Return to the top of the road to champions

February 2000, 2, the 4th of the twelfth lunar month.

At 11 o'clock in the evening, at the Kequan ice training base in the United States, the NO.[-] training hall was brightly lit. Standing on the sidelines, Shi Yang tensed his facial features and watched Wan Xiaodong, whose legs were tied with weight bags, make the final sprint.

With a hoarse roar, Wan Xiaodong's sweaty cheeks were flushed red from the final sprint, as if bleeding. When he crossed the finish line, Wan Xiaodong, who could no longer support his body, fell down on the ground with a bang. On hard ice.

"Stone, how much?"

"42 seconds 797."

Glancing at the stopped watch, Shi Yang turned his head to look at the short, chubby teacher with silver hair, Anderson, who was standing next to him. His frowning brows were slowly loosened, and Anderson's chubby face showed a hint of appreciation, "good , Very well, Shi, Xiaodong's achievements surpass you and even Will."

"Hey, old man, how could Xiaodong surpass me, I am the champion of the United States."

As soon as the words fell, Will, who was helping Wan Xiaodong pass by, yelled loudly, and Will's proud tone with a humorous smile on his face made the tired Wan Xiaodong laugh, reluctantly came to the sidelines, Wan Xiaodong, who loosened his arms, sat down on the stool.

After taking the towel handed by Shi Yang and covering his face, the sound of heavy panting seemed to be beating continuously in the eardrums. It has been more than half a year since he came to the United States. In half a year, Wan Xiaodong, who was trained by Anderson, knew for the first time what is different , The training time is not the same as that in China, which made Wan Xiaodong very uncomfortable at first.

In particular, in Kequan, the altitude sickness with an average altitude of more than 2200 made Wan Xiaodong adapt for more than a month before he adjusted his condition.

The two daily confrontations with Will have severely suppressed Wan Xiaodong's faint pride. There are people outside the world, and from Will, Wan Xiaodong learned skills and tenacity. From Anderson, Wan Xiaodong Xiaodong learned the truth.

Perhaps it was the sequelae of the sudden accident at the Nagano Winter Olympics. In the first confrontation with Will, Wan Xiaodong subconsciously dodged Will’s rushing figure. Again and again, Anderson’s card was often full of kindness His fat face sank for the first time.

When Wan Xiaodong avoided Will's body again, Anderson stopped Wan Xiaodong, pointed at the gate of the training hall, and told Wan Xiaodong to go out.

Puzzled Wan Xiaodong looked at Shi Yang full of grievances, but Shi Yang, who was submissive, also darkened his face this time, and after saying a few words to Anderson in a low voice, he left Wan Xiaodong behind without saying a word stride away.

Now Wan Xiaodong, who was completely dumbfounded, was even more wronged. Wan Xiaodong didn't know what he did wrong. Wan Xiaodong, who was standing on the ice rink with his head down, suddenly missed his family, his second child and his father. mother.

Wan Xiaodong, who pursed his lips and bowed his head silently, made Anderson sigh silently. In the Nagano Winter Olympics, Anderson saw Wan Xiaodong's performance very clearly. It can be said that Anderson helped a lot during this trip to the United States. It was a big help, but what Anderson didn't expect was that a hurdle that was not too difficult for athletes left a shadow in Wan Xiaodong's heart.

Walking to Wan Xiaodong's side, Anderson, who pulled Wan Xiaodong back to the sidelines, was speechless for a long time, until Shi Yang returned to the gymnasium again, took back the video of Wan Xiaodong's Nagano game and handed it to Will, and appeared on the screen When Wan Xiaodong, who looked like a little tiger, rushed to the finish line without admitting defeat, appeared.

Anderson pressed the pause button, stood up and walked to the TV, pointing to Wan Xiaodong on the screen, "Xiaodong, you have lost the spirit that an athlete should have. It is not terrible to fall, but the terrible thing is to give up by yourself. Competitive sports The competition is fierce, and it doesn’t matter if you fail once, but you can’t deny everything you have won because of one negation. Although you didn’t get the gold medal in this game, no one can deny that you are the champion. You Chinese have a saying called Even if you are defeated, you are referring to you..."

Through Shi Yang’s translation, Wan Xiaodong stared blankly at the chunky Anderson standing in front of him. The ignorant Wan Xiaodong understood why Anderson would get angry, and Shi Yang would also be disappointed. Looking at himself on the field, he was thinking about it Competing with Will again and again, Wan Xiaodong, whose face was a little pale, lowered his head.

After a long silence, Wan Xiaodong, who stood on the training hall again the next day, solemnly invited Will to fight, and Will, who raised his eyebrows, laughed and got up.

The gunshot rang out, and Wan Xiaodong, who was half a step behind Will, slowly twitched in his eyes that had been silent for two years, a ferocity that had disappeared for a long time, waving his arms, kicking on the ice, biting Wei On the third lap, Wan Xiaodong, who was not letting go of Will, took advantage of the moment when the road was turning and passed Will. towards the end.

Although Will took the lead at the last moment, the long-lost passion and the disappearing flames of war returned to Wan Xiaodong's heart once again. The beating heart made Wan Xiaodong's eyes shine brightly, and he laughed proudly. Will competed again and again.

Day after day, the little tiger Wan Xiaodong came back again, and from then on, Anderson put a load on Wan Xiaodong. From the first two catties to the current ten catties, Wan Xiaodong took four months.

It can be said that today's Wan Xiaodong has grown into an all-around player, 500, 1000, 1500, as long as Wan Xiaodong is given a chance, Wan Xiaodong can be as good as any top player.

And Wan Xiaodong's rapid growth made Anderson smile. Although Shi Yang always said that Wan Xiaodong is a very talented and persevering player, Anderson only realized after coaching that Wan Xiaodong is not only talented Has perseverance, and is also a natural ice skater, just like Will back then.

Wan Xiaodong, who was drying his hair, put down the damp towel and smiled honestly at Anderson, who raised his thumb. He patted Wan Xiaodong on the back, and Anderson, who announced the end of the training, immediately looked at Shi Yang.

There was a hint of longing on the smiling round face, "Shi, dumplings, dumplings, you promised to have dumplings today."

The eager words made Shi Yang's tense facial features relax, he shook his head with a grin, and pointed in the direction of the gate, "The dormitory building is ready."

The gentle answer made Will cheer. He casually wiped his face, grabbed his sportswear and rushed out. The eagerness made Wan Xiaodong, who had known Will thoroughly for half a year, laugh out loud.

In the smiling eyes, the flashing thoughts flashed quickly, except for Shi Yang, no one saw the flashing thoughts, and it was the new year of the year, and these wanderers except silently missing their relatives far away Only with each other.

As if the tenderness in his eyes was about to overflow, he walked up to Wan Xiaodong, pulled the weak Wan Xiaodong up, put on the sportswear for the silly kid beside him, and held Wan Xiaodong's hand slowly under Anderson's playful gaze. go outside.

I don't remember when, walking back to the dormitory with each other every day has become the most true portrayal of mutual dependence.

Time flies, on February 2, Wan Xiaodong’s seven-month foreign training finally came to an end. After inviting Anderson and Will to have a sumptuous dinner in the evening, the next morning, Wan Xiaodong and Shi Yang boarded the On the flight back to China, in early March, Wan Xiaodong will represent the national team to participate in the World Short Track Speed ​​Skating Championships held in Sheffield, England.

After more than ten hours of flight, the plane landed at the Capital International Airport, pushed the luggage cart out of the airport, and got into a taxi. Wan Xiaodong, who was leaning on Shi Yang, closed his sleepy eyes again.

The completely reversed time difference made Wan Xiaodong very uncomfortable, and just left the plateau area, Wan Xiaodong also needed to adapt, returned to the national team, sent Wan Xiaodong back to the dormitory to continue to rest, the busy Shi Yang had to do follow-up arrange.

Seeing Shi Yang for the first time, Fade Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief. After throwing Shi Yang a cigarette, he rolled his eyes angrily, "I'm leaving at the beginning of next month, and I'm afraid you won't come back."

Hehe smiled and took the cigarette thrown by Fade Chen, lit it, and Shi Yang, who coughed twice, shook his head, "Old Anderson won't let anyone go, and he invited Wan Xiaodong to continue going in the second half of the year, and the old Anderson will pay for it."

Shi Yang, who was obviously a little proud, made Fade Chen stunned, "When did that old fox Anderson be so kind, and isn't he very busy?"

Shi Yang, who laughed, shook his head and didn't say much, but asked about the arrangement of the players participating in the World Championships. In the 2000 World Short Track Speed ​​Skating Championships, China will send a total of 31 athletes, male and female. There are 500 meters, men's 1000 meters, men's 500, men's [-] and men's relay. Wan Xiaodong will also represent the Chinese team in the relay race in addition to the [-] meters.

When he saw the schedule of events and the list of relay races, Shi Yang frowned, knocked on the table and pondered for a while, then raised his head, and handed the list to Fade Chen, "Wan Xiaodong is fine for the relay race, but Wang Song comes on, Zhao Shuai comes on."

Looking at the list in his hand in surprise, "Shi Yang, Wang Song is more suitable than Zhao Shuai."

Shi Yang smiled and shook his head, with rare seriousness in his eyes, "Captain Chen, I know Wang Song better than you, Wang Song is not suitable."

Shi Yang's affirmation made Fade Chen frowned, "Why?"

After organizing his words, Shi Yang lowered his face slightly, "Team Chen, I don't deny that Wang Song is more explosive than Zhao Shuai, but Zhao Shuai has enough stamina and Wang Song is not an on-the-spot athlete. , Isn’t our team sending so many players just to train for the 02 Winter Olympics? Instead of placing our hopes on the unstable Wang Song, we should let Zhao Shuai, who is young and highly malleable.”

Shi Yang's words made Fade Chen stunned, and looked down at the list again. Fade Chen felt a little headache. Wang Song was highly recommended by Zhao Jiawei, and Fade Chen had seen Wang Song's training. It can be said that Wang Song's training performance was very good. Well, you can even squeeze into the top three. If you just give up like this, Fade Chen is really not reconciled.

After thinking and thinking, Fade Chen waved his hand to tell Shi Yang to go back first. He was thinking about it, raised his brows, and Shi Yang with a smile got up and left Fade Chen's office and closed the door. The smile on Shi Yang's face disappeared.

Shi Yang, who had a gloomy look in his eyes, felt a little thumping in his heart. He never denied that Wang Song was technically superior to Zhao Shuai, but Wang Song had a fatal weakness. The reason why Gao Siyu and Pei Jun retired from the team is unknown to others, but Shi Yang knows it very well.

Especially Pei Jun, who is extremely talented, if it weren't for Wang Song, Pei Jun would not have to interrupt his fledgling sports career because of a comminuted kneecap fracture.

Shi Yang, who slowly left the office building and walked slowly towards the dormitory building, was constantly thinking about how to stagger Wan Xiaodong and Wang Jun. separated.

There are some things that Shi Yang doesn't want to say, but that there is no evidence. However, Shi Yang's eyes narrowed for a moment, and Wang Song had better not make any small moves. Quickly walk to the dormitory floor.

After resting for two days, Wan Xiaodong, who finally adjusted the jet lag, appeared in the training ground. The sudden appearance of Wan Xiaodong caused his teammates to exclaim, Zhao Shuai, who played best with Wan Xiaodong, jumped up Pounced on Wan Xiaodong, "Xiaodong, when did you come back, where is the gift? Where is the gift?"

The yelling Zhao Shuai made Wan Xiaodong laugh, and shook the plastic bag in his hand, "Here, Zhao Shuai, are you fat, why are you so heavy?"

The voice of Wan Xiaodong's uncontrollable voice had just fallen, and then there was a burst of laughter. With a click, Zhao Shuai, whose face was convulsed, slapped Wan Xiaodong on the back hard, "It only weighs two catties, what? You can be considered fat."

Looking Zhao Shuai up and down, Wan Xiaodong's puzzled eyes fell on Zhao Shuai's double-jawed face, "Two catties? Impossible, look at your face is as fat as a basin up"

One said it was only two catties, and the other insisted that it was at least seven or eight catties. The two youngest short track speed skating players yelled like bullies, making the teammates around them laugh so hard that their stomachs hurt. Yi Yi held back his laughter, wiped away the tears from his laughter, stepped forward, and slapped each of them apart, "Come on, there's no need for training anymore, just as Xiaodong is back, let's fight together. "

Wu Tong, who also needs to participate in the relay race, patted Zhao Shuai to train, pulled Wan Xiaodong to the front of the team, pointed to Gu Feiyu standing in front of him and Wang Song who was standing in the distance, "Xiaodong, you, me, or There are Feiyu and Wang Song, the four of us are in the relay race, and you just come back, so let's play together."

Glancing at Wang Song who was wiping his sweat with a towel in the distance, and Gu Feiyu who was standing on the ice, Wan Xiaodong grinned and nodded, "Okay, I'll be active, you guys practice first."

Wan Xiaodong, who took off his jacket while talking, took out his skates, with a trace of doubt on his lowered head and face. For some reason, Wan Xiaodong always felt that there seemed to be something wrong with these people, but he couldn't figure it out after thinking about it for a long time. Wan Xiaodong threw it away immediately.

When Shi Yang came to the training ground, Wan Xiaodong had already played, and the undisputed first bat was Wan Xiaodong, while Gu Feiyu took the last bat, the second bat was Wu Tong, and the third bat was Wang Song. .

After a few people came and went several times, they slowly found the fit, smiled and nodded to the players who said hello, Shi Yang's eyes fell on the field, when he saw Wang Song, although he tried his best to cover it up, When Wang Song looked at Wan Xiaodong, his jealousy couldn't be concealed, he showed a sneer, and Shi Yang's eyes flickered.

Time flies, and half a month flies by. On the morning of March 3th, after the short-track speed skating team swearing-in meeting, they rushed to the airport to board the plane there.

At the same time, the figure skating team also rushed to the airport. Tao Wei, who also participated in the World Figure Skating Championships held in Nice, France in March, also rushed to the airport.

The two national teams, who were leaving the country at the same time less than an hour apart, met at the airport. Seeing Wan Xiaodong standing at the airport looking around, Tao Wei showed a smile on his slightly thin face.