the second half, her body language and aura gradually aligned with the program, her body relaxed, and she seemed to have gotten rid of the pressure she had been under.
"I just came out to get some fresh air; it gets stuffy staying backstage all the time."
Yang Yiyan was still holding an elastic rope in her hand, and it looked like she had just finished training in a corridor. However, she was not lying. Every contestant was preparing for the upcoming competition, and their eyes were filled with apprehension as they looked at her, which made her feel a little more depressed.
She was also thinking about what happened last night.
Yan Rui always tends to overthink things, and Yang Yiyan was just like her at that age; it's probably a common problem for teenage girls.
"There's nothing to be afraid of. Whether you stick your neck out or not, you'll still get stabbed. The fact that you've slipped to this point shows that you're not lacking in talent. A women's singles career is so short; how you live your life is entirely up to you."
Yang Yiyan patted her head, carrying the responsibility and concern of a senior sister, and shared her experience with her. However, whether she could listen or understand it was up to her.
However, judging from her current performance, it seems to have worked.
"Now that you've finished reading, you should go back."
Aside from 3lo's poor ice landing, Yan Rui's performance was also at its best. Xia Yuezi put one hand on Yang Yiyan's back and pushed her backstage.
"Okay, Coach, don't push me."
Yang Yiyan muttered to herself, then glanced at Yan Rui again before obediently walking backstage to warm up properly.
Yan Rui scored 128.76 points in the free skate, and with the short program, her final total score reached 191.93 points.
The three players in the waiting area breathed a sigh of relief, especially Yan Rui, who hadn't yet learned to control his emotions. The moment he saw the scores, his shoulders heaved dramatically, and he leaned on his coach's shoulder, almost bursting into tears.
Although this score is not the highest in her career, it is enough for her to get rid of the psychological pressure and take the first step out of the shadows.
Backstage, before giving the interview, Yan Rui first went to the warm-up area and found Yang Yiyan stretching in a corner.
The senior sister, in a split position, looked towards the door with a knowing look. After their eyes met, she looked away again, pressing her thigh forward while giving a thumbs-up towards the door. A faint smile appeared on her lips where Yan Rui couldn't see.
Xia Yuezi walked over and handed Yan Rui a bottle of mineral water: "Take a rest, and remember to go for the drug test later."
Yan Rui responded, then couldn't help but look in Yang Yiyan's direction. She had already stood up and was doing jumping in place, her expression calm and focused, no longer paying attention to her surroundings.
Before the last group of skaters took the stage, Yan Rui left the backstage area, turned around and walked towards the stands to sit with the other Chinese skaters and watch the final Olympic event of figure skating. However, the coach who accompanied him was chattering incessantly in the back row.
"If I remember correctly, Polina is a 3A configuration again this time."
"Yes, she used 3A+2T in the Grand Prix, but this time she changed it to 3A+3T, although she only did three jumps in the second half."
"That's actually not worthwhile in terms of technical points. Mengchuan only used one 3A, but he added four jumps in the second half. Xiaoyan's summer group coaches are very tight-lipped and don't even tell us their setup."
Feng Simai heard the sun's pulse throb.
The plan was kept secret, originally intended to create a smokescreen to confuse the opponents and put pressure on the other players. If I told you, who knows if some big mouths would leak it out.
At least for now, Xia Yuezi's plan is working. Meng Chuanliya's decision not to change her setup is because she no longer has the ability. The Russian team has already used all the difficult moves they could, and the judges probably know that too. It all depends on how the players perform in the end.
Polina seemed to be suffering from an injury, as she made a mistake on her 3A+3T jump and almost missed the follow-up jump.
Even with a valiant effort to turn the tide and the protection of Russian referees, the original performance was what it was, and with the suppression from other referees, there was almost no chance of standing on the highest podium.
Ria Yumikawa's free skate was set to "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence," taken from the classic Japanese film of the same name. The choreography and music were modified, at least to the point that the European and American judges couldn't find fault with it.
She is the oldest of the three women's singles players, and also the one with the greatest achievements and the most severe injuries.
After Sochi, Yumikawa Ria could have retired gracefully, having already achieved a career Grand Slam, especially since her family wasn't particularly wealthy.
If she retires at this time, her commercial value can remain at its highest level. If she continues to be active on the ice, she is not sure if she can maintain her high level of performance. If her performance declines and she becomes someone who clings to the ice, her commercial value will drop significantly.
At that time, no one in Japanese figure skating could take her place, the Japan Figure Skating Association still needed her as a figurehead, and there were also excellent skaters constantly challenging her status as the "world's number one female skater". She herself wanted to compete with them again, so she stayed on the ice.
Ryuichi Sakamoto's piece has a rather melancholic and ethereal melody, and it is a very classic piece in film and music history. Ria Yumekawa has developed her own performance style, and she tends to choose pieces with strong emotions in her usual selections.
On what could be called his farewell match, this renowned Japanese player touched the composer's soul, delivering another masterpiece.
"Aria Yumikawa scored 156.84 points in her free skate, bringing her total score to 238.56, just 1.96 points away from the world record."
The current world record for total score was set by Polina at this season's European Championships, with a score of 240.61, which she achieved despite making some minor mistakes in her free skate.
Meng Xin looked up at the big screen, subconsciously gasped, and nervously watched Yang Yiyan on the ice rink.
As the last contestant to perform, she was already under immense pressure, and the thunderous cheers from the audience only added to that pressure.
Xia Yuezi's expression was equally solemn. She pursed her lips and used deep breathing to regulate her emotions, as if she were the one about to enter the game.
As the music began to play softly, everyone's eyes were drawn to Yang Yiyan as she completed a beautiful 3A.
Polina's face turned pale, and she slapped her forehead: "We've been tricked."
Sidorov glanced at her sideways: "Even if she doesn't put pressure on you, your configuration will still change."
In other words, Russia is still willing to promote Polina because it values her difficulty level, which is significantly higher than that of other female singles skaters. If she cannot consistently achieve double triples, the Russian Ice Hockey Federation may prefer to promote younger skaters.
Polina clenched her fists, and then a hand was placed on her head. She turned around and saw her senior brother, Davil.
His smile was gentle, and his eyes held an unusual tenderness.
"At least you've secured a medal, which is a huge step forward."
Yang Yiyan caught the rhythm of the music, decisively touched the ice with her right foot, and completed the 3F without any pause, followed by 3lo and 2lo.
After completing the two highest-scoring jumps, Xia Yuezi raised her arms and shouted, then was hugged and shaken excitedly by Meng Xin beside her.
In a daze, she saw Yang Yiyan fall to the 3rd floor again, thus ending the first half of the jump.
Yang Yiyan spread her arms and entered 2A with a wide split, almost at the same height as 3A. She intentionally slowed down her rotation to make the hang time of the jump look particularly strong. She then quickly raised her leg and connected to 3T at the same height, and finally glided out in a wide split.
3T jumps have never been Yang Yiyan's forte. Her combination jumps and 3L jumps rely on the previous jump to drive the next jump. If the quality of the previous jump is not high, the height of the next jump may not be enough, and then the athlete will have to do a pull-up jump.
The problem is that Yang Yiyan's pull-up jumps are almost all marked with symbols.
The Chinese judge sitting on the referee's bench had a bright look in his eyes and gave the score of GOE without hesitation. Three other judges also gave the same score.
Xia Yuezi watched the girl doing squatting turns so fast she was almost a blur, and her anxious heart calmed down.
She knew in her heart that Yang Yiyan had received injections to numb the pain in this competition, with two injections in her waist and knee, but she also knew that this was Yang Yiyan's last chance to compete for an Olympic gold medal.
In the last Winter Olympics, she had enough difficulty but not enough treatment, and her opponents were equally spirited and not too troubled by injuries.
This Winter Olympics has brought back the difficulty level, but the treatment has also improved, and her strongest competitors are even more seriously injured than her.
This girl has no reason not to work hard.
While other noble ladies were still lamenting their lost wealth and glory, Scarlett, with her vigorous vitality, had already rolled up her sleeves and was working on the barren land.
Her personality was very similar to her father Gerald's, but this primal, ingrained vitality always came from her mother. She learned from her mother to manage the estate and household affairs, and led others to survive in the war.
Although she remained rebellious, she acknowledged her mother's parenting style, respected her mother's character, accepted the spiritual strength her mother provided, and matured rapidly in the wake of her mother's death.
Like Scarlett Johansson, Yang Yiyan grew up in a healthy and loving environment. It can be said that her mother shaped her past and paved a smooth road for her.
At the end of the show, Yang Yiyan turned around, knelt on the ice, and slid out using inertia, placing her hands together on her chest.
Many people watching the big screen saw Yang Yiyan's lips move up and down, and the word was pronounced almost the same all over the world.
That's "Mom".
In this pose, Yang Yiyan bent down to kiss the ice surface, her eyes reddening as she revealed a happy smile. She bowed to the surroundings, then picked up a few dolls and skated towards the exit, throwing herself into the coach's arms.
Compared to the previous two contestants, Yang Yiyan's score took a while to arrive, but it was still within the normal range.
Technical score: 84.61, Program component score: 72.64, Free skate score: 157.25.
Even before the scores were fully displayed, Yang Yiyan jumped up from the sofa as soon as she saw the "1" marked after her free skate.
With first place in the short program and first place in the free skate, the final total score is naturally first.
Yang Yiyan's two programs reached 240.76, narrowly surpassing Polina's world record and winning China's first-ever women's singles gold medal at the Olympics.
She cried and threw herself into Xia Yuezi's arms again, shouting, "Coach, I really did it!"
Xia Yuezi rested her chin on her shoulder, her voice also trembling with tears: "Yes, you did it, you are my pride."
An Olympic gold medal was a dream that Xia Yuezi could only dream of. She had won a World Championship gold medal, but no Olympic gold medal. But now, her student has fulfilled this dream for her.
When Yang Yiyan personally placed the heavy gold medal around her neck, Xia Yuezi still felt a little unreal.
They stood side by side in the awards plaza of Gangneung Stadium, gazing at the bright red flag that had just been raised and was fluttering in the night wind, unsure of what to say.
Yang Yiyan's long hair hung down behind her ears, and her eyes reflected the national flag and the moon that the flagpole pointed to.
"Coach, I hope you will stay by my side from now on."
Xia Yuezi raised her hands to hold the gold medal in front of her chest. She turned her head at the sound and met a pair of eyes. She vaguely remembered that thin and timid girl in 2010.
So, Coach Xia reached out and, just like every time before, pulled the student into his arms.
"As long as you are still on the ice, the coach will stand in the most conspicuous place and always be with you."
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Author's Note: This concludes the main text of this book. It's quite remarkable that the book was published just before my thesis defense, and in a sense, it spanned my entire semester.
The reason I started writing this book is because after watching the World Championships, I felt that Chinese figure skating had completely entered a dark period. At that time, I was torn between continuing to watch and quitting, because I really didn't want to see the sport that I had once invested so much in develop into what it is now.
As for why I wavered, it's probably because I was waiting for a reason, and that's how this book came about. Fortunately, many new variables have emerged in this new cycle. Although the Skating Association still has a lot of questionable practices, at least I've seen hope. It's probably true that after the darkest hour comes the dawn. So I will strive to become a "die-hard skating fan".
This book is now finished, not just a quick cut, but a complete and utter end. Um… I'm a bit incoherent in the middle of the night. Anyway, I'm very grateful to all my angelic readers for their companionship and for giving me the motivation to keep going. Actually, when I first started writing this genre, I was mentally prepared for a paid ending, or even no paid endings at all. But before even signing the contract, I received one collection after another. On the day of the contract signing, a reader even donated nutrient solution (although it sounds a bit pathetic, when I saw it, I was already trembling with happiness from receiving the contract news, and I almost fainted from happiness, even crying in my roommate's arms [facepalm and crying emoji]). Then the whole book developed beyond expectations.
This is my first book, and overall, there are still many shortcomings. I accept all criticisms regarding the writing style and logic, but I must also admit that this is my current level, and I have done my best to explore each character.
I will update some side stories later, but because I have to do my thesis defense this week, I haven't prepared the PPT and script yet, so the update time is uncertain. I have conceived some side stories about Sister Xia and Xiao Yan. If you have any plot ideas you would like to see, you can comment on this chapter and I will try my best to fulfill them. The deadline is this Friday.
As I said before, thank you all for taking the time and effort to support this still imperfect novel. Wishing you all the best in your lives! [heart emoji]
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