Return to the top of the road to champions

At one o'clock in the afternoon on February 2002, 2, local time in the United States, the men's 12-meter short track speed skating officially kicked off at the Utah Olympic Speed ​​Skating Stadium in Salt Lake City.

Representing China is Wan Xiaodong and veteran Li Tong. Unlike Li Tong, who has rich experience in the competition, except for one World Championship and one Winter Olympics, Wan Xiaodong can be regarded as a newcomer.

What's more, what makes people feel heartbroken is that Wan Xiaodong is still injured. Yes, Wan Xiaodong is injured. The meniscus of Wan Xiaodong's last inspection before leaving broke again.

At that moment, seeing Wan Xiaodong Shi Yang, who pursed his lips and lowered his head without saying a word, but stuffed the inspection report into his pocket, his heart was torn apart.

Wan Xiaodong's actions have already explained his choice, and there are only two days left to embark on the expedition. Shi Yang has no way to stop Wan Xiaodong, and he can't even say "no"

Standing in the background, next to the anxious Fade Chen, Shi Yang, who was squatting on Wan Xiaodong to massage and move his legs for Wan Xiaodong, had a pair of big hands hiding the trembling that was forcibly suppressed.

Time passed by one minute and one second, when the minute hand pointed to 35 minutes, Wan Xiaodong was about to play, stood up, pressed Wan Xiaodong's shoulders, and a pair of eyes full of nostalgia fell on Wan Xiaodong's thin cheeks , "Xiaodong, come on!"

The big words of encouragement on the lips turned into four short words. Slowly pulling the corners of his mouth, a bright smile floated on Wan Xiaodong's face. He stretched out his hand and made a gesture of victory. Wan Xiaodong turned and walked in. arena.

Shi Yang, who followed behind to the coach's bench, put his hands on the low guardrail. In the preliminaries, although there is no famous player in the group with Wan Xiaodong, everyone understands that speed skating depends on the results of the competition. It's not your group's ranking. If you want to make it to the semi-finals and the finals, Wan Xiaodong has to work hard.

And just when Wan Xiaodong was about to enter the arena to prepare for the semi-finals, Tao Wei also left the station and rushed to the Salt Lake City Ice Center, where Tao Wei's short program will officially start at [-]:[-] p.m. Open the curtain.

After more than ten minutes of driving, Tao Wei sat quietly in his seat and looked out the window. Tao Wei, who was in an extremely calm mood, got out of the special car and walked into the huge venue of the ice center.

Going directly to the backstage and walking to the territory belonging to the Chinese team, Tao Wei took off his jacket to reveal the simple competition uniform inside, and Tao Wei began to warm up.

After an hour of warming up, Tao Wei stood on the edge of the ice rink. Several familiar faces appeared in front of him on the ice. Tao Wei, who thought he was not too late, did not expect that Russia's Yagudin and Plushenko would meet. Arrived so early.

The moment he saw Tao Wei, Yaguding came to Tao Wei, stretched out his arms, and Tao Wei who smiled, stepped forward and hugged the whole young man who was the same age as him, "Tao, I will not lose this time. "

The confident smile made Tao Wei chuckle and nodded slightly, "I will work hard."

Loosening their arms, the two top athletes who cherish each other look at each other and smile, and the separated people occupy a place, spinning, sliding, and jumping in small spaces, and time is slowly flowing.

With the passage of time, in today's short program where three weeks have been unable to increase points in the prescribed movements, four weeks has become the first place for all athletes, and four weeks, except for Tao Wei, Russia's Yagudin and Plushenko are the only ones. Two players who can compete against Tao Wei.

It can be said that the champion of this Winter Olympics will be produced among the three. Tao Wei, who was turning his eyes, saw Plushenko whose movements were standard like a textbook. Tao Wei sighed secretly from the bottom of his heart. He closed his eyes and continued with his actions.

At the same time, Wan Xiaodong, who was standing on the field, had already bent down and bent his knees to get ready. The broken meniscus was in severe pain because of this action, but at this moment, Wan Xiaodong, who was immersed in his body and mind, had completely felt the pain. Less than the kind of pain that wants to tear people apart at any moment.

Wan Xiaodong, whose eyes burst out with high fighting spirit, focused his eyes on the track. The second track, the position is not bad, silently counting the heartbeat, Wan Xiaodong, who only had a gold medal in his heart, was at the moment when the gunshot sounded. Rushing out of the track, with his raised arms and strong legs kicking on the ice, there was a sound of brushing, and among the splashes of ice, Wan Xiaodong's red figure seemed to be swept by the flames that were rapidly rising along the wind with.

Astonishing momentum, Wan Xiaodong, who was full of raging fire all over his body, quickly passed the players standing in front from the outer lane at the moment of the third corner by pressing the lane. The perfect overtaking made Chen Fei, who was standing on the coach's bench, wave his hand vigorously. He shook his arm, "Xiaodong, come on!"

But the silent Shi Yang just watched Wan Xiaodong who was struggling in the field silently. The never-ending dull pain made Shi Yang's eyebrows frowned. When Xiaodong made the seventh turn on the road, the distance between them had been completely widened. In the last half lap, Wan Xiaodong, who sprinted with all his strength, was the first to cross the finish line at 42 seconds. He glanced down at the stopwatch in his hand. Yang's chest stagnates, whether it's selfish or unpatriotic, how much Shi Yang hopes that Wan Xiaodong's results will not meet the preliminaries.

But..., lowering his eyelids to hide the sadness in his eyes, Shi Yang raised his eyelids again when he saw Wan Xiaodong who turned his head to look over, raised the corners of his lips to show a smile, and pointed at Wan Xiaodong Thumbs up.

The silent Shi Yang made Chen Fei a little surprised after the joy. He turned his head to look at the smiling Shi Yang. Chen Fei, who shook his head secretly, withdrew his gaze, walked to the exit first, met Wan Xiaodong, and stretched out his arms to hug him. , patted Wan Xiaodong on the back, "How is it? Are you in good health?"

Wan Xiaodong, who patted his chest with a hehe smile, nodded vigorously. The heavy breathing of Wan Xiaodong, whose forehead was covered with sweat, caused Shi Yang, who was following Fade Chen, to pause slightly.

Returning to the seat, Fade Chen showed a playful smile on the seat covered with thick sponge cushions. He glanced at Shi Yang, who had tense facial features and lowered his head to change shoes for Wan Xiaodong. While laughing, Fade Chen explained Turn around and leave quickly.

Shi Yang, who put on the sports shoes for Wan Xiaodong and helped to put on the sportswear draped over Wan Xiaodong's shoulders, sat beside Wan Xiaodong. Shi Yang, who wanted to ask if it hurts, swallowed his words Going back, Shi Yangsheng, who was full of bitterness, swallowed back the bitterness in his mouth, but watched the next preliminaries with Wan Xiaodong in silence.

Time flowed slowly, and at [-]:[-] pm, the short program of the men's figure skating team was about to start. Tao Wei, who was the sixth to appear on the stage, was panting slightly and sat straight on his seat.

The lumbar spine that did not dare to bend for a moment made Tao Wei feel a little breathless after warming up. Tao Wei who closed his eyes and tried to adjust his breathing was slightly moved, and a soft cushion appeared on the back of his waist. When he opened his eyes, The gray hair of Yang Guocheng, who was full of worry, appeared in front of his eyes.

Smiling, Tao Wei, who indicated that it was okay, slowly leaned on the back of the chair behind him, and breathed a sigh of relief, the tense facial features finally relaxed slowly.

At [-]:[-], Tao Wei's short program is about to start. Tao Wei, who is slowly moving and warming up his body, has a pair of shining eyes shining under the light. He stands up and turns his back to all the athletes. Tao Wei He took off his jacket, opened the black competition suit, and tightened the bandage around his waist that Yang Guocheng had just loosened.

Tao Wei, who squatted down several times and stretched his limbs again, smiled at Yang Guocheng and Ma Deming, walked up to the exit.

When the assistant signaled Tao Wei to come on stage, Tao Wei rushed out of the exit with a faint smile on his face. During the introduction around the loudspeaker, Tao Wei raised his hand like the audience.

"Tao Wei..."

In the Northwest stands, the Chinese audience holding the five-star red flag kept waving, making Tao Wei, who raised his head, show a bright smile, and Tao Wei, who once again stretched out his arm to signal, stood in the field.

Nodding slightly, the music "Folk Song" adapted by the top domestic music producer sounded in the venue.

In the thick and deep but with a hint of cheerful music, Tao Wei, who opened the show with a Mohawk and a three-foot turn, leaped vigorously against the wind, and after connecting the perfect 4s, he jumped in all directions, seamlessly integrating strength, speed and The height, 1440 degrees, was completed perfectly. The moment the ice fell, the slender right leg straightened.

The graceful posture of the outstretched arms is full of agility and elegance, chasing the fluorescent lights of Tao Wei's rapidly rotating body, clearly showing all of Tao Wei's movements one by one.

In just two minutes and 40 seconds, Tao Wei did all six quadruple jumps, except for the 4t and the back ice jump, especially the quadruple and a half quadruple and hook quadruple jumps. Tao Wei completed them without any flaws.

The perfect pace and Yan Fei's rotation, which is difficult for male players, made Tao Wei's whole set of moves score continuously move up.

Perez, who is still serving as the chairman of the Figure Skating Arbitration Committee of the Winter Olympics, knew the news of Tao Wei's participation in the competition at the first time. His love from the bottom of his heart prompted Perez to leave his office and rush to the arena.

On the field, the agile figure like a steel butterfly made Perez smile unconsciously, watching Tao Wei, who became more mature with age, silently. When Tao Wei's impeccable performance was over, Perez followed the audience The audience clapped their hands together.

Bowing down and thanking the audience for their support, Tao Wei ended the short program of 2 minutes and 40 seconds for the Winter Olympics amidst the cheers of the Chinese audience.

Walking off the ice rink and into the backstage, Tao Wei saw Yang Guocheng and Ma Deming waiting at the door, and showed a bright smile at the two teachers who had been with them for ten years, but it was this bright smile that made Ma Deming and Yang Guocheng feel kind Unusual bitterness.

Stepped forward and pulled Tao Wei back to his own seat. The cushion that Mrs. Yang was sitting on was still on the seat. Sitting down, Tao Wei, who let Ma Deming squat down and take off his skates, quietly separated his hands and put them on the bed. Back and knees.

After the short program that lasted until 09:30 in the evening, Tao Wei's score was firmly ranked first. Although it was only [-] points ahead of Yagudin, who was ranked second, the first is the first, but This result made Tao Wei a little surprised, not because Tao Wei thought he was inferior, but because of his preconceived notions, Tao Wei did not expect to be able to overwhelm the two top players from Russia in the short program.

However, who would refuse this honor? Tao Wei with a smile accepted the congratulations from Yagudin, Norman and others, and Yagudin, who issued the gauntlet again, waved his arms and said with a smile that he would compete with Tao Wei.

Everyone knows that as long as there are no major mistakes in the short program, they will be in the finals. Now the only thing that can draw the score to determine the winner is the free skating.No matter how unbearably painful his body was, Tao Wei gladly took on Yagudin's challenge.

However, just as Tao Wei entered the next stage as No.1, in the Utah Olympic Speed ​​Skating Stadium, the Chinese short track speed skating team faced a fatal blow.

First, at 1000 o'clock in the evening, when the veteran Li Tong was in the semi-finals, he was forcibly taken down by the veteran Min Chenglong from the South Korean team. The same abdomen was slashed, blood splattered everywhere, and the huge wound forced Li Tong to withdraw from the race and was rushed to the hospital. Then in the men's [-]m semi-finals, Wang Jun, the most popular teenager in China, was forced out of the race by Park Minzhi, also from the South Korean team. Dao, because of the sudden attack, without any preparation, Wang Jun fell directly, hitting his head on the guardrail, and Wang Jun, who had a moderate concussion, was also forced to withdraw from the game.

As a result, on the day after tomorrow, February 2th, at 14:500 am local time, only Wan Xiaodong was left in the 5000-meter event of the Chinese short-track speed skating team. A dilemma that had to be faced, the [-]-meter relay race.

The participation of Li Tong and Wang Jun meant that Wan Xiaodong had to participate in tomorrow's 5000-meter relay race as a substitute. As a result, Wan Xiaodong didn't say anything, but Shi Yang threw the table angrily.

In the quiet lounge, Shi Yang, panting heavily, pointed his finger at the silent Wan Xiaodong with trembling fingers, his red eyes were filled with tears, and the unbearable sadness poured out from the bottom of Shi Yang's heart, " Team Chen, Deputy Team Liu, I disagree, if possible, I will not stop, but Wan Xiaodong..."

"elder brother....."

Before Shi Yang could speak, a hoarse shout sounded behind him, Shi Yang turned his head in shock, Wan Xiaodong who didn't know when got up stood behind him, his pleading eyes contained deep pleading, Shaking his head slightly, "Brother."

Clenching his fist tightly, Shi Yang closed his eyes looking at those eyes full of pleading, "Wan Xiaodong's meniscus has been broken for the second time."

Stretching out his arms to hug Wan Xiaodong, who was enduring the pain in his stomach, Shi Yang, who barely said this, burst into tears from his eyes.

In the hot tears falling on the top of his head, Wan Xiaodong's eyes were red. He is not greedy, and he is satisfied with getting a gold medal. Four years ago, Wan Xiaodong watched the gold medal from the humiliating Winter Olympics. In the past 12 years since he embarked on the road of speed skating at the age of ten, Wan Xiaodong did not dare to relax for a moment. From the initial desire to catch up with Tao Wei's footsteps, to the real love later, the hardships involved Dong didn't even dare to think about it, afraid that thinking about it would not have the courage to go on, fearing that thinking about it would make his weak heart collapse instantly.

After waiting year after year like burning lamp oil, now he can finally make an impact like a gold medal. Wan Xiaodong, who could not forget the humiliation four years ago, could not lose this opportunity. The gold medal that belonged to him brought back to the motherland and the vast black land.

Taking a deep breath, he patted Shi Yang on the back. Wan Xiaodong let go of his arms and walked out from behind Shi Yang. The shocked Chen Fei and the deputy team leader Liu Jiaoyang made Wan Xiaodong smile. , the tenacity in the bones of the Chinese people is clearly visible. Wan Xiaodong, who bent deeply and straightened up again, had a bright smile on his face, "Team Chen, Vice-Team Liu, thank you for your trust in me, but I have no ability anymore." .”

I have no ability anymore. As a top athlete, what kind of heartache Wan Xiaodong felt when he said this? , a touch of warmth flashed by, Liu Jiaoyang stepped forward, and patted Wan Xiaodong's forehead, "It's our negligence, Xiaodong, retire."

It's not that I don't feel bad, but from Liu Jiaoyang's point of view, there will be no one without a gold medal. As long as Wan Xiaodong keeps it, he can come back in four years. But what Liu Jiaoyang didn't expect was that Wan Xiaodong smiled and shook his head , The persistence in his eyes made Liu Jiaoyang instantly understand that he had said something stupid, and he laughed at himself secretly, how could he forget, if he could, Wan Xiaodong wouldn't appear here.

Liu Jiaoyang, who didn't know what to say, patted Wan Xiaodong on the shoulder and led the silent Chen Fei out of the lounge, leaving space for the master and apprentice who were struggling to crawl.