32 Tokyo Direct Tournament ③
◎【1st update】A new journey has begun! The legend of a new generation is being written! ◎
This story was actually heard by A Shui when he was training in the National Youth Training Camp.
Because of the previous accident with the cat, the coaches of the national youth team paid great attention to the equipment issue. They would inspect the location of the tools every day and post various reminders under the shelves.
The Chongqing Provincial Team seems to be still helping Maomao with the lawsuit to get more compensation, but the two opponents are minors and the case has been dragging on until now.
The other parent even went to the national team, claiming how excellent their son's performance was, how good his grades were, and how bright his future was. They wanted to attract more attention by hanging posters and force the national team to comply.
But at that time, Ren Xinhua's attitude was very firm, and he directly put the two of them on the national team blacklist.
Zhu Qi sighed deeply.
This idea that neither a PhD nor a Master's degree holder is as good as me because I am a man is really a disgrace to the world.
Two years ago, when I withdrew from the competition due to injury, I learned that the "Golden Throne" of the World Cup was a fifteen-year-old girl.
No one knows what the cat is feeling.
The pain at the time of the incident lasted for a long time but was not completely unbearable, so Maomao endured it until the end of the national youth training match.
After successfully being selected for the second national team, Maomao was faced with the issue of promotion and relegation between the first and second teams, so he could only train while recovering.
Ah Shui felt a little sad and said to Zhu Qi, "If it were me, I would definitely not play and would immediately return to the provincial team to see a doctor. But Maomao's family isn't doing well either. Financially, I heard her family only has a hair salon to support, and the registration fee for the National Youth Training Camp is so expensive... She cherishes the opportunity to join the national team. After joining the team, she forced herself to train and play in the team competition despite her shoulder injury, fearing that the coach of the national team would find out and not select her..."
So... the longer you delay, the worse it gets.
In fact, Zhu Qi can understand.
When He Qianlu took her to play in domestic competitions, Zhu Qi once sprained her ankle. That night, a small bump appeared on her ankle. She applied ice all night and forced herself to continue playing the next day.
People’s youth only lasts for a few years, and the golden period is only these few short years.
Those who can play for the national team all have some injuries to some extent. Generally, they can endure it if they can, unless they really can't bear it, then they will take time to treat it, but they can't fall behind in training.
The cat's injury is an old disease. When nothing happens, everything is normal. However, if there is inflammation or excessive training strain, the situation in the World Cup will occur.
The doctor said that due to the lack of timely treatment and a series of intensive competitions, the crack and fracture had deepened and could no longer heal on its own.
The pain was so unbearable during the World Cup that she asked for a blocking injection to force herself to continue the game.
But it was rejected by Ren Xinhua.
Chairman Ren told her that the side effects of the blocking injection were serious, and if she wanted to compete in the Tokyo World Games, she should not rely too much on the blocking injection.
Later, no one knew how Maomao felt when he saw a young Chinese girl sitting on the golden throne.
Before she even made her mark, rising stars had already emerged.
——Sports competition is really cruel.
Ren Xinhua would rather she cry at this time than have such a good seedling have a career of only a few short years.
The shoulder injury was healed until the Table Tennis League in November. During this period, various rehabilitation training, physical fitness tests, simple ball pulling and racket catching... As long as he could hold the racket, Maomao felt very cherished.
But this injury is like a time bomb that could explode at any time, and she never knows when it will make her unable to even lift her arm.
She is only 20 years old, but her entire right arm and shoulder are already strained to the extent that she is 40 years old.
At that moment, she finally understood what it felt like to want to cry but not be able to.
But cats don't believe in fate.
Everyone who pursues a career in sports doesn’t believe in fate.
From a sparring partner in the first team to a main player and then to an absolute main player, I fought my way to the top.
As the main training target of the new generation, Maomao dare not fall behind or give up the opportunity to compete because of his shoulder injury.
Until the "Golden Throne" came to the team, Maomao looked at Zhu Qi, who was honored and highly anticipated to enter the national team.
The longing and envy in my heart are hard to express in words.
If she hadn't been injured, if she hadn't been suffering from so many illnesses, if I hadn't been warming up in that place that day...
Could she be like this girl, always looking forward to tomorrow, always dreaming of the future?
Maomao never thought that he would become her roommate.
Cat, who has lived independently since joining the provincial team at the age of nine, hates troubling others the most.
After the incident, Maomao became even more determined to do things on his own.
Everyone thinks that Maomao is easygoing, talkative, and doesn't bully younger players.
But Maomao herself knew that her soul was surrounded by iron barrels, sealed tightly, guarding against anyone and being absolutely vigilant.
So whether it was applying the patch or removing the gauze, she liked to do it herself. But the talented player on the team, the only one with a badge, who everyone thought was a little difficult to approach, walked up behind her, asked her where she wanted the patch applied, and after doing so, told her to call her again if she needed him, then turned and left.
After that, she often changed her own medicine.
Sometimes, you even know when to change the dressing better than the cat itself.
The cat trusted her more and more, and approached her more and more actively.
It wasn't until that day when she stood up for A Shui that Maomao knew.
This person is the kind of opponent he has been waiting for.
The sound of the white ball being hit was as deafening as a tsunami. It rushed across the table on both sides, sometimes drawing a semicircular arc in the air, sometimes rushing across the net, and sometimes drawing a strange arc...
[Fifth game, Zhu Qi 2:1 Zu Tianjiao]
[Fifth game, Zhu Qi 4:2 Zu Tianjiao]
[Fifth game, Zhu Qi 6:4 Zu Tianjiao]...
The score was changing rapidly, and everyone's eyes were following the little white ball swinging back and forth.
The cat's swing speed is very fast!
It was like holding a whip, whipping the white ball back and forth, making the ball spin like a top at a very fast speed and rush towards the opposite side.
Zhu Qi also seemed to be able to predict where the ball would land and take precautions in advance where the ball would bounce.
Even Master Fo, who has always been the most optimistic about Maomao, couldn't help but admire: "Baobao, this kid, his arithmetic level is quite good now."
Hearing this, the reporter came over again: "Coach Jiang, what does it mean to count the balls?"
"You can predict the landing point and rotation of the opponent's ball. In simple terms, when you hit the ball, you can predict how the opponent will return the ball, and then prepare for a counterattack in advance at the landing point of the opponent's ball." Buddha explained.
The reporter saw that every time before Mao Mao started to swing the racket, Zhu Qi was already ready to catch the ball and couldn't help but admire: "It's rare for such a young age to be able to do this."
"All players on the national team need to know how to count the ball, but it's impossible to do it perfectly for every game and every ball. This isn't a movie," Foye joked. "But Zhu Qi and Maomao are quite familiar with each other and know each other's ball patterns very well, so their calculations will be more accurate."
As soon as the words fell.
Zhu Qi gave Maomao a small ball near the net on the right side.
Maomao tensed his arms and swung the racket hard, hitting a long ball to the far table.
The ball flew out.
Zhu Qi failed to catch the ball and lost two points in a row.
[Fifth game, Zhu Qi 6:6 Zu Tianjiao]
The score is tied.
The two girls took a short break, standing in the rest area, one in the south and one in the north, wiping their sweat and drinking water.
The whole place was silent, and people sitting in the audience could even hear each other's breathing.
Zhu Qi's eardrums were slightly numb, but the sound of his heartbeat was very clear.
In fact, Maomao's ball is not as hard as Chang Hongxia's, which is extremely offensive; nor is it as safe as Ding Shushu's, which is extremely defensive in terms of slices; nor is it as good as A Shui's, whose long rubber and inverted rubber can be used to hit back and forth, and rotate flexibly.
But her shot was the most tiring and stressful shot Zhu Qi had ever played.
Because every ball that the cat throws is of very high quality, whether it is rotation, speed or power, they are all very balanced and there are very few mistakes.
In a sport like table tennis, it is not enough to be proficient in only one item, as it is easy to be targeted by opponents.
You must have a forehand and backhand system plus high-quality all-round development to make a way forward.
Maomao does this very well. She is like a template of a table tennis player, with both forehand and backhand being very mature.
Rest is over.
The fifth game, the deciding game begins.
Cat serves.
Zhu Qi possessed the cat and stared closely at its movements of throwing and hitting the ball, not missing any details.
When the ball hit the cat, the cat's hair on the forehead danced with the movement, and tiny beads of sweat danced in the aperture along with the hair.
Her posture was calm, her expression focused and gentle.
Unlike when he was fighting with others, he had a unique gentleness and ease when facing Zhu Qi.
Zhu Qi twisted the ball back with his backhand and successfully twisted it back.
Her judgment was correct; it was a very deceptive backspin ball.
The cat makes a subtle movement when serving the ball.
Whenever she serves a backspin ball, she likes to make a fake move of lifting her wrist, as if the ball she serves is a topspin ball.
On the contrary, when it comes to topspin balls, there is no such feint.
[Fifth round, small score, Zhu Qi 9 VS Zu Tianjiao 9]
It's time to wipe the sweat again.
Zhu Qi picked up the towel, folded it several times in his hands, and even forgot to wipe the sweat off his face.
In a trance, she could always remember a question she asked Maomao before the game started.
"If, and I mean if. With your current physical condition, there's a 95% chance you won't win the gold medal at the Tokyo World Games. Are you willing to give up the Tokyo World Games and take two years to undergo a thorough rehabilitation surgery to prolong your career? That way, you can still compete in the Moscow World Games and the Riyadh World Games?"
Maomao didn't even think twice and answered directly: "I won't give up the Tokyo World Games."
Zhu Qi didn't understand: "Why?"
"Because I play every game like it's my last," she said.
Zhu Qi was deafened, and his soul seemed to be hit by something, and he was a little dazed.
This is what Maomao wants to convey to her.
She has always recognized Zhu Qi's achievements and always believed that Zhu Qi's future would be better than hers.
A truly healthy competitive relationship is one that is both an enemy and a friend.
But competition is also cruel. You have to crush other people's dreams to create your own glory.
If only Zhu Qi and she were together, they would be happy.
She had already lost half her chance of arm wrestling.
The players on the national team change every day. If they skip a day of practice, they'll notice their teammates' skills have improved significantly the next day. Maomao doesn't dare to slack off, nor does he dare to leave, fearing that they'll be caught up or falling behind.
Ah Shui in the audience was extremely worried. It would have been fine if the score was ahead, as everyone would have had some idea in their mind.
I am afraid of the situation where one point follows another and I am chasing after them relentlessly.
[Fifth round, small score, Zhu Qi 11 vs. Zu Tianjiao 10]
The score once again reached a tense match point.
One goal difference.
Seeing his hook serve losing its deceptive power and being gradually broken by Zhu Qi's rotation, Maomao calmly chased the incoming ball! Swinging his arms! Accumulating power!
Everyone saw that the cat suddenly exerted force.
She began to move sideways to the right half of the stage and lower her center of gravity.
A white ball flew back and forth across the net at a very low speed.
Maomao is in a stalemate with Zhu Qi.
Forehand confrontation!
Both sides were attacking, and the left and right ends were like a lion and a tiger biting each other. No one was willing to defend, and they wanted to determine the score of the last ball with the most neat fight.
Before this ball, Zhu Qi had been avoiding Maomao's shoulder injury. He didn't want to use pull-ups to add burden to Maomao's shoulders, and hoped that every ball could be resolved in the first three boards.
But now that Maomao has taken the initiative to fight against Zhu Qi, it means that she is also fighting for the last time.
The white ball was hovering around, and everyone couldn't help but silently count along with the beats.
"6, 8, 10, 12..."
This ball is like a flying cannonball. It looks like the opponent is just hitting it back and forth, but in fact, only insiders know that this ball is a high-quality ball with high rotation and strong force.
If the ball fails to keep up with the opponent's rotation even a little bit, it will immediately fly high.
Both of them tried their best to lower their bodies, and their entire bodies were tense like a fully drawn bow.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
The sound of the racket hitting the ball seemed to have its own amplifier, exploding in everyone's ears.
Finally, on the 14th shot, the ball went a little way out of the table at Zhu Qi's place.
Out of bounds.
[Fifth round, small score, Zhu Qi 12 vs. Zu Tianjiao 10]
[Fifth Round: Zhu Qi 3 vs. Zu Tianjiao 2]
At this moment, time seemed to have been paused.
Maomao suddenly remembered what Chang Hongxia had said to her when she first made it to the first team: "Maomao, I've been waiting for someone to succeed me. I'm relieved to see you. I hope you can carry the banner I've given you in the future and, no matter what, safeguard the glory of the national table tennis team."
But when he was playing despite the recurrence of shoulder injuries several times.
At that moment, she suddenly understood why Chang Hongxia said that to her.
As the gatekeeper of the national table tennis team, Sister Xia has been there longer than Chang Hongxia, competing even longer despite old injuries. Yet, Chang Hongxia has not dared to retire until now, fearing that rising stars will not be able to carry on the glory and lose the empire fought for by the pioneers.
Maomao wants to be the person that Sister Xia can feel at ease with, but she also knows that she may not have much time left.
Zhu Qi's appearance not only made Sister Xia feel at ease, but also let Maomao know that there was no one alone by her side.
Sister Xia also said that if you want to understand someone, play a game of ball with her.
This game allowed Maomao to see the soft side of Zhu Qi.
She tried to hit loop balls against herself as successfully as possible, allowing Maomao to adapt to the high rotation and impact brought by the loop balls, simulating Japan's fast attack combined with loop ball playing style, allowing Maomao to simulate a fierce battle with the Japanese team in advance.
Rather than calling it a direct competition, it was more like an "exchange match" between the two of them using the ball.
Zhu Qi let Maomao know the flaw in his hook serve, and Maomao let Zhu Qi know his shortcomings in the long court when he gave him many long balls.
They are all the same people.
Even if they live under the same roof and know that the other person will be their biggest competitor in the future, they are still willing to help the other person improve.
She doesn't need any scheming or calculation, nor will she use any despicable means to achieve victory.
Sister Xia is right.
The little white ball won't lie.
The game is over.
The two participating players stood on both sides of the table. No one applauded or cheered, as if everyone was looking at them with a pitying expression.
That day, there were no losers on either side of the table—and no winners either.
This is just an intra-team friendly match, and no matter who wins or loses it will not affect the ranking.
But everyone felt like they were watching a fateful battle.
When the two girls looked at each other, Zhu Qi felt a little moist in front of his eyes, and he couldn't see the expression on Mao Mao's face.
Maomao raised her head and glanced at the glaring light. The strong light made the corners of her eyes feel slightly cold.
ah.
So bright.
【Author’s words】
There will be another update at 18:00.
In fact, the athletes of the national team will definitely suffer from strain in various parts of their bodies due to long-term exercise.
Because the national team is not a school, although professional athletes may not be adults yet, they are actually already "working". The national team will pay you a salary, so the competition of survival of the fittest is also very fierce.
I recently read the autobiography of a national team coach, who described a young player under his wing who, at the peak of his powers, underwent minor surgery and was out for six months. Upon his return, he discovered a dramatic transformation of the entire national team. Several exceptional young players emerged, and even teammates who had previously been unable to beat him could now easily defeat him. As a result, the player soon retired, realizing he had lost his edge.
If an athlete has clear requirements for himself, wants to achieve higher honors, and does not want to waste his golden period, this type of athlete will generally endure it if he can. If the pain is unbearable, he will get an injection and continue training. He will get four or five injections before the competition to endure it.
However, there are also those who rush to find a very good hospital and then hire a very good rehabilitation team before the Olympic period, spending a lot of money on treatment in order to recover as soon as possible to compete in the Olympics.
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