160 Riyadh World Games-Mixed Doubles
◎Talent is something that is really hard to say.◎
There is not much pressure in the mixed doubles this time.
Zhu Qi observed the group and found that they were basically old opponents, and they were familiar with each other. They had done a lot of training. There were also some new partners who had just formed a team not long ago.
Of course.
We cannot take it lightly either.
You never know which team will emerge as a dark horse mixed doubles player.
Zhu Qi felt that the coaches were a little too confident in her and Song Linzhou, as if they had won the mixed doubles at the previous two World Games, so they were sure to win this time as well.
Compared with the first time they participated in the mixed doubles, the coaches seemed more relaxed than the athletes this time.
Xu Dong and Gao Xiaofeng, as the two main coaches, made some training arrangements for the players they would meet in this division. Then they looked for the training information of the opponents they might meet in this mixed doubles competition, and prepared to integrate it for video training for Zhu Qi and Song Linzhou.
Although Ah Shui's main focus during the entire Riyadh period was personal development, he was Zhu Qi's loyal sparring partner in the past. In addition, he had played several mixed doubles matches with Zhu Qi and Song Linzhou, so he was able to start training right away.
As they were practicing, for some reason, the Chinese team was always surrounded by a crowd of onlookers.
There were some players wearing jerseys of other countries, as well as coaches from those countries, and some staff members of the organizing committee, wearing the iconic Arab headgear.
They formed a barrier around Zhu Qi and the other three, automatically building a human wall. Everyone's eyes were fixed on Zhu Qi and Song Linzhou, swaying back and forth with their steps.
Zhu Qi was concentrating on practicing his dribbling technique. During the break, he was about to go to where his bag was to get his water bottle. When he turned around, he was stunned to find that there were crowds of people in front and behind him.
Why are there so many people?
What are they all doing here?
The training hall is open to all athletes and is not yet separated by country in order to reserve it for some athletes to warm up and train.
Because many core coordination techniques and tactics can be seen by external organizations, in order to prevent tactical leaks, the coaching staff of the national table tennis team has the national table tennis team focus on some basic skills when training in the training hall, and at most practice serving or footwork.
As for the technique, I didn’t really practice much. I had already practiced what I needed to at home.
The main goal is to adapt to the venue as quickly as possible and keep a more stable mentality.
Qin Xiaoba also practiced for a long time and wanted to pull up his shirt to his chest to expose his abdomen to dissipate heat, but when he saw so many people around him, he had to endure it and tuck his shirt into his pants again.
The national team has only two air conditioners, which are very old and are under repair most of the time.
When they were too hot during training, they would take off their shirts, but later because CCTV reporters often came to interview the team, Ren Xinhua felt that it had a bad influence and stopped allowing them to go shirtless.
Boys can only hold up their shirts and tie a knot at the chest.
The main idea is the reverse thinking that if there is only one leaf left in the world, it will be covered on the belly button of the Chinese.
Exposing your belly button is like dissipating heat.
Several people were so hot that they could only sit by and fan themselves.
"Why do they always watch us training?" Ah Shui took a sip of water, beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks, and his collar was soaked with sweat.
"I don't know. I saw some foreign-looking people with cameras." Qin Xiaoba also took a sip of water and screwed the cap back on. "This isn't a competition. What's so interesting about it? I don't understand."
"I guess they want to see how we're doing." Song Linzhou wiped his hair with the corner of a towel draped around his neck. "Lulu and Caribou have been doing really well since they returned. They've been doing really well in their tournaments over the past two years, and they've been consistently in the top ten in the world rankings. So maybe a lot of the foreign teams are interested in learning from us."
Lulu first showed her talent when she was studying abroad with the national team.
Although Zhu Qi feels that he is a player with an equal amount of hard work and talent, he occasionally feels that his talent does account for a higher proportion. He is also considered a talented player recognized both at home and abroad.
But when I saw Lulu training with the national team, I felt that true talent can actually make people despair.
Lulu was born in Pakistan. After all, it is adjacent to India, so many customs and ideas are similar.
She has already broken through many obstacles by being able to stand on the world stage as a woman, so she cherishes the training with the national team very much.
Almost every time Zhu Qi trained, Lulu would watch from the side. Maybe she didn’t understand some of the Chinese, but she would digest it herself.
Zhu Qi saw Lulu working hard a few times, so he gave her some simple pointers and even taught her how to serve over the baseline.
The baseline-sprinting serve has always been the most challenging. When Zhu Qi first started practicing, it took him nearly three months to achieve a consistent success rate and avoid serving himself out. He then practiced for a long time, almost a year in total, before he could ensure that every serve would have a very low impact on the net and be of very high quality.
Qin Xiaoba practiced for a longer time, starting at the age of 9, and only achieved the same effect as Zhu Qi, who had practiced for a year, when he was 12 years old.
But at that time, Lulu spent two hours every day practicing her serve, and in less than half a year she was able to hit high-quality serves.
At that time, Maomao smiled and said that it was Zhu Qi's good teaching, but in fact, Zhu Qi himself knew that it was Lulu's own talent in touch.
It's really hard to say what talent is.
Just like explaining a math problem, some people need to be explained in great detail, step by step, and may not be able to understand it. But some people can understand it after just one explanation and then solve the problem on their own.
Zhu Qi didn't watch many games in the Middle East, but he did pay attention to the changes in the World Volleyball Team. Lulu basically never lost a game in the Middle East, and this World Games is definitely different from the past compared to the Moscow World Games.
Perhaps seeing the progress of Chinese students studying abroad, many foreign teams who also want to improve their own table tennis skills come to watch the training of the Chinese team.
There were a few familiar faces in the crowd, basically opponents and coaches they had met frequently before.
When Zhu Qi was taking a break during training, a few of them came over as if they wanted to discuss something with Zhu Qi, and greeted him with a smile.
Zhu Qi looked at the pale faces grinning at him and just responded with a few words politely.
At this time, she likes to pretend that she doesn't understand English, otherwise she will have to chat with this group of people face to face about a bunch of nonsense.
Many foreigners also like to use exaggerated expressions when speaking. I heard that this is because people there believe that being lively and outgoing is popular, so they like to express their emotions when speaking. And for those who are introverted, quiet, and don't like to laugh, there will also be some American-style bullying and exclusion.
"That's great! My sister is considered a sports star, right?" Qin Xiaoba sat by the table, wiping the sweat dripping onto it with a towel. He sighed as he watched Zhu Qi start signing autographs for the foreigners one by one to send them off. "It was the same thing when we went to the Yokohama Open last time. The Japanese player, Zai Yuanxiang, called a bunch of reporters over and took photos of my sister for a long time. They made her sign over twenty autographs before letting her go. What's this called... Oh, the internationalization effect?"
"Grand Slam, isn't this what I should do?" A Shui put away his towel and prepared for the next round of training.
The mixed doubles training lasted for a few days, and Zhu Qi and the others watched for a few days.
This situation continued until the mixed doubles competition began.
During the live broadcast of Zhu Qi and Song Linzhou's 32-to-16 match, the sports channel also made an early opening statement, and was flooded with promotions for various sports events.
China has developed rapidly since the millennium.
When we attended the Moscow World Games before, many people had to watch the games at the homes of people who had TVs, but this year the popularity of TVs has skyrocketed, and 80% of people have a small TV at home.
Black and white televisions have also become the tears of the times. Although the color saturation of many color TV screens is not very high, and sometimes there are too many people on the screen and the screen is distorted, it is already much better than the previous black and white viewing effect.
The four adults in Zhu Qi's family also got up early, prepared all the fruits and snacks half an hour in advance, and sat in front of the TV, ready to watch the game.
"Everyone has a TV at home now. It's better than in previous years. It's so lively when a group of people get together to watch something." My uncle sighed while waving a palm-leaf fan.
"It's more comfortable at home and I can see more clearly. It's so hot outside, so it's better to stay cool with a fan at home." My aunt followed.
A melodious, standard Mandarin voice echoed across the screen, and the female host smiled and addressed the national audience: "This World Games is attracting much attention. 177 Chinese nationals are participating. Currently underway is the first mixed doubles table tennis competition, and we've invited a former national team player to provide professional commentary. Please welcome Coach He Qianlu, currently serving as coach for the Chaojing team."
After working in the Chaojing team for more than three years, He Qianlu's work content has not changed much.
However, this was He Qianlu's first time being invited by CCTV to be a commentator.
Ever since the scandal, He Qianlu basically disappeared from the public eye. It was not until Zhu Qi won the World Cup that many people remembered He Qianlu.
Now He Qianlu appears directly on CCTV Sports Channel, and it is the table tennis segment with the highest ratings. Many people's memories begin to emerge.
[Hello, everyone in front of the screen, I am He Qianlu.] He Qianlu wore a small suit and sat at the table with a bit of restraint.
The female host smiled and eased the atmosphere: "The Qilin team is also a well-known mixed doubles duo of the national table tennis team, with a consistently high winning rate. I hope they can give their all this time and show their best form."
As soon as the host finished his opening remarks and the scene switched to the Riyadh competition, my aunt interrupted them: "Stop talking! Our daughter is about to come out!"
On the screen, a man and a woman wearing Chinese team jerseys stood side by side at the entrance. They walked along a 200-meter-long corridor, one in front and one behind, into the entrance area.
The color TV for my uncle's house was bought by Zhu Qi. It has very high definition, and even the stitching on Zhu Qi's team uniform can be seen clearly on the screen.
A pretty young woman stood in the center of the screen. This was Zhu Qi's third time standing at the mixed doubles competition. She had gotten used to this way of entering the venue. Compared to her first World Games when she was a little hesitant, this time she was more calm and in control.
The man next to him had also lost his childishness. He could be said to have grown up under the care of his uncles and others. He and Zhu Qi stood facing the camera with their hands behind their backs.
After that, I chose my side, the right to serve, unpacked the kraft paper around the racket, placed a towel, wiped the dust off the rubber, and stood on both sides of the table to start the pre-match dribbling...
Zhu Qi and Song Linzhou were familiar with all these processes.
Then the competition officially began.
Zhu Qi's face remained composed and calm. As she leaned over the table, racket in hand, she looked like a general in control of everything on the sandbox. Her eyes were fixed on the opposing player's serve, and she saw everything with the keenest eyes.
And there is always someone behind her to protect her.
Both domestic and outsourced companies have a vague feeling about this.
That is, as athletes grow older, injuries accumulate, and the next Los Angeles will definitely be the stage for A Shui and Qin Xiaoba.
This may also be the last swan song of the world's number one mixed doubles player.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
