[Short track speed skating] From academic master to Winter Olympic champion

This is Gu Ran's first time participating in the World Championships. In addition to paying attention to his own game, he also pays special attention to Lin Jiaxi's game.

He likes Lin Jiaxi's enthusiasm and cheerfulness, and also appreciates his sense of identity with his Chinese identity.

The key is that he still has exquisite skills and good stamina. Gu Ran thinks that he just makes up for the missing role and position.

The two met each other in the locker room during training on the ice, but they didn't speak. When they met again, they were already on the field.

After participating in adult competitions, Lin Jiaxi stopped skating 500 meters and mainly participated in 1000 meters and 1500 meters.

When Gu Ran was able to talk to him, it was the pre-match inspection.

As soon as the two met, Lin Jiaxi ran towards Gu Ran with a bright smile, and hugged him: "Xiao Ran, long time no see!"

Gu Ran also hugged him back: "It hasn't been long, I only saw you last month."

Lin Jiaxi looked at Gu Ran, and said affectionately: "If we don't see each other for a day, it's like three autumns."

Chi Lang, who was drinking water next to him, almost spit out: "How dare you say it, do you know what this sentence means?"

"Of course I know!" Lin Jiaxi blinked: "It's like three autumns since I haven't seen each other for a day. After this calculation, Xiaoran and I have been gone for decades."

"Uneducated." Chi Lang was often scolded by Gu Ran for this sentence, and now he can finally use this sentence on others, and when he said it, he was very confident and loud.

Gu Ran bumped him with an elbow: "Do you have the face to say that others are uneducated? Do you speak English as well as his Chinese?"

These words are a bit confusing, Chi Lang didn't respond: "What do you mean?"

Chi Lang was unhappy: "Gu Xiaoran, why are you turning your elbows outward?"

Gu Ran said: "Jiaxi is not an outsider."

"Hey, hey!" Chi Lang pointed to the clothes on Lin Jiaxi's body, and then to the national flag on his chest, "You can see who is wearing the same team uniform."

Gu Ran picked up his helmet and put it on his head, took the mineral water from his hand, and slapped his arm on his arm: "It's your turn to play, drink so much water, and you're not afraid to pee your pants on the field .”

As Chi Lang walked towards the inspection room, he scolded him: "Are you sick? Do you pee your pants during the game?"

When he went out to compete, Lin Jiaxi seemed to understand what the two of them said just now: "Ah! Does Chi Lang not like me?"

"How come?" Gu Ran patted his head, "Based on what I know about him, if he doesn't like someone, that's definitely not the attitude."

Lin Jiaxi tilted her head and asked, "What's your attitude?"

Gu Ran tilted her neck and twitched her eyebrows, imitating Chi Lang's expression that she thought she was pulling and cool: "That's it."

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

Their three 1000-meter preliminaries were not in the same group, but all three of them successfully entered the next round.

The first day of competition was full of preliminaries and quarter-finals, and all the events that the Chinese team members participated in entered the next round smoothly.

The next morning, Gu Ran had the 500m semi-finals and finals.

This time he and Liu Fei were in one group, and Meng Yuqiao was in the other.

They also had Lee In Hyuk and Curtis Johnson in their group. There was no suspense in the final result. Gu Ran and Curtis successfully advanced to the final.

In addition to Meng Yuqiao, the other group included Guo Chengjun, Huang Zaixian, and an American player, Jason Glatz.

They were in the second group, Gu Ran and Liu Fei did not return to the team in a hurry after the game, they just stood in the passage outside the ice rink to watch the next semi-final.

Gu Ran was actually a little worried, he had all fought against the other three in that group.Huang Zaixian didn't talk about it, there were too many hidden tricks in his hands.

But his strength is higher than that of Meng Yuqiao, he should lead the skater in front, and he won't have too many opportunities for physical contact with Da Qiao.

What Gu Ran was worried about was Guo Chengjun and the American Jason Gratz, both of whom had very distinct personal styles.

Gu Ran observed in yesterday's preliminaries and quarter-finals. Compared with last month's World Cup, this Guo Chengjun's performance can be described as leaps and bounds.

He remembers the guy getting knocked out in the second round in Montreal.

But in yesterday's quarter-finals, he easily won the first place in the group.

This actually reflects the fierce competition in short track speed skating in Korea.

If he was not eye-catching enough, how could he qualify for the World Championships?

Then there is the American Jason Gratz, this buddy is also a master who likes to pester people.Gu Ran remembered that in Montreal, Meng Yuqiao collided with him and fell off the track, and was finally called a foul by the referee.

And when Gu Ran was competing with him, he almost kicked a knife.

Anyway, the other three people in this group liked and were good at finding opportunities in crowds and chaos. Only Meng Yuqiao was weak and her physical fitness was far inferior to them.

Thinking about it, Gu Ran couldn't help frowning.

At this time, Liu Fei put his shoulder on his shoulder: "Don't worry, you have to believe in Da Qiao's strength."

Gu Ran said: "Of course I believe in Da Qiao's strength, but I just don't believe in the character of those three people."

Liu Fei analyzed to him: "The two Koreans must cooperate. I don't know if Huang Zaixian will help his little brother. The American probably wants to fish in troubled waters. Big Joe's only chance is... ..."

At this time, the referee's "prepare" command sounded, and the athletes came to the starting line.

Gu Ran continued his words: "Da Qiao's only chance is to grab a good starting position."

"Yes."

Gu Ran looked calm on the surface, but she was so nervous that her shoulders and back were tense.

The starting gun fired, and the four rushed out at the same time. Gu Ran's heart rose, and she almost blurted out, "Da Qiao, hurry up, hurry up!"

Probably his inner cry was really heard by Meng Yuqiao, who really took the lead and entered the corner first.

Seeing this scene, Gu Ran's hanging heart finally settled down. The 500-meter comparison is starting and explosive power.Meng Yuqiao's explosive power is not weak, and his technique is good. As long as he can grab the first position, he will almost be able to enter the finals.

Behind him is Huang Zaixian, who has been skating leisurely, and has no intention of overtaking Meng Yuqiao on the fourth lap.

Behind him is Guo Chengjun, and then Jason Glatz.Guo Chengjun dutifully followed behind his predecessors until the end of the game, Meng Yuqiao and Huang Zaixian won two promotion places.

It was only then that Gu Ran and Liu Fei suddenly realized that there was no touching story of "fighting for the little brother's place in the final". In the script, only the little brother helped the big brother to advance smoothly.

As for Guo Chengjun himself, he is just an insignificant tool man. After the game, Huang Zaixian didn't even look back at him, and slid straight to the exit.

Meng Yuqiao was still panting heavily until she reached Gu Ran and Liu Fei.Physical fitness is his shortcoming. Gu Ran could tell that he had tried his best just now for this place in the 500-meter final.

Gu Ran patted him on the back to comfort him: "Quickly, go back and have a rest, and let the team doctor relax you. There is still a long time before the finals, so you should be able to recover."

Meng Yuqiao put his arms on his shoulders, and most of his body weight was on him: "During the finals, I will try my best to protect you. Don't worry about anything, just go forward."

Gu Ran grabbed his wrist with one hand, and walked forward with his arm around his waist: "It depends on the situation. If you start fast enough, don't bother me if you get the first place. I'll stop the people behind you for you."

Meng Yuqiao stretched out her hand and scratched his chin, like teasing a kitten: "Little bastard."

The little bastard helped him all the way back to the teammate, and Liu Fei carried equipment for them in the back.

Yu Jie handed her a banana, and after eating, the team doctor patted Meng Yuqiao on the shoulder and took her away.

The semi-finals of the 2000-meter mixed race are going on on the field. The Chinese team, South Korea and Italy are in the death group.

Only the top two in each group can enter the final, so among the three strong teams that also have the ability to win the championship, there must be one team that cannot enter the final.

Because Gu Ran and Liang Kexin were not on the scene, he couldn't help but feel a little worried.But think about it.The senior brothers and sisters are not weak, so you should have confidence in them.

Facts have proved that the four of them did very well.At the start, he was in second place, but later passed the baton once and overtook Italy.

At this time, Italy did not attract attention, but in the second round, the South Korean team began to chase them frantically for this promotion spot.

Just catching up was not enough. When the women's team handed over the baton to the men's team, the Korean players saw that the Italians were firmly in position, so they began to show their traditional performing arts.

The Italian team was overwhelmed, and the two sides entangled endlessly.However, with the last lap to go in the third leg, Lee was still trying to overtake Italy.Both players made small moves, and finally, when entering the corner, Lee In-hyuk fell off the track by himself.

Unlike other relays, the mixed relay has a fixed number of laps and a fixed position for the baton.

If someone falls down in the men's relay or women's relay, another person can complete the handover with a high-five. However, in the mixed relay, the player who falls down has not finished skating. Other team members cannot skate for him, and he has to stand up by himself. keep playing.

In this way, the time has been almost delayed, and when he got up to hand over the baton, the others had already finished the game.

The moment Lee In-hyuk fell, the coaches of the Chinese team almost cheered. There was no other meaning.

Of course the happiest was Gu Ran, wishing to give them a round of applause, yelling that they fell beautifully, with a beautiful posture, and do it again.

However, Xu Qing turned his head, his sharp eyes swept across the crowd, all the cheers came to an abrupt end, and everyone could only applaud in a low-key manner.

The Koreans did not give up. After the game, they were still waiting for the referee's decision.

However, the result of the game came out soon, and there was no penalty.They finished last and missed the final.

The Italians were also very contemptuous of the behavior of the Koreans. When Gu Ran saw them walking out of the ice rink, he said something to Li Renhyuk, and the other party seemed to reply. When I got up, I didn't expect that the Korean was scared first, turned around and walked away.

Gu Ran guessed that the main reason why the two didn't quarrel was because of the language barrier.

After the relay race, the rest period is longer.Rhythmic music came from the radio, and the audience danced to the rhythm.

On the ice rink, the staff was clearing the ice. Because someone fell, the ice surface was knocked out by the skates and some small cracks needed to be repaired.

The 500-meter final was coming soon, but Gu Ran was in a good mood, and could hum a few words along with the music.

Meng Yuqiao said, "You have a pretty good sense of music."

Gu Ran raised her eyebrows and muttered, "Director Zhang said the same thing."

Meng Yuqiao frowned: "Which director Zhang?"

When the music on the radio reached the chorus part, Gu Ran shook her head following the rhythm: "Director Zhang from the figure skating team next door."

This time, not only Meng Yuqiao's frown deepened, but Cheng Sen and Xu Qing also turned their heads to look at him.

Gu Ran waved her hand and said with a smile: "Relax, I'm already old, it's impossible for others to poach me."

Someone slapped him on the head. It was Luo Mengyao who just came back from the game. She is the captain and the oldest player in the team: "You are the youngest in the whole team. How dare you say your age?"

Gu Ran covered her head: "Yes, yes, I understand, Aunt Luo."

As soon as the words fell, there was another knock on the head: "Who is your aunt?"

Gu Ran changed her words in a polite manner: "Miss, let's do it."

Luo Mengyao sat down on a chair and instructed him: "Go, bring a bottle of water for Senior Sister."

Gu Ran went to fetch water for her, while complaining: "You are called a bully team member, do you know that?"

Luo Mengyao pinched his cheek: "I'll bully you, how about it?" She nodded Cheng Sen with her chin, "Are you going to sue?"

Gu Ran glanced at Cheng Sen's back, and quickly waved her hands: "I like being bullied by senior sister the most. Senior sister, you must not bully others, you only bully me, okay?"

Luo Mengyao was almost laughed to death by him: "Then Senior Sister will agree to you without any difficulty."

Yang Shanshan sat on the other side of Gu Ran: "Am I not a senior sister?"

Gu Ran brought over a box of mineral water in one breath, and distributed a bottle to each of them.

Meng Yuqiao stood up, carried the person and left: "It's time to go to the inspection." Liu Fei also hurriedly followed.

After the inspection, they stood at the door to watch the women's 500m Group A final, with Liang Kexin participating.

The girl didn't perform well today, and she only got No.4 in the end.To Gu Ran's surprise, Cui Zhien from the South Korean team only took third place, while his predecessor, a female player from the Netherlands, took the gold medal.

Gu Ran watched Liang Kexin walk out of the ice rink from a distance, the senior sister kept her head down, the helmet and goggles blocked most of her face, Gu Ran didn't see her expression clearly at the moment.

He said to Meng Yuqiao next to him, "Senior sister must be very sad now."

Meng Yuqiao nodded and said "Yes".

Liu Fei smiled and said, "I'll go comfort her later."

Gu Ran saw that Cui Zhien again, with her head down as well, without saying a word.Next to her is her senior, who has been saying something to her with an angry expression.

Gu Ran has noticed her since the game in Montreal. This woman's name is Han Xiaoying, she is simply the male version of Hwang Jae-hyun, both of them like to sneak around and do tricks on the field, even their skating postures are a bit similar.

If it wasn't for the different surnames, Gu Ran would have thought that the two of them were siblings.

Huang Zaixian was standing on the other side. After watching the game, his face was not good-looking.Gu Ran felt that he and that Han Xiaoying even had the same expression, it was absolutely amazing.

At this time, Liu Fei also walked to the field. He will participate in the 500m Group B final soon.

Liu Fei finally got No.5, which is considered a good result.

After Group B, you will enter Group A. The finals will be arranged according to the ranking of the semi-finals.

Gu Ran and his group were faster than the other two, so Curtis Johnson was in the first lane, he was in the second lane, Meng Yuqiao was next to him, and Huang Zaixian was in the fourth lane.

Before the game started, Gu Ran whispered to Meng Yuqiao: "I don't know if it's because I saw the Korean team fall, but I'm in a very good state now."

Meng Yuqiao just hooked the corners of her lips, everything she wanted to say was contained in this unobtrusive smile.

The moment the starting gun fired, the two rushed out.Their reaction was amazing, and their speed was obviously faster than the other two.

Curtis had the advantage in the lanes and ran all the way, trying to catch up with them.

But Gu Ran and Meng Yuqiao didn't care about others at all, as if this match was just a contest between them.

The two rushed toward the curve almost side by side. When entering the curve, Meng Yuqiao didn't slow down, but slid on the outside of Gu Ran.

The audience was dumbfounded. Why did the two Chinese contestants fight? This seems to be a Korean tradition. The Chinese have also started fighting among themselves?

The two of them were side by side at first, and then Gu Ran kicked alternately to rush out of the curve. Meng Yuqiao just helped him get stuck in the outer lane, and immediately merged into the inner lane when Gu Ran was half a body ahead of him.

The cooperation between the two of them was tacit and smooth, and they didn't even need any verbal communication. When the other made a move, the other knew what to do next.

Only then did the audience suddenly realize that this was not internal fighting, it was uniting to fight against others.

Entering the straight road, Gu Ran no longer cared about the movement behind him, just aimed at the front, slid forward without any worries, and tried to increase the speed as fast as possible.

Meng Yuqiao in the back was not so comfortable. Curtis and Huang Zaixian were like two hungry wolves, one on the left and one on the right, wishing to eat him alive.

Even under the pincer attack of these two people, Meng Yuqiao didn't give up.Now his mind is full of the scene of Xu Qing leading them to feel the route during training.

Director Xu did not hesitate to relapse the old injury. He did acupuncture and moxibustion for several days in a row, and he also showed them one by one, explaining the route and card position with them.

Meng Yuqiao stared at Gu Ran in front of her, as if that was the motivation for him to fight desperately with the two people beside him.

What he thought in his heart was: "If he can't defend this game, how will he face Director Xu when he goes back?"

No matter how Curtis looked for opportunities to overtake on the inside, Huang Zaixian harassed him in every possible way on the outside, Meng Yuqiao always insisted on gliding according to his own route, especially when entering and exiting corners, Huang Zaixian had to find opportunities to overtake He went, but he was stuck in the position abruptly.

Meng Yuqiao stared closely at Gu Ran, who was also thinking of him.

Gu Ran wished that she had the ability to teleport and cross the finish line in the next second.

He told himself repeatedly that he couldn't lose, couldn't lose!He is not playing alone, they are a team, Big Joe bears everything for him, and he has to win this gold medal for the opponent!

At the moment when he crossed the line, Gu Ran had no time to think. His mind was filled with the image of Da Qiao struggling to hold the two of them for him, which became all his motivation to move forward!

So, after he crossed the line, he turned around immediately and saw the picture of three people crossing the finish line together, without having time to see who crossed the line first.

Then he was pushed, and the hand pressed against his back and did not move away.The two skated together for a while, and the speed slowly dropped.

Meng Yuqiao said coldly, "Why are you stopping there, how dangerous is it?"

Gu Ran asked eagerly: "Who will cross the line first?"

"See for yourself!"

"..."

Looking at it by herself, Gu Ran took off her helmet and goggles, and kept staring at the big screen, afraid that she might not be able to see the results immediately.

Meng Yuqiao was panting aside. He fought against two people alone, and his physical energy was exhausted.

Gu Ran joked on the side: "Oh! You are panting like sister Lin."

Meng Yuqiao looked at him coldly: "Who am I for?"

Gu Ran smiled apologetically, and patted his chest to comfort him: "For me, for me, I am your elder brother Bao."

When he was talking, his eyes were fixed on the big screen, and he seemed particularly insincere. Meng Yuqiao patted his hand away: "Stay aside."

"Fuck!" Gu Ran's eyes widened, "Big Joe! Did you see that?"

He turned around and hugged Meng Yuqiao involuntarily: "40 seconds 176, I set a new personal best time!"

Meng Yuqiao patted his head: "This is also the world's best result this year, and a new 500-meter world number one is born!"