Chapter 12 12 The Youngest Champion
Tan Ling's free skating configuration was slightly lower than He Hui's. Three jumps were arranged in the second half. Because Lz had a weak edge, the two jumps she chose to repeat were 3F and 3Lo.
But figure skating is not a sport where whoever has the higher BV wins; completion and artistic expression are equally important.
The music sounded on the field and the last program of the women's singles group was performed.
There was an imperceptible stiffness in Tan Ling's body movements, and the slightly frowned brow of the coach on the sidelines revealed the panic in the hearts of the two.
Tan Ling is 16 years old this year, and this is her last time to participate in the national youth competition. As the defending champion for two consecutive years, she has a heavier burden than anyone else. She is an international rising star who has already made her mark in the adult Grand Prix, but she is also the only Chinese player who has encountered developmental difficulties this season.
The complex emotions were revealed in the unstable jump. The originally planned 3F+3T jump combo turned into 3F+2T because of the shaking of the ice landing on the first jump.
But Tan Ling is experienced in competitions after all, so her mentality will not be completely broken by the mistakes at the beginning. She quickly adjusted herself and successfully won the second string of 3Lz+3T.
"If you hold the blade tightly, there will still be some problems, right?"
"Indeed, it seems that I have grown taller and heavier recently. It feels like the blade, which was almost modified, has returned to its original state."
"Alas, it feels like the championship is getting further and further away."
Tan Ling's show continued. The height of the remaining jumps was average. Although she stood firmly, it was obvious to the naked eye that the jumps were not very good.
Time passed by little by little. In a blink of an eye, Tan Ling's program only had the last jump 3Lo left.
At this point, most of the skaters were on the verge of a critical stamina crisis. Tan Ling was affected by her growth period, and her skating speed had slowed down noticeably.
This directly led to her 3Lo take-off being only slightly better than a pull-up jumper. Tan Ling had never been a pull-up jumper since she was a child, and the low-altitude jump made her posture in the air flustered, and she was even more unstable when landing on the ice, and finally fell directly.
He fell on the ice with a thud, and then climbed up awkwardly using his hands and feet. Tan Ling's face was already pale.
Tan Ling understood that her fall almost completely knocked her off the championship podium.
In the section called Kiss & Cry, Tan Ling was trying hard to hold back the tears in her eyes, waiting for the verdict of fate.
This time the referee's scoring didn't make anyone wait too long.
"Tan Ling from the Winter Management Center of Province B scored 105.98 points in the free skating, with a total score of 166.87, ranking second."
At this point, the rankings of the 08/09 National Figure Skating Grand Prix junior women's singles competition have been finally determined.
He Hui won the championship, Tan Ling the runner-up. Another 15-year-old contestant from Province J won the third place, but her score was much lower than the two of them.
"Congratulations!" Lin Xiaoman's voice came immediately, and the warm breath lingered in her ears, "I said, you should be the champion."
He Hui felt a surge of warmth in his heart and took the initiative to give Lin Xiaoman a warm hug, resting his head on her shoulder with peace of mind.
Lin Xiaoman patted her on the back, her tone slightly proud, "Why, are you so grateful for my teaching?"
He Hui: “…”
*
The medal ceremony began ten minutes after the free skate.
He Hui stepped onto the highest podium with her short legs. With the height of the podium, her height was finally equal to the other two.
A burst of muffled laughter came from somewhere in the audience.
A question mark popped up in He Hui's mind, and he always felt that the voice was coming towards him.
The next second, a clear "cute" came into his ears, as if to explain that there was something fishy here, which made He Hui's mouth twitch.
Humph, judging from her height in her previous life, she is not a small potato!
Tan Ling stood on the runner-up podium next to her, her eyes still red. She was still immersed in the pain of defeat, and her whole mind was absent-minded.
Therefore, on the entire podium, only the third place winner smiled innocently, which was in sharp contrast to the first and second place winners who were both worried. She did not have the reserve of senior three-three, but she fought through a group of young female singles and won a precious medal, which was indeed worth celebrating.
Taking the flowers from the award presenter and wearing the heavy gold medal around her neck, He Hui's smile bloomed on her lips like a gorgeous flower.
For ice fans, this championship symbolizes the promising future of Chinese women's singles figure skating.
“Although I’m just a small potato, I feel so confident and beautiful!”
"I think so too! Can I dream of winning the Youth Finals or the World Youth Championship?!"
For He Hui, this championship is also of great significance - it is her first championship in two lifetimes.
She lowered her head and stared at the gold medal that symbolized the highest honor. It was completely different from the silver medal in her previous life, and it was shining with real light under the overhead light.
At that moment, He Hui felt as if his heart was hit hard.
Maybe, life really could have different possibilities; maybe, she really was born to be on the ice rink.
The news that He Hui won the championship spread throughout the national figure skating team in just a few hours, and became the center of the most lively storm in the figure skating circle with the momentum of a raging fire.
She had just packed up all her equipment and was about to leave the venue with Lin Xiaoman when she was blocked by a strange middle-aged man in his forties.
Lin Xiaoman's expression suddenly became strange, and she hesitantly called out, "Coach Ma?"
This expression made He Hui feel uneasy.
Coach Ma and Lin Xiaoman nodded slightly as a greeting, then turned their heads towards He Hui and asked directly, "Are you interested in switching to the doubles event?"
He Hui was stunned and looked at Lin Xiaoman asking, "What's going on?"
"Coach Ma, this is not fair, is it?" Lin Xiaoman frowned.
Coach Ma ignored her and continued to promote himself calmly, "We have the potential to win medals, even gold medals, in international pairs skating. If you come to our pairs skating team, we will definitely not treat you unfairly."
The more he listened, the more He Hui felt that this pie was really big!
"What do you think? Are you interested in joining our pair skating?" Coach Ma looked at He Hui. "I hope the answer is yes."
He Hui thought back to her outstanding performance in pairs skating during the Sochi and Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in her previous life, and had to admit that what Coach Ma said was true. Well, maybe it can't be completely empty talk.
But after living a new life, He Hui has a clearer idea of what she wants and what she doesn't want. She took a deep breath and rejected Coach Ma's invitation, "Thank you for your appreciation, but I have no intention of changing my sport."
Coach Ma wanted to say something else, but Lin Xiaoman had already used up all her politeness towards her senior. "Coach Ma, Huihui has said she doesn't want to do it anymore, so please don't force it, okay?"
“If you change your mind, our door to pair skating is always open for you.” After leaving these words, Coach Ma left reluctantly.
After the figure disappeared, Lin Xiaoman snorted, "This old man really doesn't take me seriously. He even poached people right in front of me."
He Hui raised an eyebrow, feeling that the two had some past. However, since Lin Xiaoman said so, it must be Coach Ma's fault.
"I promised to create the future with you, sister." He Hui said.
Lin Xiaoman smiled brightly, "Of course! Don't be fooled by his sweet words. Don't they have their own people in pairs skating? They are always looking to see if we have any good talents in women's singles, thinking of recruiting people to switch to other events! They have bad intentions!"
He Hui nodded, indicating that he would remain steadfast in his determination and successfully received a pat on the head from Lin Xiaoman.
*
After five days of competition, He Hui finally returned to her comfortable home. Her parents were too busy with work to go to the game, but they asked the chef at home to prepare a sumptuous dinner for her.
As soon as the door opened, there was a bang, and the streamers that had flown to the ceiling from the salute suddenly fell from the sky and covered He Hui's hair.
"Congratulations to Huihui for winning the championship!" Lu Yanfeng and He Jianmu formed the high and low parts, and Lu Xing's milky voice was mixed in, sending high-profile congratulations to He Hui.
He Hui held his forehead with his hand and even wanted to hide in the basement on the spot.
But fortunately, apart from the slightly exaggerated welcome ceremony, everything else was very warm and beautiful.
The food during competitions and training is quite unpalatable. But the cook at home is different. He not only considers the rules and regulations of the athlete's diet, but also works hard on the taste and cooking method, making the aroma fragrant and mouth-watering.
After dinner, Lu Yanfeng got up and took her family to the greenhouse that she had carefully taken care of. The activity was called - drinking tea.
He Hui had a bad feeling in his heart. After all, at home, tea break time was usually a time for verbal battles and sharp exchanges of opinions. And today's topic would obviously be about him.
He Hui took a deep breath, picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea, preparing himself mentally.
Lu Xing sat quietly on the side, drawing on a piece of white paper, looking like she was immersed in her own little world. She is four years old and always speaks in a baby voice.
After chatting for a while about the details of the game, the topic finally turned to what He Hui had expected.
"Well, Dad is not against you going ice skating. But figure skating is fine for fun. You will inherit the family business in the future!" He Jianmu said with great sincerity.
But in He Hui's opinion, this is when the real purpose is revealed!
So, He Hui answered firmly without even thinking: "I refuse!"
After winning this championship, He Hui became even more determined in his choice of future career path.
Her eyes swept over Lu Xing who was sitting nearby and still drawing. She blinked and a plan came to her mind.
He Hui decided to trick her sister. She glanced at the girl next to her and said, "I think, in fact, my sister can also inherit the family business, right?"
Lu Xing, who was called, raised his head in confusion, staring with his big watery eyes, imitating the tone of He Hui's words just now, and said word by word: "I. Refuse!"
He Hui: ???
Huh? What's going on?! How come this is different from what she planned?
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