86 Moscow World Games - Mixed Doubles
◎ Appearing in the singles event of the World Games for the first time, I encountered a "roadblock"◎
A total of 197 member states participated in Moscow this time.
All countries had to give face to the eldest son of the Soviet Union. No country boycotted or missed the Moscow World Games. The athletes entering the venue alone were a huge crowd.
The scale of the Moscow World Games was huge, with huge investment and unprecedentedly large venues.
Just the venue used for pre-match training for the table tennis team is the entire national team training hall plus two auxiliary halls, which is even larger when put together.
I heard from the badminton team next door that their training ground is about the same size.
Zhu Qi sighed, saying that Russia was indeed a country with vast land and sparse population.
The players who were participating in the World Games for the first time were somewhat anxious.
From the first day he moved into the Moscow World Games Village, Ah Shui began to suffer from insomnia. He would fall asleep at 4 a.m. and wake up at 7:30 the next morning to wash up and eat breakfast.
But after suffering from insomnia, A Shui was still very energetic the next day and not sleepy at all.
The cat said, "That's because your adrenaline is surging."
A Shui thought he was the only one with this symptom, but he didn't expect Qin Xiaoba to have the same symptom.
The men's team didn't sleep well because there were too many newcomers. Those who didn't play in the competition felt the pressure, let alone those who participated.
Xu Dong and Chang Hongxia knew that their daughters had worked hard to prepare for the competition, so they got up early, went to the cafeteria to get some food, brought it to Zhu Qi and the others' suite, woke them up, and supervised them packing.
Ah Shui, with visibly bulging eye bags under his eyes, munched on dry bread dipped in honey while asking Zhu Qi, "When you first participated in the World Games, were you really not anxious at all? And are you the same this time?"
"It's okay." Zhu Qi took a sip of milk.
Actually, I can’t say that I wasn’t anxious at all. I felt like there was a lump in my chest that I couldn’t breathe out or let go. But it all felt better once the game was over.
After all, the World Games are different from other competitions.
But with the experience of the previous World Games, his anxious reaction was not as great as A Shui's.
Xu Dong smiled and said, "Baobao is a bit special. She already had a lot of competition experience before the World Games. It's normal to be a little nervous about the World Games. After all, there are so many top players and the competition is the highest. We were the same when we competed. We were so anxious in the early days of the World Games that we couldn't even eat."
Chang Hongxia laughed along, "Yeah, especially Lao Gao and the others. When they were playing in Canada, the men's team would hold their rackets even when they went out to eat. They couldn't even let go of their rackets when they walked; they only felt more secure when they were holding them. There was that time when Lao He wanted to take a photo with a player from Athens, and when they saw him holding his racket, they thought he was going to have a fight. Hahahaha..."
Several girls in the room laughed.
Zhu Qi felt that this was very similar to how students with cultural backgrounds kept their books in their hands before the college entrance examination. No matter whether they read it or not, they just felt at ease as long as the book was in front of them.
In fact, in addition to the players being nervous and anxious, the coaches also have the same mood.
When Xu Dong took Zhu Qi to play mixed doubles in the last session, he was also very restless and couldn't sleep all night. He sat by the bed and began to plan how Zhu Qi would play the next day's game.
This time, Zhu Qi competed in three events and also won the most important women's singles title.
Xu Dong kept the schedule and information book in his hands all the time. He began to calculate the opponents that Zhu Qi might encounter in each game, studied all the players who appeared in this session, and then estimated the situations that might occur during the game.
After studying it, Xu Dong discovered… “This year’s Moscow is the ‘Clash of the Titans’, arguably the most difficult to win in history.”
Chang Hongxia agreed. Looking at Zhu Qi and Maomao sitting across from her, she sighed, "North Korea, Russia, Japan, South Korea, the United States... including Huang Jiajia, who emerged as a star player from Hong Kong this year. The best players of the 1990s are all in your class."
The three girls all showed serious expressions and had already prepared themselves mentally.
Several shops were also opened during the World Games.
The store sells some World Games commemorative badges, which are made of copper metal and have a pin button on the back that can be clipped on to distinguish athletes from different countries.
There are some in all 197 countries, and some local characteristics are incorporated according to the different customs of each country.
For example, China’s commemorative medals are mainly giant pandas, and there are many types of giant pandas, including giant pandas swimming, giant pandas playing volleyball, giant pandas playing badminton... There are more than 30 poses of giant pandas playing table tennis alone.
A Shui plays a rich and willful person who buys all the China-related badges on the shelf.
Maomao couldn't stand it anymore, and when Ah Shui was about to go to another country to look for it, she stopped her: "Are you clawing? Are you buying labels?!"
Zhu Qi also bought a few and pinned them to the strap of his golf bag.
As a result, not long after she went out, a large group of people came over and wanted to exchange with her.
I didn't expect there would be a pin exchange activity now.
Before returning to the suite, Zhu Qi had changed all the badges on his body.
But she didn't buy the badge for exchange, but to keep it for her own commemorative stamp collection!
/
The first table tennis match is mixed doubles.
If we can win the mixed doubles, it will be very important to boost the morale of the entire team.
So before the first game started, Zhu Qi and Song Linzhou agreed to fight quickly and not work overtime.
As expected, they won the first match against the Canadian mixed doubles team with a big score of [4:0].
This time, the mixed doubles team will integrate into the competition faster than the previous one. There is no need to adapt to the competition venue in advance and they can play right away.
Every time Zhu Qi pulled the ball and scored, he could hear some particularly clear and loud cheers coming from the stands. He knew without even looking that it was from his uncle and the others.
Although it was Russia's home game, the shouts of my uncles and the others were almost as loud as those of the whole audience, and they paid full attention to the emotional value.
In addition to Zhu Qi's family, the old man of the Bayi team also protected his subordinates.
Not only did he personally go to Moscow, but he also invited a group of people from somewhere. This group of people, both men and women, looked young and probably foreign students in Russia. They had Chinese flag stickers on their faces and stood out like sparks in the blue crowd.
"The Chinese team—"
"come on!"
"The Chinese team—"
"come on!"
"The Chinese team—"
"come on!"
One sound after another, like the collision of ice and fire.
Zhu Qi and Song Linzhou finished the first mixed doubles match without much effort and successfully advanced to the round of 16. The Chinese team and the Japanese team met in advance.
Table tennis has always been an important gold medal sport for China.
Before coming here, the General Administration of Sports issued an order.
The Chinese team is required to win no fewer gold medals than the number of gold medals won in the Tokyo World Games, and must maintain second place and strive for first place in the world gold medal rankings.
Because of the big home advantage, it is very likely that they will not be able to compete with Russia.
In table tennis, we are striving to maintain the fifth place and fight for the sixth place.
Five gold medals is the bottom line.
Ren Xinhua is old and has long passed the retirement age, but he still insists on staying in this position because he has not found a suitable successor.
If Moscow fails to complete the tasks assigned to the General Administration of Sports this year, I'm afraid she will be close to retirement.
After the first game, when Zhu Qi was packing up to go back, the entire interview area was full of people.
"Why are there so many people today?" Song Linzhou whispered beside him.
There were three layers inside and three layers outside, all filled with reporters holding cameras and microphones, of all skin colors.
As soon as they saw Zhu Qi, they all swarmed over like a beehive.
The crackling flashes of light made it almost impossible for Zhu Qi to open his eyes.
The only question they all asked was that the women's singles draw results came out in advance, and Zhu Qi was drawn into the "death half".
Zhu Qi is in Group A and Shackleides Jamie is in Group B. They both belong to the same half of the group.
That is to say.
Only one of them can stand in the finals.
Maomao and Xiaoxue Nuo are in the other half.
The reporters were very curious.
This young girl, who represents the new force of the Chinese women's table tennis team, encountered a "roadblock" when she first appeared in the singles event of the World Games.
"Contestant Zhu Qi, what are your thoughts on the draw and the possibility of meeting Shackleides Jamie in the quarterfinals?"
"Are you aware that Shackleides Jamie was once a male table tennis player?"
"I heard that the American team went to China two years ago and had an exchange match with the Chinese team. Have you ever played against Jamie?"
"In this competition, how confident are you that you can snatch the qualification from Jamie?"
These people ask too many questions.
Zhu Qi had just finished a mixed doubles match and was a little confused.
After listening to their questions, Zhu Qi felt for some reason that these foreigners seemed to have some resentment.
Perhaps Jamie's overwhelming performance at the European Championship, which robbed too many women of fair competition, has caused some discontent. However, due to the pressure of "political correctness" imposed by the United States, no one dared to speak out.
They seemed to be asking Zhu Qi whether he had confidence in the match, but in fact they seemed to be asking whether Zhu Qi could beat Jamie.
If Jamie wins this time.
Will all the women's and girls' events be a complete mess from now on? Anyone can get involved?
It seems that the silent majority can still see through the essence of things.
But before coming this time, the coaching staff had informed all the players that if reporters asked about topics related to Jamie, they would all adopt a vague attitude.
So Zhu Qi could only get away with saying, "No matter who my opponent is, I will play every game with all my heart."
Teams from China, Russia, South Korea, Japan, North Korea and Hong Kong all advanced successfully.
The next game is against Japan.
Hmm.
This meeting was quite early.
Who drew the lot for the Japanese team? It's so tough!
In the second round, we will face the Chinese team.
Zhu Qi walked around the corridor and saw the main entrance to the gymnasium, marking the athletes' exit. Outside, several children from the national table tennis team were waiting to pick up Zhu Qi and Song Linzhou. This was their mission: to provide logistical support.
As soon as they saw Zhu Qi and Song Linzhou, the children came over to help carry the bags.
Actually, the World Games events are not that bad, there is only one game a day.
Unlike the World Table Tennis Championships, it is possible to play two or three games a day.
After playing today, you can go back and rest.
The Japanese team was also waiting for the bus at the door. Before Zhu Qi and Song Linzhou arrived, the Japanese team had already held an internal discussion.
For the Japanese team, the situation at this Moscow World Games has suddenly changed compared to the Tokyo World Games four years ago.
After all, it was our home court last time.
Most of the fans in the stadium were Japanese, and there was still a lot of room for improvement.
Even so, they only won one men's singles championship and one women's doubles championship.
And this time it was in Moscow.
From the start to the end, the Japanese team felt like they were being suppressed by something.
He had originally planned to win all the championships in one fell swoop by relying on loop balls four years ago, but then Zhu Qi suddenly appeared.
No matter how hard the Japanese team practiced loop balls during this period, they always felt that something was missing.
It was clearly they who developed this "enhanced topspin ball", but a Chinese man was able to play it better than them all.
After the Tokyo World Games, the Japanese team actually gained more confidence.
Because they also have a men's singles champion, Ichito Matsukaze.
Lu Yaohan, who was the main trainee of the Chinese team, also lost to Songfeng Yidu many times, but he still had a chance to compete in the National Table Tennis Championships and the World Championships.
But no one expected that a player who hits with a straight racket would appear on the Chinese team.
Ikto Matsukaze was able to maneuver well when playing with a horizontal racket or a spinning style, but the straight racket he used against the Chinese team was always counter-maneuvered, which was very uncomfortable.
Therefore, before the Japanese team set off this time, they no longer dared to make any promises. When facing reporters' interviews, they could only say: "We will go all out and do our best to win honors for the Japanese team."
It is not certain what the specific honor is.
Silver is fine, bronze is also fine...
Especially in Yuanxiang, she felt that she was also trapped in some kind of "curse".
He lost to Zhu Qi three times in a row in world-class competitions.
If the first time was an accident and the second time was due to lack of preparation, then the third time really... there is no way to explain it.
It only means that it is indeed a crushing victory in terms of strength.
Yuan Xiang sat in the bus, holding her head in her hands, and couldn't figure it out no matter how hard she tried.
Why is this happening?
She didn't want to admit that she was not as good as Zhu Qi, but the result seemed to be that way.
Japan's head coach Yuto Fukuda felt a little disappointed when he saw Hara Kaori like this.
Although because of Haraka, the Japanese Sports Agency gave the table tennis club a lot of preferential treatment, whether it was equipment, venues or team doctors, they were the best among all Japanese sports teams.
However, the Japanese media's hype about Hara Kaori and portraying her as the "future" of Japanese table tennis is really a bit too much.
When the applause is at the fifth level, but the players' level is only at the second level, how to fill the gap in the middle?
Everyone is looking forward to visiting Yuanxiang, but they always return disappointed.
What else can he do?
She has a grandfather who is the deputy minister of the Sports Department. He is just the head coach of a district table tennis team and doesn't dare to say anything harsh to Yuan Xiang during training.
Seeing Zaiyuan Xiang like this, he could only say, "Zaiyuan, you must cheer up. Although the mixed doubles team and the Chinese team are drawn in the same quarter, as long as you beat them, you will definitely have a chance of reaching the finals!"
Not to mention Yuanxiang, even Xiaogangpao who was sitting not far away showed a bitter smile when he heard it.
What?
Are they fighting against the Kirin combination?
Still win?
Is the coach still asleep?
At the last World Games, Reiko Komatsu and Xiao Gangpao played mixed doubles. They had practiced for three or four years before participating in the competition, and they were quite comfortable pairing up. However, they lost to the Belarusian mixed doubles in the semi-finals and didn't even make it into the top three.
As for this year's match with Yuan Xiang, the winning rate is even more uncertain.
Originally, the Japanese coach planned to have Matsukaze Ito and Arihara Kaori form a mixed doubles team.
However, Matsukaze Ichito firmly refused to play mixed doubles and wanted to concentrate on men's singles, so the coaching staff had no choice but to call him, a hard-working person.
In the past two years, Hara Xiang has been like a star, showing up everywhere, giving interviews, and appearing on Japanese variety shows... His popularity has increased, but his basketball skills...
"Pa, pa, pa!" Fukuda could only clap his hands to cheer the players in the car up. Even if they weren't sure about the mixed doubles, they could still compete in singles. He cleared his throat and prepared to carefully plan the future for the players. "The competition in women's singles is too fierce, so mixed doubles is our top priority this time! As long as we can win the mixed doubles, even if there are some 'small mistakes' later, the Japanese people will be able to accept it, right?"
After saying this, Xiao Futian felt a little guilty.
It's common knowledge that the US team has a transgender competitor this year.
Originally, she was banned from the Moscow World Games, but later, for some reason, they allowed her to compete. Rumor has it that the US and Russian teams reached some kind of agreement, meaning the US team would only be allowed to send Jamie.
Because the Russian team's main goal this year is not women's singles, but doubles series and men's events.
Jamie's performance in the European competition was too outstanding, almost every game was a complete victory. Women always seemed to be completely crushed by men, without any chance of resistance.
So everyone thought that Jamie from the American team would definitely win the women's singles, and the Russian team simply gave up on the women's singles. The Japanese team itself didn't really want to compete with the American team in the women's singles, anyway, there were other events and they had a chance of winning.
But who could have thought that we would be so unlucky as to be drawn into the same mixed doubles group as the Chinese team.
When Zhu Qi met Yuan Xiang, he felt that she was much calmer than before.
I used to like to greet the camera with a smile and say auspicious words. I don’t know if it’s because I’m older and more mature, but I’m not as childish as before. At least when I saw Zhu Qi, I still took the initiative to come up and say hello.
"I'm going to compete with you again tomorrow. I really miss you." Yuan Xiang had a very decent smile on her face. After saying this, she took off a Japanese style Ukiyo-e badge from her body and handed it to Zhu Qi. "This is for you."
Zhu Qi took it and picked one from his own body and gave it to her.
Yuan Xiang was very happy and talked a lot to Zhu Qi.
As a result, the next day, a photo of the two standing and talking was published in the newspaper, with a line of words: "Rivals on the field, friends off the field. Exchanging badges is the embodiment of the Olympic spirit..."
Judging from the perspective of the photo, it was most likely taken by the coaches of the Japanese team at the time.
Maybe they want Japanese fans to think... that Hara Xiang and Shu Qi have a good relationship, that Hara Xiang and Shu Qi are top-tier players of the same level, that Hara Xiang and Shu Qi are destined to be inseparable rivals... or something like that.
very good.
At first, Yuan Xiang wanted to suppress him, but after realizing that she couldn't, she felt very happy to be on the same level with him.
I will still make up for it in my daily life.
But in the mixed doubles match of 16 to 8 the next day, Zhu Qi did not give face to Yuan Xiang just because he was short of money.
The game ended before anyone could react.
【Big score, Chinese team 4:0 Japanese team】
If you include the coin toss to choose the side and the serve, it will probably take about 30 minutes.
At the end of the first game, both Yuan Xiang and Xiao Gang Pao looked calm, and it seemed that they could still catch up.
But after the second game, both of them began to look worried, and by the end of the third game, they looked even more hopeless.
Even the coach gave up in the fourth game. Yuan Xiang even wanted to catch up for one more game at least it wouldn't look so bad, but Xiao Gangpao just gave up if he couldn't catch up with the ball he could, so as to save his energy for the men's doubles.
Even Xu Dong, who was coaching off the court, didn't expect the Japanese team to be so fragile this year.
Anyway, four years ago we fought the Chinese team for seven innings.
The cats in the stands applauded Zhu Qi and expressed their admiration for his growth over the years.
In the loop ball system, the forward and high-lob styles that she figured out by herself are more than enough.
Basically every ball ends in three boards.
Zhu Qi attacked and Song Linzhou passed the ball, making the two players on the opposing Japanese team dizzy.
Yuan Xiang was trapped at the far end and couldn't come back at all, and didn't even know how she lost the points.
The Japanese team was eliminated first.
One strong rival minus one... Well, to be honest, they can't be considered strong rivals this year.
What to do in the next game... When Zhu Qi was packing up, he heard Chang Hongxia walking over from the stands and shouting at them through two partitions.
"The Hong Kong team's mixed doubles also advanced to the quarterfinals."
The next game is against the China Pearl River Delta team.
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