During the short track speed skating meeting at the BJ Ice Sports Training Center, Wang Meng and several other coaches who accompanied the team to the United States for summer training had just returned to the base by bus when they were called by Li Yan to hold an emergency meeting. The captain was also present.
Zhou Yang and vice-captain Wu Da compete.
"The latest news is that ISU announced that starting from this season, the 2000-meter mixed relay will be added to the short track speed skating competition. At almost the same time, the International Olympic Committee announced that the 2000-meter mixed relay will be officially selected as an official event in the 2022 BJ Winter Olympics.
!”
As soon as the meeting began, Li Yan dropped a bombshell.
Everyone knows what this means!
An additional event in short track speed skating is added to the Winter Olympics, which also adds a gold medal point! Especially for new events that debut for the first time, attention will definitely be higher than other events.
As the backbone of the BJ Winter Olympics gold medal team, the pressure on the short track speed skating team will only be greater!
Li Yan looked around at the crowd and continued: "The specific rules have not been released yet. According to past experience, the mixed relay should be 6 on 4, with two men and two women on the field, and each male and female player has a substitute."
"There is no rush for the candidates for the Olympic Games. We need to confirm the candidates for the mixed relay in this season's World Cup. After all, the first leg of the Calgary leg will start in November. We have suitable candidates. We can talk about it. It is best.
Olympic-age athletes, after all, everything must serve the Winter Olympics at home four years later."
Having said that, there are only a few people who can really choose.
Among the female players, Zhou Yang and Fan Kexin are undisputed. Among the male players, Wu Dajing, Han Tianyu and Li Yuang are well-deserved.
So all that really needs to be selected is a female substitute player.
Just when everyone started to discuss the candidates, only Wang Meng remained silent. Currently, the only contestants under her were Li Yuang and Li Wenwu. One of them was definitely selected and the other was definitely not selected. She didn’t have to fight for it, she was considering it.
Something else.
"Coach Wang Meng, do you have anything to say?" Li Yan asked directly when she saw that Wang Meng did not participate in the discussion and was just thinking about something.
"Physical strength! Especially the World Championships and Olympic Games!"
As soon as these words came out, everyone was aware of this problem. According to the short track speed skating World Cup competition system, each skater can participate in up to two individual events. But in the Olympics, he can participate in all individual events. In intensive events, athletes' physical strength will be greatly reduced.
The distribution of shares is bound to be affected.
Take Li Yuang as an example. He has fully registered for two events in the World Cup. If you add the men's relay and mixed relay, there are four events.
But if this were changed to the Olympics, Li Yuang would definitely register for all three events. From this point of view, Li Yuang would participate in five events at the same time in the Olympics, that is, participate in all events. The quarter-finals and semi-finals of the five events.
The final! This is a great test for his physical strength and willpower.
Wang Meng can think of physical problems mainly because she herself was affected by physical strength and voluntarily gave up the 1,500-meter event.
In the inherent impression of many people, Wang Meng is not physically strong and can only suppress other athletes in the 500 and 1000 meter events. He lacks competitiveness in the 1500 meter event and cannot skate against Zhou Yang!
But Zhou Yang once said in the program: During training, if we compete at 1,500 meters, Wang Meng is faster than me!
Therefore, it’s not that the cute host is uncompetitive in the 1500 meters, but that she voluntarily gave up the 1500 meters in order to secure two gold medals in the 500 meters and 1000 meters. In other words, the cute host knows that there is Zhou Yang in the 1500 meters, so there is no need for her to waste it.
physical strength!
"There must be a choice! Group projects are always greater than individual projects!" Li Yan said firmly.
The conference room suddenly became quiet!
Wang Meng didn't say it clearly, but everyone knew that the physical problem Wang Meng was talking about was referring to Li Yuang!
Looking at the entire short track speed skating team, only Li Yuang is competitive in all events! Others always have shortcomings of one kind or another in technique or body.
Although Li Yuang only finished second in the all-around at the World Championships, now it seems that Lin Xiaojun, the best all-around Korean brother, was beaten by their internal consumables... If Lin Xiaojun really sinks, the BJ Winter Olympics four years later
Yes, Li Yuang will be under the greatest pressure to participate!
From this point of view, Li Yan's meaning is also very clear, Li Yuang must "make a choice" at the critical moment!
"Team events must be greater than individual events. We should trust our athletes and they will handle the relationship between team events and individual events," Wang Meng said.
As for Li Yan, she only agrees with half of it. The team event is greater than the individual event, but it does not mean that the silver medal in the team event is greater than the gold medal in the major event. It is unscientific and unreasonable to force athletes to give up individual events to protect the team event!
Wang Meng believes that when it comes to the competition, Li Yuang will definitely compete in every game! Under such circumstances, the so-called "trade-offs" are naturally false propositions. Li Yuang will also have "trade-offs" in a subjective sense, such as the physical distribution and "trade-offs" of the project.
"It's just about the start time of the project!
"Invincibility starts with sacrificing the ancestor"
Wang Meng also figured this out and did not continue the discussion with Li Yan!
…
After Li Yuang finished talking to Xu Hongzhi, he walked out of the room without looking back without waiting for his reply.
In the conversation just now, Xu Hongzhi acted very calmly, but from his slightly trembling body, it could be seen that he was suppressing something.
When Li Yuang finished his last sentence, he clearly felt that Xu Hongzhi's expression was showing signs of losing control. Li Yuang walked out decisively, because he knew that if it were him, he would also not want others to see him crying.
He went to the public bathroom on the second floor, turned on the faucet, and poured water on his face with both hands. He wanted to calm himself down in this way, no matter how domineering, decisive, and righteous he just said...
Nothing can change the fact that Xu Hongzhi was injured!
The memory that had been gradually forgotten was recalled again after meeting Xu Hongzhi.
After a while, Li Yuang looked at himself in the mirror and said to himself: "Li Yuang! There is only one person who can define your life's achievements, and that is yourself!"
"The coach can't do it! Xu Hongzhi can't do it! The system can't do it either!"
Li Yuang figured out a lot in an instant. After activating the system for the first time, his strength improved rapidly.
But gradually, Li Yuang discovered that his original intention of contacting short track speed skating had changed. It was no longer pure love and glory for the country, but for the system and the mission...
Train hard by yourself, not for anyone else, just for yourself! Try your best on the field, not for the system, just for honor!
Also four years later! On the field of the BJ Winter Olympics, he, Li Yuang! He had to protect the ice with all his life, not for the mission, but for the motherland!
Be worthy of yourself, never forget your original intention, and be worthy of your youth!
Looking at his firm eyes in the mirror, Li Yuang subconsciously wanted to fist bump with himself in the mirror.
"Peng!" sounded, and cracks began to crack from the intersection of the two circles...
In the room, Xu Hongzhi wrapped himself in a quilt and turned his back to the door. He didn't want people to see his miserable appearance. He was trembling all over under the quilt and crying bitterly without making a sound.
For ordinary people, giving up is the simplest thing. Once you change your belief, relax your breath, and release your strength, you will immediately feel more relaxed.
But for athletes, especially at the level of the national team, giving up is the hardest thing! The belief that has persisted for twenty years has collapsed, and the hard work that has been put in for twenty years has all vanished into thin air.
Twenty years of hard work and an Olympic gold medal! It’s worth it!
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
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A book friend previously corrected Xia Yu that the maximum number of men's short track speed skating medals in the BJ Winter Olympics is 5 gold medals, as well as the mixed relay. The mixed relay was officially announced in July 2018. Xia Yu has not forgotten it, but the timeline in it is still there.
not here.
Wu Dajing officially became the captain of the single short track speed skating team on September 4, 2018. It can be verified online. The previous captain was Zhou Yang.