43 Tokyo World Games-Mixed Doubles
◎【1st update】Then let's go - demolition! Steel! Cannon! ◎
The competition has only just started in less than four days.
The competition among China, Japan and South Korea has intensified, with the three countries competing against each other for the top spot in the gold medal rankings.
The gold medal count is fluctuating daily. Although the South Korean table tennis team suffered a setback, athletes in other sports performed quite well. Archery and speed skating remain South Korea's strengths, though the latter is expected to be surpassed by the Chinese team in the future.
In the morning, Japan was at the top of the list, in the afternoon, South Korea was at the top, and tomorrow, China was at the top.
Other countries are slowly climbing up the gold medal list, watching the three above compete fiercely.
At Japan's home turf, their athletes also put in their best efforts to compete with the Chinese team. In just one morning, they won eight gold medals and widened the gap with the Chinese team.
Before the mixed doubles semi-finals began, Ren Xinhua met Japanese head coach Yuto Kofukuda.
The other party even came over to say hello with a smile, and while shaking hands with Ren Xinhua, he said: "Our Japanese athletes are all very outstanding."
They had just defeated the Zhuhai-Hong Kong team in the quarterfinals and were so proud of themselves that those who didn't know would have thought that the Japanese mixed doubles team had made it to the finals.
As soon as Zhu Qi entered the warm-up hall, he saw Japanese media reporting extensively: "The Wall of China Has Collapsed," "Japan Becomes the Overlord of Asian Sports."
"Bah, it's just the beginning and you think you are the overlord of the sports world. How shameless." A Shui cursed.
Maomao followed up, "If Japan hadn't won the gold medal, you wouldn't even be able to see their people."
The World Games is not a victory for a particular event, but a victory for the entire country.
Although many people say that standing on the podium is victory, for athletes, the most important thing is to be the first.
Qin Xiaoba encouraged them: "There are six gold medals in table tennis, and we've won them all! Diving and badminton are also our gold medal opportunities. We'll definitely overtake them in no time!"
Overtaking is a matter of the future.
The most important thing at the moment is to take down Japan first.
Before the game started, Zhu Qi felt that Song Linzhou seemed a little dizzy and was a beat behind when talking to others.
"What's wrong?" Zhu Qi asked.
Song Linzhou said it was okay, took a deep breath, looked at Zhu Qi and smiled, "My heart is beating a little fast."
"Don't be nervous, just play normally."
The girl comforted him gently, just like she would stand in front of him and enter the competition venue before every game.
Two years wasn't a long time, and she was already taller than when I first saw her on the plane.
But it still looked very thin, and the sportswear was as empty as a sack on her body.
Many athletes are very strong and have a layer of fat wrapped around their muscles, so they look very healthy.
But she seemed to be born with malabsorption problems. Coach Xu Dong and the health trainer assigned to her by the Jianghuai Provincial Team tried to use dietary supplements to increase her muscle mass, but it would fall off again after just two days. So she simply gave up power shots and focused on spin and speed.
The girl stood in the spotlight with her back straight.
There was a sense of uprightness that could not be bent by anything.
As if she was aware of his nervousness, the girl kept looking at Song Linzhou with her eyes. The soft light in her pupils seemed to have some strange magic that could calm his anxious mood a little.
The soft light gathered into a special halo on her body. Her skin was cold and white, her eyebrows and eyes were indifferent, like a girl who walked out of the Book of Songs.
The players from both teams come on the court, shake hands and get ready.
While standing at the coaching booth and taking off his coat, Zhu Qi looked at the Japanese team on the other side and said, "Although the male players on the Japanese team are short, their thigh muscles are really well-developed. They're as thick as his female partner's waist."
Her teasing made Song Linzhou feel much more relaxed. He followed her gaze and agreed, "Yes, a short stature and a low center make his lower body more stable. I heard that he used to be a sumo wrestler. In Japan, he has a nickname called 'Little Cannon', which means his kicks are very powerful."
"The Japanese are really good at giving nicknames, and they suit him very well. Then let's do it together today - dismantle! Steel! Cannon!" Zhu Qi shook his arms and wrists, ready.
The match between the Chinese team and the Japanese team.
This is the most anticipated collision since the start of the entire Tokyo World Games!
Almost all media outlets around the world pointed their cameras at the small pool table.
Some national media even arrived half an hour early to grab the best camera positions.
The fans gathered together. Although the cheers of the Japanese were as surging as the tide, there were still a small number of Chinese people in Japan who shouted "Come on!" in Chinese.
It is said that all the Chinese students studying in Tokyo have come here, ready to fight to the death with the Japanese fans in the stands.
In this era, those who can study abroad are all students from relatively wealthy families.
They put up a giant handwritten banner with a hand-painted version of the cheering slogan on foam board. Some even spontaneously bought five-star red-bottomed cloud-patterned folding fans in the traditional Chinese style and, outside the Tokyo Stadium, where it was still scorching hot in August, called on all non-Japanese foreign fans to receive them for free.
As long as you support the Chinese national table tennis team, you deserve a folding fan.
Qin Xiaoba and A Shui also went over to receive more than a dozen to be distributed on the spot. Later they found that it would be more effective if there were signatures of Chang Hongxia and Gao Xiaofeng on them!
The Chinese people, who have engraved the power of uniting all that can be united into their DNA, used their own way to get many black and white audience members in the audience to pick up the five-star flag.
——"Japan! Come on!"
——"The Chinese team! Must win!"
The cheers rose one after another, and no one gave in until the court position and serve were determined.
The little cannon is worthy of being called a little cannon.
The ball was thrown fast and hard, and the force was so strong that it shook the hand.
When Zhu Qi plays basketball, he hates meeting two types of people the most.
One is a slicing maniac, and the other is a power-rich type.
And Guhuang Amber is the latter.
The first round did not go well for Zhu Qi.
Although he won the first game with a slight advantage of 13:11, during a brief break, Zhu Qi shook his right hand and felt slight discomfort.
The audience holding folding fans at the scene were very happy, and the commentators of CCTV5 were also very happy.
I heard that the two Japanese players came prepared and made many tactical changes to target the Chinese mixed doubles. Judging from the first game, that probably played a role, so our victory was quite difficult.
These two Japanese mixed doubles players are also right-handed, and their chemistry is comparable to that of the Kirin duo. I heard they shut out their opponents in the quarterfinals...
Xu Dong sat in the guidance area, calm and composed.
Who would have thought that she was just a new coach joining the national team coaching staff two years ago.
And two years later, he was still sitting in the coaching seat at the World Games semi-finals.
This is also a challenge for her as a young coach.
As an off-field coach.
It's not enough to just sit there and talk about plans.
She has to act as the brain for the players on the field and provide the most correct tactical instructions when the players are overwhelmed.
"Gu Huang Amber's ball is really quite jarring. It's really hard for you to hit it, isn't it?" Xu Dong said softly, looking at Zhu Qi. "Actually, there's no need to go head-to-head with him. This 'Little Cannon' is a power player on the Japanese team. Many male players find him difficult to play against, let alone you. Don't use your weaknesses to compete with his strengths. Learn to play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses, using spin to counter his power shots. 'Little Cannon' excels in the forehand area. Da Ling should try to serve left-handed during transition. That way, they'll have no choice but to hit Bao Bao's backhand on the next ball. Bao Bao will simply use a backhand shot to hit him in the triangle area, and he's too slow to catch up..."
The two children nodded, put down the towels in their hands and prepared for the second game.
Hara Xiang was sitting in the audience, with her coach sitting on her left. The two of them watched the second game with great interest.
The latter pursed his lips at the Chinese girl and said, "Coach Fukuda thinks this kid will be Japan's biggest competitor in the future. There's a saying in China, 'Tianjiao in the West, Zhuqi in the East,' that she and Zu Tianjiao, who's competing in the women's singles, are the 'companion stars' of Chinese table tennis. Her shots, while topspin, have a looping feel. The head coach is worried our training videos might have been stolen by the Chinese team. This kid's only seventeen, so she has at least ten years of development ahead of her. That's terrifying."
Haruka crossed her arms and smiled sweetly, "The 'loop shot' isn't something that just anyone can learn. Our Japanese team has been studying it for so long. The technical and tactical results we've painstakingly cultivated will become our trump card to dominate the table tennis world. When we do, this girl won't be a problem anymore."
The coach looked at the girl sitting next to him, who was inexplicably a head shorter than him, and smiled, "That's true."
The Japanese female players next to them were no longer surprised.
Arihara Kaori has a sweet look and is as good-looking as any female star. She also has the image of a national team athlete and is a very famous star player in Japan.
Since she was 8 years old, Japanese TV station has specially launched a weekly documentary for her, recording the table tennis growth journey of "A Generation of Genius Girl".
At the age of 18, she has countless fans. Although she has not yet won the singles championship in the three major tournaments, she is already a household name in Japan and is a well-deserved national daughter.
Inahara's career was also smooth sailing because she had a grandfather who was the head of the sports department at the Japan Sports Agency.
She is specifically responsible for the promotion and publicity of Japanese sports culture. After joining the Japanese national team, her star effect has brought a lot of sponsorship and funds to the Japan Sports Agency.
It can be said that if Yuan Xiang only needs to stand there, nod and smile at the fans, a steady stream of funds will flow into the pockets of the table tennis team.
At this Tokyo World Games, the Japanese team's goal is not on singles.
The first choice singles is of high quality but the competition is fierce, and the coaching department infers that with the current performance of Zaiyuan Xiang, there is little chance for her to stand on the podium in the singles event.
The appearance of Yuanxiang requires an opportunity that can shock the world.
We cannot face failure in our first World Games and leave a bad impression on the people that we are not worthy of being used.
Therefore, the first choice is only women's doubles and mixed team, which are events where winning is a credit and losing is no fault.
The second game begins.
After receiving the suggestion from Zaiyuan Xiang, Reiko Komatsu and "Little Cannon" began to focus on attacking Song Linzhou.
After a few balls, the score between the two sides was deadlocked.
[Second game, small score, Chinese team - Zhu Qi/Song Linzhou 8:7 Komatsu Reiko/Ko Akira Amber - Japanese team]
"In the original text, although the penhold-blade horizontal hitting technique improves the backhand weakness of the penhold-blade, it is still much inferior to the horizontal blade. Let's not compete fiercely with player Zhu Qi and dull her edge. Let's use the backhand to twist against player Song Linzhou and break their rhythm." Reiko Komatsu communicated quickly with her teammates while wiping her sweat.
Gu Huang Amber nodded and retreated to the middle of the backstage.
The first round of serve and receive begins.
As soon as Song Linzhou's serve passed the net, Komatsu Reiko quickly retreated and was replaced by the "Little Cannon". With a backhand flick of her wrist, the white ball drew a very strange arc in the air and landed crookedly in front of Zhu Qi.
The first time Zhu Qi saw it, he judged it was a topspin ball, but when he flicked it backhand, he was subconsciously startled.
Oh no.
No short balls should be given!
Reiko Komatsu held her racket horizontally, turned her wrist, and hit a fast and spinning topspin ball.
Song Linzhou failed to follow up with his backhand, the ball went out of the table, and he lost a point.
[Second game, small score, Chinese team - Zhu Qi/Song Linzhou 8:8 Komatsu Reiko/Ko Akira Amber - Japanese team]
"It's bad." Xu Dong felt very uncomfortable.
Although losing just one point is not a big deal, on the court, a one-point difference can determine victory or defeat.
The Japanese team is much more difficult to deal with than the South Korean team.
They had done their homework, had figured out the fighting styles and coordination between Zhu Qi and Song Linzhou, and had conducted special targeted training.
The point Song Linzhou lost was first of all a point of momentum.
8:9
8:10
9:10……
[Second game, small score, Chinese team - Zhu Qi/Song Linzhou 9:11 Komatsu Reiko/Ko Akira Amber - Japan]
The second game was won by the Japanese team.
The sun flag fluttered in joy, like a white curtain cheering throughout the audience.
The total score was [1:1] tied, but the Japanese team caught up with one point, which made all the Chinese people in the audience sweat.
Looking at the two children, Xu Dong began to encourage them. "There's nothing to be afraid of with Japan's spin-and-push technique. Haven't we practiced it many times at home? Be more proactive and strike early. Don't let 'Little Cannon' and that woman hit a quality shot first. Even if they do hit it and lose a few points, it doesn't matter. Just stay steady and don't panic."
After drinking the water, both children looked unhappy.
"If they want to fight with you, don't let them lead them by the nose. You can be more aggressive this time and end the blitzkrieg." Xu Dong followed.
Zhu Qi felt strange while wiping his sweat.
Why didn't these two Japanese players hit a loop ball?
She also wanted to observe up close what a real "loop ball" looked like.
Could it be that the Japanese team has also encountered a technical bottleneck?
Are you not able to perfect the "loop" technique for every ball so you don't dare to use it rashly?
The two nodded and turned back to the table when they heard Maomao shouting at the top of his lungs in the audience.
"Strike first! Attack first! Don't panic! Don't get confused!"
The Japanese coach was also very excited, gesticulating and providing emotional value to the two players, and seemed very satisfied with their performance in the second game.
Zhu Qi thought for a moment and whispered to Song Linzhou, "This 'little steel cannon' is short and fat, which is his advantage and also his disadvantage. Although he has a stable lower body and hits the ball hard, his arms are short, so he really can't keep up with the speed of his line when running."
Song Linzhou's eyes lit up: "Do we need to change the line at a large angle and let him run?"
Zhu Qi nodded. "This 'little cannon' is powerful, but also fat. Look, his belly almost hangs down to his butt. Hit him in the middle left-hand position and serve a side spin."
Song Linzhou's eyes lit up, and he was surprised at the girl's quick thinking.
She has a very strong learning ability. Isn't this just asking them to follow the "close ball" tactics of Li Keshan and Han Taiyang?
Song Linzhou nodded and did as Zhu Qi said.
The Japanese female player tried hard to catch up, and after a side cut to the ball, Zhu Qi reached out and smashed it.
Every ball she threw was aimed at the little cannon's belly.
The "Little Cannon" failed to pull sideways in time, and it was very difficult for him to receive the ball, so he kept losing points.
[Small score in the third game: Chinese team - Zhu Qi/Song Linzhou 4:1 Komatsu Reiko/Ko Akira Amber - Japanese team]
"Beautiful! Good shot - awesome!" Qin Xiaoba raised his arms and shouted!
"Has Baobao learned the playing style of the Korean team? He won't get a yellow card for this chasing ball, right?" A Shui said nervously.
"A table tennis court is so small, getting hit is normal. As long as you don't keep hitting people in the face or the coach's repeated warnings are ineffective, you won't get a yellow card," said Maomao. "Da Ling plays too honestly, doing whatever the coach says. She's a well-behaved player, but lacks wildness and cleverness. Bao Bao is more aggressive, a quick learner, and a very strategic player. Playing with her is the most tiring. They complement each other perfectly."
After losing points in the second game, Song Linzhou, who had lost three points in a row, also regained some of his touch. He couldn't help but give Zhu Qi a thumbs up: "You are so smart."
table tennis.
In addition to physical strength and skills, there is also a battle of brain power.
At the beginning of the third game, after gaining an advantage, Song Linzhou was no longer as nervous as in the second game.
As long as you can tear a hole in the opponent's tactics, you can give them the courage to pursue.
Even if you lose a few points, don't be discouraged.
Seeing the two children playing with high concentration, Ren Xinhua was very satisfied.
Now the whole stadium was in chaos, and the voices of reporters, coaches, and spectators seemed to be non-existent.
The media, which had originally been optimistic about the Japanese team, also began to praise it.
Romantic France: [This is amazing! I heard the Chinese team's female mixed doubles player is only 17 years old and won the World Championship gold medal two years ago. Is the Chinese team destined to continue dominating the table tennis world?]
Beacon of Freedom, America: [Oh my god, look at the way the ball is spinning. It's hard to believe this girl could possess such powerful strength. She's simply a miracle child.]
Oliver Twist Ying Dali: [I haven't seen a penhold backhand hit in a long time. Hasn't this technique been eliminated yet?]
Blue House Light Korea: [They stole the Korean team's strategy and imitated Lee Ke-sun and Han Taeyang's close-range ball tactics! This is the wisdom of our Korean team!]
Russia, the eldest son of the Soviet Union: [Ura! That's how you play ball! Fight like men! Choke the enemy to death in the cesspool! Until they beg for mercy with tears!]
The South Korean team's close ball tactics are too superficial, they only know how to attack blindly.
Zhu Qi made temporary adjustments based on this item.
"Little Cannon" and Reiko Komatsu were overwhelmed and made many passive mistakes in the second half.
Ah Shui in the stands was puzzled: "Why didn't the Japanese team learn from Bao Bao and his team's last round against South Korea and bend down to avoid the close-range shot?"
Qin Xiaoba slapped his thigh. "Oh, look at that. The Korean team plays the one who doesn't receive the ball, while my sister and her team plays the one who prepares to receive the ball. How can they let them win? And they have to bend down to avoid the ball and cover for their teammates. Not every mixed doubles team has the tacit understanding that my sister and Ling Ge have. I don't know if my mom is watching the game. If she saw my sister being so awesome, she would definitely cry..."
"I really want to cry right now, woooo, I'm so touched." Ah Shui bit his fingers nervously. "Maomao, do you think it's possible to finish the game in five games like we did against the Korean team? My heart is about to explode."
"I don't think we can do it. The Japanese team won't give up so easily. Let's wait and see." Maomao said. "How's the game going next door?"
Big Bear, who had just come over from another field, said, "The Russian team is leading, a crushing victory. They're probably in the finals."
The Chinese team is under tremendous pressure.
The third game was won by the Chinese team.
【The overall score is 2:1 for the Chinese team and 2:1 for the Japanese team.】
The two Japanese players who lost the third game returned to the coaching seat. No one knew what the Japanese coach said, but the two of them stood back in front of the table full of fighting spirit.
Knowing that Zhu Qi liked to hit "Little Cannon" in the belly, "Little Cannon" fortunately also began to learn from Song Linzhou's performance against the South Korean team in the quarterfinals, bending his upper body sideways into a "C" shape, leaving complete space for swinging his arms.
At the beginning, Zhu Qi and Song Linzhou scored a few points, but the "Little Cannon" quickly found Guan Qiao to receive the ball and quickly caught up with the score.
3:1
4:2
6:5
8:9…
The two sides chased each other and the score was close.
Ah Shui was surprised and said, "Don't be fooled by this little fat guy's short stature and chubby figure. His waist is quite flexible and he can bend like this. It's obvious that he has been trained in the DVD industry."
10:10……
The score reached match point again.
The Japanese team had some luck, but they hit two borderline balls and won the fourth game.
[4th round, Chinese team - Zhu Qi/Song Linzhou 2:2 Komatsu Reiko/Ko Akira Amber - Japanese team]
The Japanese media have been focusing their cameras on their own players, replaying the goals scored by the Japanese team in slow motion endlessly, accompanied by various praises.
What about "infinitely powerful explosive balls", "coordinated soul bonds", "unpredictable formation combinations", "dealing a heavy blow to the Chinese team", "losing behind but still persevering to win a game, showing their true colors"...
There were countless praises, as if they were afraid that others would not know that this was Japan's home turf.
The Japanese media were afraid that the Chinese team wouldn't understand, so they specially hired a translator with a strange accent to translate it again in Japanese-style Chinese through the loudspeakers in the broadcasting room.
Those who supported the Chinese team in the stands were all staring in anger.
Qin Xiaoba slapped his thigh and pointed at the speaker: "Ghostwriter, what a joke! Are you filming a movie here? Isn't it just winning a round? Do you think you are such a big shot? Damn it! Damn it! Shameless job!"
Ah Shui pulled him and said, "Stop yelling. I'll clear you out later, and then you'll really have to go to the toilet and yell 'Baga Yalu'."
The Japanese media did this to mess with the mentality of Zhu Qi and Song Linzhou.
But Zhu Qi's condition was very normal. He wiped his sweat when he needed to, drank water when he needed to, thought about strategy when he needed to, and wiped the rubber when he needed to.
But the big boy next to him was different. He looked at the audience opposite and suddenly raised his hand to express his protest.
Zhu Qi looked in the direction of Song Linzhou's hand. In the audience seats facing their pool table, there was a man holding a camera and taking pictures of them, with strong light flashing from time to time.
Song Linzhou's eyes are recognized as good in the team, and his sensitivity to light reflection is also very high.
Fortunately, it was discovered before the game started. If we lost points due to the interference of the flash during the game, it would have been a big loss.
The referee was a Japanese. He sat on the scoring chair and slowly glanced at the place where Song Linzhou pointed.
The person Song Linzhou pointed at was also an Asian, probably either Korean or Japanese.
When he received the referee's gaze, he immediately put down the equipment in his hand, spread out his hands, and looked confused and innocent, indicating that he didn't know what was going on.
The referee turned around, looked at Zhu Qi and Song Linzhou, and said, "Please continue."
“…” Zhu Qi and Song Linzhou.
At this time, the words He Qianlu once said to her lingered in her ears.
——The main venue of this World Games is Tokyo. You need to pay extra attention to every aspect of food, clothing, housing and transportation. There are countless monsters and demons waiting for you. The World Games is a war without the smoke of gunpowder.
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