Chapter 45 Using the four continents to practice the World Championship setup...
Before the men's singles match started, Yang Yiyan was looking for a seat in the stands when she spotted Yumekawa Ria alone at the other end of the stands.
She was wearing a Japanese team uniform and sitting in the first row of a certain section, where there were few other spectators nearby, making her quite conspicuous.
Yang Yiyan quietly walked up behind her, patted her on the shoulder, and asked in broken English, "Lia-chan, why aren't you sitting with your teammates?"
Yumikawa Ria was startled, patted her chest and turned around. Seeing the person who came, she breathed a sigh of relief, moved the bag on the chair next to her, and pointed out the position of the Japanese delegation to Yang Yiyan.
There were only coaches and accompanying staff holding up the national flag; no other athletes could be seen.
"One of our country's pairs and ice dance athletes is a couple who's selling their relationship, and the other is currently in a passionate romance. They went out to play on their very first day after landing. I don't want to be a third wheel."
The pairs and ice dance sports in Japan are not well developed. Several athletes come out to compete with the intention of going abroad on public funds, and their nightlife is very exciting.
Although Yang Yiyan didn't quite understand Yumekawa Ria's Japanese-accented English, she did understand the word "CP". Coupled with her expression, she chuckled and sat down next to her.
"Our coaches are very strict, especially with underage players, determined to nip any potential problems in the bud."
Yang Yiyan didn't know how to say "puppy love" in English, so she used a different way of saying it. Her spoken English was still at the stage of Chinglish, so it could only be interpreted from body language.
Yumikawa Ria covered her mouth and chuckled, her eyes curving into crescents: "Actually, I think this is great. We can focus all our attention on training without being distracted by other things."
Although she couldn't understand it, Yang Yiyan still nodded and smiled politely, reminding herself to study English properly when she got back, otherwise she would have to bring a translator when gossiping and chatting.
If Yang's mother and Xia Yuezi knew that this would motivate Yang Yiyan to study, they would probably prepare a whole basket of gossip about her.
The men's singles match officially began. Most of the players who took the court before her were not very famous and their matches were not particularly difficult, so the two chatted casually until Yang Yiyan spotted her coach next to the barrier.
She nudged Yumikawa Ria: "Get ready, Mystic and Fujiwara are about to go on stage."
Fujiwara Yoshino and Feng Simai were drawn into the same group again, with Feng Simai going first.
As soon as Feng Simai stepped onto the ice, the Chinese audience in the stands erupted in cheers. He waved to his surroundings, but his gaze inadvertently fell on Yang Yiyan and Meng Chuanliya, who were sitting in the front row.
Yang Yiyan put her hands next to her mouth to form a megaphone and shouted "Go for it!"
The two coaches stood on the sidelines, taking in everything.
Meng Xin joked, "When I first met the kids in the group, I was worried that they were too introverted and wouldn't be able to develop social skills. But it turns out I was overthinking it. How many figure skaters are truly quiet and reserved? They're all social butterflies."
Xia Yuezi stood to the side, smiling without saying a word. She thought of the ice shows and performance skating of later generations, where there were always a few programs that could be "passed down through the ages." Compared to that, men dressing up as women was nothing.
As the music started, the two coaches stopped talking and focused their attention on the ice rink.
Feng Simai still plays Grizabella, who is immersed in pain, but this pain seems more natural compared to her previous performances, especially after the first set of spins, which carries a feeling of sorrow without being tragic.
He lifted his left foot and completed the 4T with a crisp tapping sound.
This is also the first 4T to appear so far.
The jump startled the two girls in the stands, and the younger male singles players standing near the barrier were equally stunned.
Fujiwara Yoshino stopped warming up, staring intently at the Chinese player on the field, already having a vague idea of what was going on.
Meng Xin breathed a sigh of relief and patted her partner: "You're really brave to agree to let him be on 4T in the Four Continents short program."
Xia Yuezi shrugged, her eyes still fixed on the ice rink: "What can we do? He said he wants to fight for a spot at the World Championships. We can't just let him use such a difficult setup in the competition without practicing."
If this attempt fails, it will also dispel Feng Simai's idea of becoming a jumper like Lin Ye.
To qualify for the Olympics, two players need to be ranked in the top 13 overall at the World Championships. The two kids are hoping to push their limits in terms of difficulty, and they won't be disappointed if they don't get the spots.
Feng Simai's second jump was a 3A, which was also executed brilliantly.
His skating was excellent and fluid, with every move perfectly timed to the music, and the entire venue was filled with his emotions.
After entering the crouching turn, Feng Simai buried his head in his chest, trying to escape this disgusting reality like Grizabella.
Coach Yamada released Fujiwara Yoshino's hands from his arms and said seriously, "His performance is getting stronger and stronger."
From the judges' perspective, Feng Simai's blade changes and program transitions weren't the best, but in terms of expressiveness, he was almost unmatched among the men's singles players.
After the music stopped, he paused at the final ending, his chest rising and falling slightly, raising his arms in a shout, and a relieved smile on his face.
The entire stadium erupted in thunderous applause and cheers. Feng Simai bowed to the surrounding crowd, then glanced at the two female skaters in the stands. He saw Yang Yiyan throw a toy onto the ice, skated over to pick it up, and his smile deepened.
Feng Simai scored a high 85.23 in the short program, and he will likely make it into the last group.
After the score was announced, even Albert and Wayne, who hadn't yet gone on stage, felt the pressure.
Xia Yuezi patted her child's head and sincerely wished, "It seems this adventure was quite successful. I hope you can maintain this advantage in the free skate."
In the stands, Yang Yiyan waved a small national flag in her hand and secretly glanced at Meng Chuanli's expression, which was not as solemn as she had imagined.
She couldn't help but exclaim, "If I were one of the later contestants, I'd probably be crushed by this score."
Yumikawa Ria glanced sideways at Fujiwara Yoshino, who was removing his scabbard and waiting for the fight, and muttered softly, her tone filled with unwavering trust in her teammate: "Fujiwara-kun won't give up easily."
Fujiwara Yoshino's expression was more focused than ever. He did not lose his composure because of Feng Simai's high score, but instead completed his previous triple jump configuration as usual.
Without the advantage of nationality or an excellent slide test, his score predictably fell short of Feng Simai's. Even Lin Ye, who came on later, was narrowly outscored by Feng Simai.
To be honest, this was the first time Lin Ye had been outshone by him in a short program.
Xia Yuezi calculated the rankings from last year's World Championships. If both of them don't falter in their free skates, they do have a good chance of securing three spots.
When the last group of players took the stage, not only the coaches by the barriers, but even the spectators in the stands keenly noticed the serious and prepared demeanor of the two top players.
They were the gold and silver medalists at the previous Four Continents Championships, so they couldn't let their juniors step on their heads now. When it comes to quadruple jumps, they both have them.
Xia Yuezi watched the two try to do a quadruple jump on the ice, her gaze becoming meaningful: "I remember last year's Four Continents Championships, they didn't do a quadruple jump in their short program, right?"
Meng Xin's expression was also somewhat complicated: "Let alone the Four Continents, not many people participated in the short program at last year's World Championships, which may also be related to the ice surface."
Last year's World Championships were held in Norway, and a series of accidents occurred on the men's singles court. In particular, after Anthony fell with a 4T, all the subsequent men's singles players chose to play it safe and reduce the difficulty of the matches.
Even if they thought the same as Feng Simai, using the four continents to adapt to the new configuration in advance, the expressions on their faces at this moment said a lot.
Meng Xin rested her chin on her hand, her gaze shifting back and forth between the two women, and nudged Xia Yuezi's arm: "Who do you think will win this time?"
Xia Yuezi pondered for a moment: "It's hard to say. Albert's jump height and distance are very good, and his success rate in quadruple jumps is very high. Wayne's performance is better than his, but his quadruple jump technique is very rough, and it feels like he just guesses."
Besides, if we're really talking about who the judges favored in their scoring, both are from Europe and America, and both are the top players in their respective countries, so there wasn't much of a bias.
No sooner had he finished speaking than Wayne slipped and fell while trying to catch his way on the ice during a 4T landing.
Meng Xin clicked her tongue: "If this mistake had happened during the match, Goe would have been sent straight to the center of the earth."
Xia Yuezi nodded, and also glanced back at Feng Simai sitting on the high platform, only to find that he was waving at the camera with a grin.
"Let's see how he arranges it. If he were to do a quadruple jump in his current condition, I would have to worry for his coach."
After the sixth practice session, Xia Yuezi happened to see Wayne's coach discussing something with him. Then, the Canadian star looked at Albert with a not-so-pleasant expression, and then whispered something to the coach.
Xia Yuezi could roughly guess what the two were talking about. She looked away, not intending to pry into their tactical plans, since anything could happen on the ice rink in an instant, and it was hard to say how well they could be executed.
Albert went on the ice first, and some photographers who like to stir things up immediately pointed their lenses at von Simai and Wayne, but the two of them didn't pay much attention to them and focused on the ice rink.
As most people guessed, Albert did indeed land four jumps in his short program, and many judges who favored the American style gave him a GOE of two or more. He also received very high GOEs for his other jumps, ensuring that he wouldn't be pushed out of the running by Wayne.
Wayne ignored his coach's advice and still insisted on a quadruple in the short program. Although his landing quality wasn't very high, he managed to stay steady thanks to his thigh muscles and knees, finishing second only to Albert.
Feng Simai ranked third in the short program, not only advancing to the last group, but also unexpectedly winning a small medal. When she went with the staff to receive the small medal, she was still a bit dazed.
After the results were released, some people were happy while others were sad.
Those who were pleased were naturally the unsuspecting spectators and certain leaders of the skating association.
The coaches of the two athletes are worried, as are many figure skating fans who are very concerned about the sport and are posting various blessings and good wishes for the athletes on forums.
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