Chapter 26 Youth Winter Olympics Next time we meet, I'll definitely bring a complete set...
Feng Simai skated to the center of the ice rink with his head down. His eyelashes were half-closed, and his hands were clasped together in front of his chest as he kept trying to find the axis.
All eyes were on him, but Feng Simai didn't care. He stood still, waiting for the music to start.
He slowly raised his hands, leaving a distinct arc on the ice surface accompanied by the majestic sound of the flute.
After building muscle, the stability of jumping gradually increased, and Xia Yuezi also rearranged the jumps in Feng Simai's program.
His first jump was a 3A. When he took off, his body leaned to the sides, and he raised his hands upwards. When he landed, a few ice shards splashed up around him.
Two athletes performed high-difficulty jumps in succession, and the applause from the audience on the sidelines became even more enthusiastic.
Feng Simai raised his left hand, glided in circles on the ice on one foot, then spread his body wide to form a side swallow, and after completing the required number of circles, grabbed his free leg and pulled it up to head level.
His lack of flexibility prevents him from performing the donut-shaped jump like a women's singles athlete. Since he can't incorporate too many difficult variations into the swallow jump, he has to find a way in other jumps.
The boy on the ice squatted down after performing a swallow turn, then stood up again, leaning his upper body down and reaching forward with one hand to touch his floating leg.
This is a variation of the upright spin, and Feng Simai dared not relax. He quickly switched feet on the ice and entered the front squat spin again, but this squat spin was a little different from the previous one.
He crossed his left leg over his right knee, put one hand between his legs and let the other hand hang down to his side. This is another variation of the front squat turn, the reverse pancake, and he completed twelve rotations.
The real-time rating of this set of rotations reached level 4.
The music gradually quickened and became more exciting. Feng Simai stepped rapidly on the ice with his stilettos, his hands moving non-stop, performing a short tap dance on the ice.
This arrangement showcased the wildness inherent in the ancient Irish people and ignited the enthusiasm of the audience, many of whom spontaneously began clapping along with the music.
Xia Yuezi pursed her lips, watching the ice without saying a word, a hint of relief flashing in her eyes. Today's program was a qualified version of "Riverdance" that was ready to be performed in the adult competition.
At each figure skating competition, the organizers set up a platform next to the waiting area so that the skaters who are currently in first or top three can sit and watch.
Fujiwara Yoshino sat on the sofa, watching Feng Simai's performance, his mind gradually going blank. His coach, Yamada, stood below the platform, his gaze containing a deep meaning.
A show that can draw ice skating fans into the immersive experience alongside the athletes is bound to have a high performance score.
Feng Simai dared not breathe; it felt as if his lungs were being squeezed tightly, making it hard for him to breathe. The drumbeats of the music grew more intense, and he pressed his left foot outwards while his right foot quickly touched the ice.
3lz+3T marks the beginning of the second half of the show, with the orchestra playing a scene of blazing flames, pushing the show's passionate and unrestrained emotions to their peak.
Xia Yuezi noticed that his gliding gradually slowed down after completing the 3F, which was a warning sign that he was running out of energy. Feng Simai still had a set of spins and the last jump to complete.
She clearly realized that Feng Simai's physical strength had improved compared to before, but it was still too much to ask him to do too many or too difficult consecutive jumps in the second half of the program.
Xia Yuezi kept rubbing her coat behind the partition, the bones on the back of her hands becoming faintly visible with the movement, and the blue veins under her fair skin becoming more and more obvious.
When landing on the 3T ice, Feng Simai lowered her center of gravity, making her upper body posture exaggeratedly low. However, Xia Yuezi didn't care. As long as the technique was correct, an ugly posture wouldn't affect the judges' scoring.
Moreover, under normal circumstances, Feng Simai's jumping posture is still very popular among figure skating fans.
After the performance, Feng Simai knelt on the ice, panting heavily, his chest heaving. He could hear the enthusiastic cheers of the ice skating fans. Many people in the stands waved Chinese flags, and some strong fans even threw dolls next to him.
After a moment, Feng Simai stood up, supporting himself on his knees, bowed to the stands in all directions, picked up the doll beside him, and waved to the bright red flags in the audience.
With a relieved smile, he slid to the entrance, his legs trembling slightly, and was caught by the coach.
Feng Simai bent down and put on the scabbard. Xia Yuezi draped her coat over him and whispered, "Well done."
The ice rink's large screen began replaying the skaters' highlights, and the two sat anxiously in the waiting area.
Fujiwara Yoshino glanced to the side, equally agitated, and took a sip of water to try and suppress his negative emotions.
Both are Asian athletes. Since the highest podium does not involve European and American athletes, there is no question of the judges favoring one over the other. However, if we really talk about treatment, Fujiwara Yoshino just won the runner-up in the junior group finals, so his score should be raised a bit.
Xia Yuezi composed herself and recalled the real-time scores she had seen. It wasn't that the Japanese player's score hadn't increased, but compared to the European and American players, the increase was negligible.
The results are out!
With a technical score of 73.55, an performance score of 69.14, and a free skate score of 142.69, his total score, including the short program score, reached 219.45.
This program, in which he poured his emotions completely, was almost identical to his National Championships results, which is nearly impossible on the international stage.
Upon seeing the score, Feng Simai, who is usually reserved outside the ice rink, jumped up excitedly from the bench. He continued his advantage from the short program and ultimately beat Fujiwara Yoshino by nearly two points.
"Coach, I won!"
Feng Simai's eyes shone brightly. He reached out and tugged at the coach's sleeve, his face showing a mixture of joy and disbelief.
Xia Yuezi's smile was genuine. She didn't mind the sweat-soaked bangs sticking to Feng Simai's forehead and reached out to touch the top of his head.
On the other side of the waiting area, Fujiwara Yoshino lowered his head and silently walked off the stage. He had lost to this Chinese player once again.
Coach Yamada stood behind him, comforting his student: "Yoshino, don't be discouraged. You didn't lose to him, you lost to your own 4T."
"What's the difference? It's all the same—losing."
This young man, who came from a small, underdeveloped city in Japan, had tears in his eyes, a rare sight indeed. The situation in men's singles in Japan is not much different from that in China, but factional struggles are more severe, and there is also the oppressive influence of seniority culture.
He has no connections, and his coach is just a minor figure in the club. The reason he was able to emerge as the number one seed despite being under immense pressure is because of the difficulty of his technique.
Coach Yamada's words caught in his throat, circled around, and then changed again: "Of course it's different. Losing to someone else doesn't mean they're better than you, it just means they were luckier. But losing to yourself only means you haven't reached your limit yet, and there's still room for improvement."
Fujiwara Yoshino turned away to wipe her tears, looked at the Chinese athletes who had already left with their coach, took a deep breath, straightened her back, picked up her skate bag, and walked backstage.
After the competition, there was a special press conference for the top three finishers. It was also the first time that Feng Simai sat in the middle seat, and he was a little nervous holding the heavy gold medal in front of his chest.
There were simultaneous interpreters at the press conference, but Xia Yuezi was afraid that they would not convey the meaning accurately, so she stood aside and silently took over the translation task.
An American journalist asked, "You're 15 years old this year. Before the Olympic season arrives, will you move up to the senior level to compete for a spot? If so, could you share your training methods or music selections?"
Xia Yuezi relayed the problem to Feng Simai, which also served as a wake-up call for her.
Although figure skating doesn't involve direct competition between athletes, there are plenty of behind-the-scenes maneuvers, and the love-hate relationships that surface every year are more exciting than the biggest scandals in the entertainment industry.
Feng Simai placed his hands under the table, slowly rubbing the gold medal. After thinking for a while, he replied, "Whether I can be promoted to the adult group depends on the leadership's decision. I haven't decided on a song yet. If I have the opportunity, I'd like to try different styles of music. As for training..."
He glanced at Xia Yuezi before continuing, "I really want to practice quadruple jumps. After all, other athletes are constantly improving, especially Fujiwara. Although he didn't perform perfectly today, his quadruple jump really surprised me. However, the specifics of my training plan will depend on the coach."
Upon hearing this, Xia Yuezi translated while glancing to the side. Fujiwara Yoshino initially showed no expression, but after the simultaneous interpretation came through his headset, he turned his head to look at Feng Simai beside him, his eyes clearly showing a hint of surprise.
Many ice skating fans who were watching the press conference saw this scene and the subsequent photo session. Seeing the two making various heart shapes with their hands, they all thought that they must have a good personal relationship.
After the press conference, Xia Yuezi was called away by staff to discuss the upcoming skating performance. Feng Simai returned alone and sat in the backstage corridor, carefully storing the gold medal.
He sat quietly in the chair waiting for the coach to return. A familiar figure appeared at the door. Feng Simai looked at the shadow and thought it was Xia Yuezi returning. He turned his head and found that it was Fujiwara Yoshino.
He stared at the Japanese athlete, who was already dressed and ready, and paused for a moment. She didn't look lost at all.
Fujiwara Yoshino took a step forward and said in his unique Japanese-accented English, "Next time we meet, I will definitely bring a complete program."
Whether he was afraid people wouldn't understand him or his English was limited, he spoke using the simplest and most easily understood words, with almost no words containing the letter "r".
Feng Simai understood. Seeing the seriousness in Fujiwara Yoshino's tone, he smiled sincerely and extended his hand to him: "I'm looking forward to that day."
Fujiwara Yoshino gripped her hand back, and the two boys looked at each other under the bright lights, both seeing the burning fighting spirit in each other's eyes.
When Xia Yuezi returned, she happened to witness this scene. She silently took a few steps back and stood at the corner of the corridor, not wanting to disturb them.
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