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. Also coming with them were captain Zhou Yang and vice-captain Wu Dajing.
"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 is added to short track speed skating in the Winter Olympics, which also adds a gold medal point! Especially for new projects that debut for the first time, attention will definitely be higher than other projects.
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 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 team members, Zhou Yang and Fan Kexin are undisputed. Among the male team members, Wu Dajing, Han Tianyu and Li Yuang deserved the honor.
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 players under her are Li Yuang and Li Wenwu. One of these two people is definitely selected, and the other is definitely not selected. There was no need for her to fight for it, she was thinking about 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 format, each skater can participate in up to two individual events. But in the Olympic Games, you can participate in all individual events. In intensive competitions, athletes' physical distribution will inevitably 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 have to participate in five events at the same time in the Olympics, that is, competing in all events. Five events: quarter-finals, semi-finals, and finals! This was a great test of 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 is not that the 1500m is uncompetitive, but that she voluntarily gave up the 1500m in order to secure two gold medals in the 500m and 1000m. In other words, the cute host knows that there is Zhou Yang at 1500 meters, so there is no need for her to waste her energy on it!
"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 technical or physical shortcomings of one kind or another.
Although Li Yuang only finished second in the all-around at the World Championships, now it seems that Lin Xiaojun, the first 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 "choose" 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 group events!
Wang Meng believes that when it comes to the competition, Li Yuang will definitely compete in every game! In such a situation, the so-called "trade-off" is naturally a false proposition. Li Yuang will also have "trade-offs" in a subjective sense. The physical distribution and "trade-offs" of the project are only related to 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, it was obvious 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 not want others to see him crying.
He went to the public restroom on the second floor, turned on the faucet, and poured water on his face with both hands. I wanted to calm myself down in this way. No matter how domineering, decisive, and righteous he just said...it couldn't change the fact that Xu Hongzhi was injured because of him!
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 not for anyone else but for yourself! Do your best on the field, not for the system but for honor!
Also four years later! In the BJ Winter Olympics, he, Li Yuang! The ice surface that must be protected at all costs is 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, with his back to the door. He didn't want people to see his miserable appearance. He was trembling and crying under the quilt without making a sound.
For ordinary people, giving up is the simplest thing. Once you change your belief, relax, and release your strength, you will immediately feel relaxed.
But for athletes, especially at the level of the national team, giving up is the hardest thing! The belief that had persisted for twenty years collapsed, and the hard work that had been put in for twenty years disappeared into thin air.
Twenty years of hard work, an Olympic gold medal! 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. Xia Yu has not forgotten that the mixed relay was officially announced in July 2018, but the timeline has not yet arrived.
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.
