The Four Continents Figure Skating Competition kicks off today, and the four East Asian women are looking forward to blooming
Who will be crowned in the Sea Crown?
Zhu Yi wants to clear his name. Photo by our reporter Li Mingshen
Chen Hongyi trains before the game. Photographed by our reporter Li Mingshen
The main competition of the 2024 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships kicked off today at the Oriental Sports Center. Leading this ice and snow feast is the women's singles short program, which is very entertaining and very popular with the audience.
Although the overall strong Russian legion was unable to come to Shanghai due to rules reasons, the women's singles lineup for this Four Continents Championship is still full of excitement. Without the "difficulty peak" built by Russia's "Three Girls", Mihara Mai and Lee Hairen, who are eager to inherit the legacy of Mao Asada and Kim Yuna, as well as Zhu Yi and Chen Hongyi, who have the advantage of home court, are all eager to compete on the ice of the Sea Crown. , blooming with their own light.
Looking forward to coming out of the shadows
During yesterday's pre-match training, Zhu Yi's expression was a little serious. She is not yet 22 years old. She has experienced many difficult and difficult moments over the years. Now she is once again standing on the stage of the World Series. She is eager to step out of the shadows in Shanghai. , opens a new chapter in figure skating career.
Because of mistakes made at the Beijing Winter Olympics and various off-site news, Zhu Yi, who likes to be quiet, has become the focus of public opinion time and time again. The outside world has even raised questions about "will she continue skating?" The unfriendly voices from the outside world inevitably made her mood fluctuate. "I have some regrets in 2023, not being able to compete in my best condition. I will go back to regroup and start again, and I will still go all out." At the end of last year, Zhu Yi Leave this annual summary on Weibo. Facing the first important figure skating event in 2024, Zhu Yi, who has experienced the test of the Winter Olympics and harvested sweet love, has gradually come out of his trough, and looks forward to vindicating himself with better performance in the Four Continents Championships.
"The flames ignite the maritime crown again!" This is the blessing Chen Hongyi's ice fans gave her on social platforms before the Four Continents competition. At the Shanghai Super Cup last October, Chen Hongyi, nicknamed "Flame", made repeated mistakes in the short program. Although she surprised the Shanghai audience in the free skate, her overall performance still had a lot of room for improvement. When she left Sea Crown that time, she made a wish that "I hope this will be a good start." More than three months later, the familiar "Huo Miao" returned to the familiar venue. He was meticulous in training and relaxed during rest. Chen Hongyi, who rated his performance at 7 points when he came to Shanghai last time, has a simple goal for returning to his old place - —Let the "fire" that was lit here last year burn even brighter.
longing to relive old dreams
In the Four Continents Championships, Mai Mihara from Japan and Lee Hae-in from South Korea both had good memories. The two are the women's singles champions in the last two tournaments respectively. This is the first time since Mao Asada and Yuna Kim that female players from Japan and South Korea have taken turns in the Four Continents Championships. Coming to Shanghai this time, the Japanese and Korean figure skating stars are eager to relive their old dreams.
Because of her previous right ankle injury, Mihara Mai's trip to Shanghai was not favored by many people. However, in the previous two days of training, the Japanese girl showed good condition, and the jumps that were originally sweating were also completed well. "My physical condition is much better than before. Now I can skate as much as I want." Mihara Mai said after the first day of adapting to the venue training. Compared with Lee Hairen, who has risen rapidly in recent years, the 24-year-old Japanese girl has stood on the highest podium of the Four Continents Championships in 2017. However, after becoming famous at a young age, Mihara Mai has been stuck in a bottleneck period for a long time. Fortunately, she He has never lost his passion for skating and his pursuit of victory. If she can win the championship in Shanghai, she will become a star player who has won the championship on four continents three times like Mao Asada. When talking about this, Mihara shook her head and said: "I won't think about this. I always believe that as long as you work hard, you will be successful." There is a chance to get a satisfactory result. I will do my best during the game to strive for the best result."
More than three months ago, Li Hairen, who came to Shanghai for the first time to compete, made a promise to ice fans, "I will come again when the Four Continents compete, and I hope everyone will continue to come and cheer me on." Now, the Korean girl is here as promised. However, compared with three months ago, Li Hairen has an additional identity - the defending champion. Although this title will inevitably bring some pressure, she still behaved relatively relaxedly after returning to the ice of the Sea Crown. After training, she did not forget to make some funny animations of her training scenes and post them on social platforms, which attracted a lot of attention. Teammates, opponents and ice fans looked on. "It felt good to come to Shanghai to compete before, especially the enthusiastic audience that impressed me deeply." Li Hairen said, hoping that this time, she can join the ice fans in Shanghai and leave more good memories at the Four Continents Championships. memories.
Our reporter Lu Weixin
Source: Xinmin Evening News