Chapter 31 Reunion Showdown
The pairs skating short program started in the evening of the first day of competition. Shang Yuqing/Yu Feiguang, as the number one seeds of the Chinese team, lived up to coach Ma's expectations and performed well to win first place.
The Chinese team's journey to the World Youth Championship got off to a good start, and the team's expectations for the men's and women's singles have risen sharply.
The next morning, they practiced together before the women's singles match.
He Hui was assigned to the first group to arrive at the venue the earliest, and had to arrive at the venue at 7 o'clock.
As soon as she entered the door, she yawned three times in a row, and the warm-up movements were almost completed in a half-asleep and half-awake state based on muscle memory.
"He Hui!" Suddenly a girl called her, "We meet again."
He Hui met Li Chumiao in Minsk and was assigned to the same training group with her. He felt that this was a great fate.
"Yes! What a fate." This time, He Hui did not call Li Chumiao his savior.
"I'll practice first, otherwise the coach might be angry." Li Chumiao glanced at his coach, not daring to stay for long, and started speeding up on the ice rink with two steps.
He Hui looked at Li Chumiao flying away like a bird, smiled and yawned, but he himself had not yet entered the state.
Lin Xiaoman held her forehead and patted He Hui's arms hard, "Miss, it's time to wake up, right?"
"Too early..." He Hui just said two words and yawned again, "It's too early..."
Lin Xiaoman was completely speechless: "......"
He Hui's Hele is in last place and still has some time.
She slapped her cheeks twice, regained her consciousness briefly, and began skating on the ice rink to force her body to start up.
After sliding around for a few rounds and changing the blade several times to get a feel for it, He Hui finally felt his body warming up.
Well, maybe do some simple jumps and start your body's engine.
He Hui then casually did a 3Lz+3T advanced triple jump and landed easily.
Although he didn't raise his hand, his nonchalant look still made the other contestants in the field look at him with respect.
The focus of today's practice is still on the chorus of each contestant. After a brief free practice, everyone's short program selections were played in the venue one by one.
Not every player will choose to go all out during joint practice. Some people take this opportunity to adapt to the new place and find their form.
Therefore, He Hui's Moonlight is also a labor-saving version.
All three sets of jumps were completed at fixed points, but the rotations felt a bit more interesting.
Lin Xiaoman did not interfere too much with Miss He's own pace.
As soon as the music stopped, applause suddenly broke out in the venue for no apparent reason.
He Hui: ? ? What’s going on?
Not only was there applause, but there were also admiring looks from all around. The feeling of being noticed actually made He Hui feel a little guilty for using the power saving mode.
He Hui hurried off the court and put on his skate covers. "Why am I so popular now?"
"After all, you are the first person to do 3A+3T. Everyone is watching your every move." Lin Xiaoman said as a matter of course, "How do you feel after today's dance?"
"Not bad." He Hui nodded easily, and raised the corner of his mouth confidently, "Anyway, the configuration of the short program is not difficult, so it shouldn't be a big problem."
Lin Xiaoman: "Okay, after all, there is only one spot this year, and I'm afraid you'll feel pressured."
"If I win the championship, won't there be three places next year?" He Hui raised his chin and replied proudly.
The number of places in the World Youth Championship is determined by the performance of the players in the previous year. Last year, two Chinese players ranked 14th and 15th, which added up to more than 28, so there was only one place. If someone could move up one more place, the Chinese team would at least avoid fighting alone.
Domestic ice fans were even emo about this for a while.
At that time, everyone was hoping that a future star would emerge to save the day.
Now, He Hui is shouldering everyone's hopes with open arms.
*
The women's singles short program was the finale on the third day of competition.
Li Chumiao was the first to appear in the third-to-last group. She was dressed in white like a winter elf, with a snowflake-shaped hairpin on her head, which was particularly suitable for the song selection of the short program.
He Hui did not watch the performances of other contestants, but only watched Li Chumiao's performance carefully, and also pulled Lin Xiaoman to sit down and watch.
"Are you so concerned about this?" Lin Xiaoman teased.
"It's the performance of my lifesaver." He Hui said, straightening her back again, "Besides, I really like her unique performance style, it's very special."
On the stage, Li Chumiao stood still, and a selection from Vivaldi's violin concerto "The Four Seasons" began to play.
The opening was a 3T+3T. This time Li Chumiao completed it beautifully. The height of the second jump was good, so there should be no suspicion of cheating.
The next 3Lz is an obvious large outside edge, and the final 2A is easy and neat.
Although Li Chumiao's short program is not in the first tier in terms of difficulty, with such a high degree of completion, she has great hope of making it to the last two groups in the free skating.
For contestant Li Chumiao, who came all the way from Malaysia where there is neither ice nor snow, her song selection was quite amazing.
Even the commentator was moved by this special contrast. "Lee Chu-myo, who comes from a tropical country, completed her short program and performed a winter poem. People are looking forward to spring in the bitter cold wind and heavy snow. Lee Chu-myo vividly performed Vivaldi's Four Seasons of Winter with her dancing on ice."
He Hui was so fascinated by the performance that he clapped half a beat slower than the audience.
"Li Chumiao has made great progress." Lin Xiaoman exclaimed affirmatively.
He Hui nodded without saying anything. She was still immersed in the show, with a chaotic stream of thoughts running through her mind.
Rock girl Li Chumiao added a different color to this classical music, especially the last straight-line step connection, which was like replacing the violin in her hand with an electric guitar with a heavy metallic feel, breaking through the winter cold and igniting the spring fire in people's hearts.
Li Chumiao's use of the blade was much deeper than the last time they met. Therefore, this step sequence was also very impactful from a visual perspective, sliding steadily and powerfully.
The referee was obviously satisfied with Li Chumiao's performance today and finally gave her 50.42 points, currently ranking first.
After checking the score, He Hui left the small TV and went back to continue stretching to warm up.
From his sudden emergence at the beginning of the season to the highly anticipated World Youth Championship, He Hui has upgraded from an unknown to a championship candidate.
Even though she was just doing ordinary warm-up exercises backstage, she received many vague glances.
The rest of the people were watching silently, and some e-players had already chosen to go straight forward.
"Hey, He Hui!" Hardy-Eileen waved to He Hui generously, "How have you been recently?"
A typical American greeting.
After all, He Hui had studied abroad for many years in his previous life, so he was quick to learn. "I feel fine. How about you? I heard that you were injured a while ago. How are you now?"
"I had some problem with my lumbar spine. After treatment and rest for a while, I feel better. But it still hurts a little when I do the Bierman exercise." Irene is a very honest person. She answers every question without reservation. She is commonly known as heartless.
"You should pay attention to this. Many athletes have to retire in tears if their lumbar spine is injured and deformed."
Injuries are almost a lifelong obstacle for athletes. Figure skaters often face more serious risks due to jumping exercises. If they are not careful, they may suffer sprains and fractures. Excessive practice time can also lead to overuse injuries.
"My doctor told me the same thing." Irene patted her chest in fear, opened her blue eyes wide, and said with an exaggerated expression, "I don't want to retire. I still want to go to the Olympics!!"
"You can definitely do it!" He Hui flipped through his few memories and gave an affirmative answer.
After all, in her previous life, Hardy Irene not only participated in the Sochi Winter Olympics, but also won a bronze medal for the United States with other teammates.
"Well, then we can compete on the same stage again." Irene showed her eight teeth cheerfully.
Compared to Irene's outgoing and friendly attitude, the other two main competitors, Russian player Anna Victoria and Japanese player Eriko Sanada, seemed very introverted. They each chose a corner, put on headphones and warmed up silently.
*
The 2012 Minsk World Junior Championships women's singles short program ushered in the last group of competition.
The favorites to win the championship, He Hui, Anna Victoria, Eriko Sanada and Hardy Elin all appeared in this group.
A long-awaited reunion match that everyone is paying attention to will be the highlight of this World Youth Championship.
The remaining Russian player Yulia Ivanovna and South Korean player Kim Hye-mi are also very promising future stars. Especially Yulia Ivanovna, who has been on a strong upward trend recently, many people even think that she will make a breakthrough towards the podium.
Everyone on the field has a considerable fan base, and just with such a simple introduction of each person showing up on the ice, the sounds of cheers and applause rise and fall like a battle.
With wave after wave of heat coming from the audience seats, He Hui felt that the temperature of the ice rink had risen by several degrees.
She skating half a circle, then unbuttoned her sports jacket and placed it on the fence where Lin Xiaoman was.
"Come on." Lin Xiaoman put away her coat, patted the fence and shouted.
He Hui responded as he slid out like an arrow from a bow.
The atmosphere here is very high, and this is He Hui's first time attending the World Youth Championship, so the excitement is doubly high.
Her body quickly heated up, and she couldn't wait to do a few jumps on the court.
But Anna Victoria, who came from the opposite side, appeared first and immediately showed off her signature 3Lz+3Lo jump combo on the court.
It jumped right in front of He Hui's eyes, and it was hard for He Hui not to see it.
In a clash between top masters, the smoke of war often begins to fill the air from the sixth practice session.
Provoked?
The opponent's head-on jumps inspired He Hui to have new ideas.
——She has been practicing the top jump combination of 3Lz+3Lo since she was preparing for the 12th Winter Games. Why not show it off at the World Youth Championships?
It's just practice time anyway, so it doesn't matter if it fails, right?
Thinking of this, He Hui immediately stepped back to look for the starting point of the short program combination jump route.
After entering turn three, He Hui pressed down the outside edge and jumped, completing a high and far 3Lz.
Just when everyone thought she was going to take 3T, He Hui quickly jumped up with the blade and turned into a 3Lo.
He Hui jumped together, and Lin Xiaoman's solar plexus jumped along with it.
"It's over...the axis is crooked." Lin Xiaoman murmured, and her right hand involuntarily touched her forehead.
He Hui on the field naturally realized this. The moment her skates touched the ice, she almost tilted to the right.
All the audience gasped.
After landing on the ice, He Hui had to hold the ice with his right hand to seek the last bit of delicate balance. From the core to the arms, He Hui was exerting strength.
No, I can’t fall here. It’ll be embarrassing!
With such spiritual support, He Hui finally supported his body and managed to stand without falling on the ice.
call--
He Hui breathed a sigh of relief.
During the next six training sessions, He Hui only did 3Lz and 2A again to lower Lin Xiaoman's blood pressure slightly.
With only one minute left before the end of the sixth practice, He Hui suddenly did a 3Lo in the corner for no apparent reason.
Lin Xiaoman felt as if she had been on a roller coaster, and her heartbeat started rising again.
When the practice was over, Lin Xiaoman threw her coat to He Hui without saying a word.
He Hui put on his clothes and ice skates, then returned to the waiting area with Lin Xiaoman in silence.
After a while, He Hui said, "Actually, I have a good feeling."
While speaking, He Hui blinked her big watery eyes and stared at Lin Xiaoman motionlessly.
"My feeling is not good." Lin Xiaoman turned away.
Lin Xiaoman could figure out what He Hui wanted to do just by watching the practice.
"I can really do it!" He Hui showed Lin Xiaoman persistently, "Even if it's not perfect, I will definitely not fall! Believe me!"
Lin Xiaoman: “…”
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