Chapter 86 2016 Japan Station
◎Intense fighting◎
After the lift, the two began to twist in sync. Xiaoqing imitated Fahai and began to spin forward.
However, during the second set of twists, Ji Tiantian lost her balance. Although she completed three sets of twists, the difficulty of the original lunge slide was affected.
After successfully completing the next difficult moves, they entered the finishing stage.
In the movie, Xiaoqing finally leaves Fahai. On the ice, Ji Tiantian slides away under Tang Yi's reluctant gaze.
After the free dance was over, Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi saluted and went to the waiting area accompanied by their coach.
"I wonder what score we can get this time?" someone in the audience expressed anxiety.
"There was a problem with the twist. I guess I will be demoted..."
"Hiss... It's a bit uncertain."
Soon, Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi's scores appeared on the display screen. The technical score was 56.06, the program content score was 56.31, the free dance score was 112.37, and the short dance score was 74.46, for a total score of 186.83.
Their synchronized twist steps had errors when sliding out, and the sliding out and sliding in posture is one of the reference conditions for the grading of synchronized twists. The error caused their grade to drop from level 4 to level 3. They performed other technical movements well, with one set of step sequence being graded at level 3, and another set of step sequence and other difficult movements being graded at level 4.
After Ji Tang finished, the ice dance free dance competition was over. The final scores of all contestants were displayed on the display screen according to their rankings.
1st place: Judy Jayne of Canada 188.09
2nd place: China's Ji Tiantian Tang Yi 186.83
3rd place: Mia Lucas of Canada, 180.62
Fourth place: China Lin Aili group 160.29
Qin Nian's group still ranked eighth with 143.74.
When the rankings were displayed, there was silence in the audience at first, and then a low voice of discussion broke out.
"Our Green Snake was defeated by the foreign Nightingale..."
"Obviously our show is more beautiful, right? There's a lot of tension between the sweets!"
"Yeah, sweetie looks better!"
"If you make a mistake, you will be caught and deducted points. There is nothing we can do about it. As for the P points... well, I won't expect the referee to give it a high score."
"Although Victoria Williams is gone, Judy Jayne is ahead of us now. Rita Thompson of the United States is probably ahead of us, as well as Daria Nikolay of the Goose. So will we not be able to win a medal in the World Championships this season and after this season?"
"Hey, it feels like the road ahead is never easy..."
"What should I do? I'm so worried about Tiantian and Yi." Ni Chuan, who was sitting in the audience, also sighed, "Will they always be behind the North American players in the future?"
"No." Feifei, who was sitting next to Ni Chuan, shook her head slightly and looked up at the score display screen. "If they can become as strong as Dalia and Nikolai, the referee will not be able to control them."
"Oh...I really hope that day will come sooner."
"Tiantian must be very depressed right now. When you meet her later, don't talk too much. Just encourage her." Chen Yusheng told Wang Hao. Then they left the auditorium one after another along with the other audience members.
Ji Tiantian brought her and Tang Yi's score sheet. She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the three-level synchronized twist clearly marked on it.
This season, they wanted to challenge the 5-5-4 synchronized twist, which means three sets of twists, five weeks, five weeks, and four weeks.
This is one week longer than their previous 5-4-4 twists, and also one week longer than Judy Jayne's twist this time.
Although it is only an additional week, the risks and difficulty will increase exponentially.
Even though Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi already had sufficient tacit understanding and trust, problems often occurred during the practice of the 554 twist. Even if they could complete it smoothly, the synchronization rate and completion were always unsatisfactory.
Of course, they don't have to challenge two sets of five weeks. As long as they do the synchronized twists for four weeks, four weeks, three weeks, they can get the highest level. However, just like Judy Jayne challenged five weeks this time, they must challenge higher difficulty.
In any case, we must not allow European and American players to surpass us in terms of technology. Only in this way can we maintain our position and continue to move forward.
Although they know some things are difficult, they have to do them.
The mistakes on the field this time were predictable. We didn't expect to perform perfectly in the first game of the new season. We will learn from this experience and perform better next time.
Ji Tiantian thought so and put away the score sheet. She subconsciously looked at the score display screen. Although she had prepared herself mentally, she still felt a little empty.
Their short dance was really good. It was hard to combine hip-hop and skating, but they did it.
Because it was a new rhythm, no one could provide them with rich experience during practice, and they could only rely on themselves. They kept discussing and polishing the dance steps, and finally achieved good results.
When she saw the short dance score, she thought she might get first place in a station, but the downgrade of the synchronized twist in the free dance suddenly offset the excellent result of the short dance. In the end, she only got second place.
But it doesn't matter, it's just one race at the beginning of the season. It's just the beginning.
Ji Tiantian quickly cheered up and, under the guidance of the staff, she and Tang Yi slid towards the podium in the middle of the ice.
Before they stood on the silver medal podium, Mia and Lucas, who were already standing on the bronze medal podium, bent down and hugged them tightly. The hug was full of encouragement.
After Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi stood on the podium, it was Judy and Jayne's turn to go up to the podium. After a polite hug with Ji Tang, they stood on the gold medal podium.
Judy stood next to Ji Tiantian, jumping for joy with an extremely excited smile on her face. In the past, with Victoria and William suppressing her, it was difficult for Judy to stand on the first podium, whether in Canada or in international competitions. This time, winning first place also has epoch-making significance for them.
Judy cast a smug look at Ji Tiantian from time to time, but Ji Tiantian didn't care.
After the chief referee hung the medals around the necks of the winning athletes, it was time to play the national anthem.
Ji Tiantian looked at the five-star red flag slowly rising in front of her and listened to the Canadian national anthem. For no reason, she suddenly felt a strong surge of unwillingness in her heart.
The mistakes on the field, the ranking, and Judy's smug look did not stir up much of a ripple in her heart. But when she saw the national flag rising, her heart was in turmoil.
I am so unwilling to be defeated by someone using Chinese style right at my doorstep. I am so unwilling to be defeated.
From now on...I will never let this happen again. Ji Tiantian took a deep breath and clenched her fists.
After getting off the podium, Ji Tiantian took her cell phone back from her coach and soon received a call from Zhang Lilian.
"Tiantian, I watched your competition. It was really great! My colleagues and I really liked your performance!" Zhang Lilian's excited voice came from the other end of the phone, "How are you now? Are you not injured?"
"No, Mom." Ji Tiantian said softly. Her mother's concern always came at the right time. When she felt happy, she also felt a sour nose.
"You're not sad, are you?" Zhang Lilian asked after hesitating for a moment.
"No, Mom, the adult group won the silver medal and the bonus is quite a lot." Ji Tiantian said softly, "I will place an order for tea for you right away."
Zhang Lilian also knew that Ji Tiantian was a strong-willed person, so she didn't ask any more questions. "Then listen to the coach and have a good rest, do you hear me?" she said.
"Yes, I know."
At the same time, Tang Yi also received a call from Liu Hui. "How is Tiantian?" Liu Hui asked.
"Not bad." Tang Yi glanced at Ji Tiantian. He could feel that Ji Tiantian was not very happy, but no matter who encountered this situation today, they would probably not be happy.
"It's cold now, remember to wear your coats when you go out." Liu Hui was silent for a moment and gave a reminder.
"I know." Tang Yi paused, "The interview will start soon. If you have anything to say, tell Lao Xu."
Ji Tang hung up the phone, changed out of his coat and skates, put on his sportswear and sneakers and went to the mixed interview area, where reporters from home and abroad were waiting for them.
"This time you used the Green Snake theme for the free dance, which was very surprising." A local reporter asked Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi, "Why did you choose this theme?"
"We have always wanted to interpret some themes that are more profound and can highlight Chinese style." Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi looked at each other and then spoke to the reporter, "After last season's "Love of a Fallen Nation", Tang Yi and I learned some experience and felt that it was time."
"But we all noticed that Judy Jayne from Canada also challenged the Chinese style theme this time. In the ice dance arena where European and American culture prevails, both of your pairs of contestants can be said to be very creative and eye-catching. It is difficult to judge who is better at the moment." The reporter paused, "It's a bit regrettable that you lost to the Canadian contestant with a very close score this time. What do you think is the reason?"
"There are many reasons why we fell behind in the final score." Ji Tiantian was silent for a moment, and Tang Yi took over the conversation, "But there is no problem with our program. There is no problem with our performance and coordination. I believe in our program and I believe in my dance partner."
Ji Tian suddenly raised her eyes and met Tang Yi's dark and deep eyes.
She was originally feeling a little depressed, but Tang Yi's eyes and words were like a gust of wind that instantly blew away the dark clouds in her heart and allowed the sunshine to shine again.
Trust and tacit understanding are always their most powerful weapons.
"I...we will work together to refine some dance details and perfect the technical moves. I hope we can get good results in the next competition." Ji Tiantian came back to her senses and nodded to the reporter.
They answered other reporters' questions together, then left the interview area and walked towards the exit of the venue.
On the way, Tang Yi received a call from Chang Yu, a retired male ice dance partner.
"Chang Yu wants to talk to us." Tang Yi stopped and looked at Ji Tiantian. After Ji Tiantian nodded, Tang Yi clicked on the video invitation sent by Chang Yu.
"Tiantian! Tang Yi!" Chang Yu yelled at the top of his lungs in the video, "Good job, you guys, this free dance is great! The transitions and lifts are great! You were unlucky to be second this time! That twist step of yours... well, you'll definitely be able to succeed in the challenge next time!"
Some words are not good for others to hear, so Tang Yi pulled Ji Tiantian to a place where there was no one.
"Don't be unhappy!" Chang Yu continued, "I tell you, if you are unhappy and it affects your performance later, then the Canadian contestants will really succeed! They chose that free dance just to annoy you!"
"Well, Tang Yi and I will stay in good shape." Ji Tiantian nodded.
"They are just lucky this time. Judy Jane was just number two who couldn't climb up before. Their stability is not as good as yours. There will definitely be mistakes. Just wait and see! I don't worship the God of Wealth anymore and just pray that they make mistakes every day!" Chang Yu smiled and said to Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi in the camera, "You have to work hard! You must work hard!" After he said that, he left the camera, as if he was saying something to the people around him.
"Ji Tiantian! Tang Yi! You are the best!" Soon, a group of people came to the front of the video camera and spoke loudly.
Ji Tiantian was stunned for a while before she realized that these people were Chang Yuwei Xiao's customers. Chang Yuwei Xiao opened a hot pot restaurant after retiring, and it was said that the business had always been good.
“You are the ones who can bring Chinese art to the world!”
"Don't be a coward. If you are a coward, there will be no one left in Asia!"
"Get on the ice, you are the winner! Go!"
"Sweet sugar rush!" Li Jia
Ji Tiantian listened to the excited voices of the guests in the hot pot restaurant and couldn't hold back her tears. All the resentment she felt on the podium was now vented out with her tears.
"Thank you... Thank you, I... I will definitely work hard." Ji Tiantian sniffed as she spoke. She felt extremely lucky to receive encouragement from so many people at this time. All the hardship and fatigue she endured during practice suddenly became extremely worthwhile.
"Thank you too. Without you, we really wouldn't know what ice dancing is." A customer's cheerful voice came from the phone.
The guests chatted for a few more words, and then the phone returned to Chang Yu's hand again.
"It's alright, I'll hang up first." Tang Yi looked at Ji Tiantian who was standing by and sniffling, then looked at Chang Yu, paused and asked, "How's business?"
"That's fine." Chang Yu smiled. "By the time you retire, I'll probably be a millionaire. Come open a branch for me then."
"What nonsense are you talking about? I have the ice rink and the dance troupe to take care of!" Wei Xiao's voice came from behind.
"Oh, yes, it's different." Chang Yu reacted immediately, "Then Tang Yi, you have to assist Tiantian well!" The hot pot restaurant still had business to do, so he didn't say anything more and hung up the phone quickly.
Tang Yi silently looked at Ji Tiantian, whose eyes were red, for a while, then lowered his head and pressed his phone.
After a while, Ji Tiantian felt her phone vibrate. She looked down and saw that it was Tang Yi who transferred 80,000 yuan.
"What are you doing?" Ji Tiantian couldn't help but burst into laughter and looked at Tang Yi helplessly.
"The ice rink business has been very good recently. Many coaches and merchants have come to me for cooperation." Tang Yi looked at Ji Tiantian seriously, "This is your share."
"I don't want it. I haven't done anything for you at the ice rink, and I always take up your space to rehearse the ballet."
"If it weren't for your dance troupe, the ice rink wouldn't be so popular." Tang Yi smiled faintly at Ji Tiantian, "Of course, you have contributed to the fact that the ice rink can make money."
Ji Tiantian looked at Tang Yi quietly, her heart beating strongly in her chest.
No matter in the last life or in this life, he always liked to give her money. Although he didn't say it, she already understood very well that this was his way of caring about her and wanting to make her happy.
"Tang Yi, thank you." She couldn't help but reach out and gently stroke his handsome cheek, her thumb gently rubbing the tail of his beautiful eye.
It is this pair of beautiful and bright eyes that makes their performance on the field even more eye-catching.
"If you really want to thank me, just make our relationship public." Tang Yi looked at her with a restrained and forbearing look.
He wanted to be able to hug her and kiss her immediately when she was sad, instead of doing anything like now, where he had to look around to see if there was anyone around and hide his feelings.
"Don't do it for now. If we make it public now, people will definitely question us. They will say that we are too busy with our love life and didn't play the game properly." Ji Tiantian sighed silently, "It's okay for us, but the coach and fans who like us will probably be ridiculed as well." When the ranking of the World Championships dropped, many people said online that they were too busy hyping up their CP and making money and didn't play the game seriously. If we make our relationship public now, I guess there will be even more cynicism.
"Let's wait and see if the results can be better, okay?" Ji Tiantian looked up and touched the corner of Tang Yi's eyes with her thumb.
"I don't object to your decision." Tang Yi gently held Ji Tiantian's hand, his dark eyes staring at her quietly, "But you have to remember, I have been waiting for you, and I have been watching you."
He pulled her hand slowly down and placed a burning kiss on her palm.
"I will accompany you through any difficulties." He promised her in a low voice.
It was as if a fire was burning in her palm, and the fire kept burning her whole body. She no longer felt any loss, and the long-lost blood was beating in her chest.
"I know." Ji Tiantian looked at Tang Yi and smiled gently, "I know you have always been here." Whether in the last life or in this life, he is like a shadow, never leaving.
As long as he is there, as long as they are together, they can overcome any low point.
"Sister Tiantian! Brother Yi!" At this time, a voice came from not far away.
Ji Tiantian immediately withdrew her hand and pushed Tang Yi away. When she looked up, she saw that it was indeed Ni Chuan and Feifei who were leading a group of ice fans. Also running over were Chen Yusheng and Wang Hao.
"Your Green Snake is very powerful, you must keep working hard!"
“We all like it, please keep going!”
Everyone was encouraging them, and Ji Tiantian couldn't help but smile and thank the ice fans who had always supported them one by one.
Ji Tang said goodbye to the ice fans and teammates on the field, and then went home to rest.
After a week of intensive practice, Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi, as well as national team athletes participating in other figure skating events, flew to Japan to compete.
On the court, Ji Tiantian and her old friend and old rival Katerin embraced each other warmly.
"Ivanov and I are in good shape recently!" Katerin hugged Ji Tiantian and said happily, "Ceramic dolls, you better be careful!"
After Katelin finished speaking, she suddenly fell into a strange silence. Ji Tiantian broke free from Katelin's arms and looked to the side, and saw Judy and Jayne and their team walking by with their heads held high.
For Ji Tiantian and Katelin, North American players are their common strong enemies.
"The domestic situation is a battlefield, and the international situation is another battlefield. We really can't relax for a moment." There was deep fatigue in Katerina's voice.
"Let's work hard together." Ji Tiantian reached out and held Katelin's hand.
"Well, let's work hard together." Katerin said excitedly.
"The short dance competition on ice is about to begin. Please get ready, the first group of contestants." Soon, the short dance competition on ice began.
There are also ten pairs of contestants participating in the Japan race. The order of the short dance performance will be included in the world ranking.
With the results of the previous World Championships and the China leg of the competition as a foundation, Ji Tang is internationally recognized as a first-tier player. Naturally, he was ranked last in the order of appearance and was ranked second in the second group.
The Japanese local players that Ji Tiantian is more familiar with, Yumi Suzuki and Ichiro Kotani, appeared in the first group.
After warming up, Suzuki Kotani finished the competition quickly. They missed a key point, the pattern dance was downgraded to level three, the pattern dance derivative steps and connecting steps were level two, and other technical movements were level four. In the end, the short dance scored 56.31.
"This pair of Japanese skaters seem to have done pretty well in the Winter Olympics season," a Chinese ice hockey fan who followed Ji Tang to watch the game whispered in the audience, "Didn't the basic technical scores go up this season? Why are their scores still low?"
"Suzuki Kotani scored high during the Winter Olympics because it was still a two-part pattern dance. Pattern dance, skating according to the pattern, can't be too bad." Another senior ice fan answered him, "But this season, part of the pattern dance has been changed to pattern derivative steps that the skaters need to choreograph themselves, which has a higher degree of freedom. For many skaters who are not very good at technology but are used to skating according to patterns, it is undoubtedly a huge challenge. If you can't do this set of derivative steps well, your score will drop."
"Ah, in other words, this season's reforms are not very friendly to the newcomers and the players at the back."
"Hey, I only paid attention to Tiantang and the contestants in the front row, but I didn't expect the contestants in the back to be in such a difficult situation."
"Fortunately, Tiantang and our country's players were not affected much by the new rules."
Soon after the second group of five pairs warmed up, Katerin and Ivanov came on stage. Their rhythmic choices this season were blues and hip-hop.
After finishing the blues part, Katerin and Ivanov performed many BREAKING moves on the ice to the sound of powerful rock music.
Perhaps they were really excited about dancing. When they were doing the kneeling ice breaking posture included in the step sequence, Katerin and Ivanov failed to control their speed and fell down together. But at the moment of falling, Ivanov immediately adjusted his posture and cushioned under Katerin, while Katerin subconsciously reached out to protect the back of Ivanov's head. Although they fell, there were amazing cheers and encouraging applause on the field.
Their blues pattern dance had the right key points, level 4. The pattern derived steps were level 3, the connecting steps were affected by the fall, level 2, and the other difficult movements were level 4. Two pairs of contestants fell at the same time and an additional two points were deducted. In the end, Katerin and Ivanov's short dance score was 67.64.
Neither Katerin nor Ivanov expected that they would fall, and they looked at each other with helpless smiles. Katerin noticed Ji Tiantian's gaze, so she blinked at her, and she didn't look very sad.
The next to come on stage were Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi.
They performed just like they did in the China leg, without any mistakes and with even more skillful dancing. Except for the pattern-derived steps, which were at level three, all other technical moves were at level four, making it almost impossible for the judges to find any points to deduct.
Finally, their score was displayed, 75.83 points, setting a new record for the shortest dance this season.
"Great!" Although he had expected it, Xu Chi couldn't help but shout out excitedly the moment the scores came out.
Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi looked at each other and smiled happily.
"It's so high!" When the score came out, there were cheers from the audience.
“Although I know Ji Tang’s ability, I still find it a little hard to believe that an Asian player got this score…” After seeing Ji Tang’s results, even the Japanese audience who did not support them could not help but show surprise.
"I have a feeling that this season, China's Ji Tang will not disappoint."
The last to appear were Judy and Jayne from Canada.
"This pair of players has risen quickly this season. They performed well in the Chinese race. I wonder how they will perform this time." A whisper broke out in the audience.
"They have just become the No. 1 in Canada. There must be a lot of resources in the country tilted towards them..."
Compared with Ji Tang's creative step sequence that incorporates elements of street dance, Judy Jayne's traditional style step sequence is slightly inferior.
Their movements were graded the same as in the Chinese competition: the pattern dance derivative steps and the connecting steps were graded at level 3, and the other technical movements were graded at level 4. Compared with Ji Tang, the connecting steps were graded one level less.
Judy Jayne's short dance score was 74.72. Like Ji Tang, their scores in Japan were slightly higher than those in China.
The first day of short dance competition ended quickly, and the scores of all contestants were displayed on the display screen according to their rankings.
First place: China's Ji Tiantian Tang Yi 75.83
2nd place: Judy Jayne of Canada 74.72
3rd place: Katerin Ivanov of Russia 67.64
Suzuki Otani ranked ninth with 56.31.
Another day passed, and it was time for the free dance competition.
The first to go on stage were Japanese contestants Suzuki and Kotani. They performed one set of step sequence at level 2, one set at level 3, and all other technical movements at level 4. Their free dance scored 91.34 points. Together with the short dance score of 56.31 points, their total score was 147.65.
After the first group of five pairs finished competing, it was the turn of the second group. Soon, Katerin and Ivanov took the stage. The music they chose for their free dance was the famous piano piece "Romeo and Juliet", and the theme of their free dance was naturally a great love story.
Ji Tiantian stood at the edge of the ice and watched Katerin and Ilic skating on the ice.
In Ji Tiantian's impression, Katerin has always been a king-level figure in the field of expressing love. This time, their free dance performance was also very good, with solid technical movements, and they had enough tacit understanding and affection between them. However, the two seemed to be under a spell and fell again at the end.
This time, they scored one set of step sequence at level 4, one set at level 3, and all other technical movements at level 4. The technical score was 57.43, the program content score was 56.62, and the fall was deducted 2 points. The free dance score was 112.05. Together with the short dance score of 67.64, the total score was 181.69.
"The Russian second team has also risen. It seems that after the previous running-in, their cooperation has become very stable and their development momentum is good." Jiang Lin stood aside, looked at Katerin and Ivanov who were being scolded by the coach, and said to Xu Chi beside him, "If they hadn't fallen these two times, they would probably have become a strong opponent for Tiantang."
"I don't know what happened to this couple." Xu Chi nodded, "Maybe they were too happy during the honeymoon period and were careless about some small things. So, there are still risks in a relationship between a man and a woman."
Jiang Lin and Xu Chi looked at each other, thoughtfully.
Next up were Judy and Jayne, whose free dance theme was "The Nightingale."
Judy Jayne challenged the five-week twist again. They did a five-week, four-week, four-week twist combination. However, they made a mistake when they did the first set of twists. Judy lost her balance after completing the three-week twist and landed early. Although they completed the next two sets of twists, they were downgraded and deducted points because the first set of twists was not a full four-week twist.
The twist error seemed to disrupt their rhythm and affected their subsequent step sequence. In the end, their grade was level 3 for the synchronized twist and two sets of step sequences, and level 4 for other technical movements. The technical score was 55.01, the program content score was 57.85, and the free dance score was 112.86. Together with the short dance score of 74.72, the total score was 187.58.
"Being able to do a five-week synchronized twist and maintaining this level are completely different things." An ice fan in the audience said with emotion, "From this point of view, Tiantang is really good. Their error rate is still relatively small."
Next was Ji Tiantian and Tang Yi's "Green Snake". This time they also did five, five, and four twists in sync, and they made no mistakes in the difficult postures of entering and exiting. However, at the beginning of the second set of twists, Ji Tiantian clearly felt that they were not very synchronized and their movements were not in sync, so the execution score would most likely be deducted.
After they finished the competition, they came to the waiting area to wait for their results. Soon, their scores were displayed. The technical score was 56.81, the program content score was 56.32, the free dance score was 113.13, and the short dance score was 75.83, with a total score of 188.96.
One set of connecting steps is rated at level three, and other technical movements are rated at level four.
Jiang Lin held Ji Tiantian's shoulders and looked up at the score display screen with her.
All the players in the Japanese station have finished the competition and their results are displayed according to the ranking.
First place: China's Ji Tiantian Tang Yi 188.96
2nd place: Judy Jayne of Canada 187.58
3rd place: Katerin Ivanov of Russia 181.69
Suzuki Otani ranked ninth with 147.65
Ji Tiantian stared at the display screen in a daze, her heart beating faster involuntarily.
They got first place in a very thrilling way.
However, the difference between them and Judy's team was very small. It can be imagined that they will have fierce battles in future competitions.
The author has something to say:
Ah, that, the last spinning lift that Tiantang did in the previous chapter was similar to the last lift in the champion group's PC Winter Olympics free dance.
The lift is a female partner's Jio and a male partner's Jio intertwined together, and the sweet one is two Jio and Tang intertwined together... It's almost like that ~ gesture ~
Thanks to the subscribers, comments, nutrient solution and Lei Lei~ Happy Lantern Festival~
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