novelraw Chapter 441 - 439: The Legacy of Chinese Table Tennis
Chapter 441 - 439: The Legacy of Chinese Table Tennis
Wang Fan and Zhuo Qianqian were both a bit tense.
It wasn’t because they were squeezed among a bunch of world champions, but rather because of the particularly solemn expressions on the faces around them.
After the 2008 Beijing Olympics, to prevent a single country from sweeping gold, silver, and bronze, the table tennis team was no longer allowed to have three players in men’s singles.
However, Liu Hang, the mainstay as the second singles player, was eliminated early in the top 32 to 16 match.
This left the National Table Tennis Team with only one representative.
If Chang Yixian loses again, the National Table Tennis Team will be completely out of the championship race this year.
One could say Chang Yixian was already on the edge of a cliff.
His opponent was the Japanese player Kikuchi Shizhi.
This player was also a strong contender for the championship, with undeniable strength and much younger compared to Chang Yixian.
Although Chang Yixian was not as old as Long You, he was already considered a veteran in the table tennis world, and the saying "the old fear the young" is an eternal truth.
Everyone knew this was going to be a closely matched showdown of the century, yet the match had just started and everyone was taken aback.
Chang Yixian lost the first game with a large deficit of 2-11!
This startled everyone, making their hearts leap into their throats.
Chairman Liu, Team Captain Long, and Coach Wang’s expressions grew increasingly serious. Such a loss in the first game could heavily impact a player’s mentality, and they were very worried about the effect on Chang Yixian’s mind.
Chang Yixian tugged at his shorts and wiped the sweat from his palms on them.
This act of tugging at shorts wasn’t unique to him; many Huaxia athletes had done it before.
It’s not that they had any peculiar hobby, but perhaps there was a design flaw in the shorts themselves.
They often got stuck uncomfortably, earning them the nickname "Ka Pi Bala" (stuck shorts).
And compared to Kikuchi Shizhi, whose jersey looked dry and neat, Chang Yixian’s sports T-shirt was completely soaked in sweat, clinging tightly to his body.
"Inhale... exhale..."
Chang Yixian forced himself to calm down, taking deep breaths to adjust his mentality.
He couldn’t allow himself to fall in the quarter-finals, and as a soldier, he especially couldn’t fall at the feet of the Japanese!
He must win this game, win it at all costs!
Kikuchi Shizhi’s youthful face was full of confident brilliance, and he was equally confident about defeating Chang Yixian.
His advantages were fast pace and speed, which were exactly the weaknesses of his older opponent!
The large victory margin in the first game strongly proved this point.
As long as he played steadily, defeating the opponent was easily within reach!
The second game began.
Chang Yixian quickly adjusted his state, working hard to adapt to Kikuchi Shizhi’s offensive rhythm.
The serve speed was extremely fast, requiring an early reaction.
Two strokes for setup, creating an attacking opportunity on the third stroke.
This was the pattern of the opponent’s offense that Chang Yixian had concluded.
I need to press in the middle, then attack the sides with large angles, suppressing his speed advantage.
Although Chang Yixian quickly adjusted his state and developed a plan, the outcome was still not ideal, losing another game with a score of 9-11.
The Huaxia spectators at the scene were already silent, while the cheers of the Japanese echoed throughout the arena, with some already chanting "Kikuchi Shizhi 4-0 Chang Yixian."
The people clenched their fists and glared, but they were powerless.
Coach Wang suddenly stood up, holding a blue team uniform.
Team Captain Long was startled when he saw the uniform in Coach Wang’s hand, and the scene from the Rio Olympic Games flashed in his mind.
Chairman Liu beside Wang Fan suddenly laughed, "Are you curious why he’s taking the uniform out?"
Wang Fan and Zhuo Qianqian nodded, quietly waiting for Chairman Liu to continue.
"It was at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, Long You was also trailing 0-2 in a match, so I told him to go change his clothes. I said to him, Long, once you walk out of this arena, you are already eliminated, you’ve lost the Olympics, and you mustn’t be under the illusion that you still have a chance. If you go on with the illusion, playing like the previous two games, you’ve 100% lost.
Once we walk out, we can’t come back. Change into this uniform, walk back into this arena, and consider yourself reborn, given a second chance by the heavens."
After finishing, he chuckled, "As a result, after that game, he came back and overturned four games in a row, leaving his opponent in tears."
Wang Fan and Zhuo Qianqian were listening with rapt attention; these little episodes on the field were sometimes almost more exciting than the match itself.
Kikuchi Shizhi, full of confidence, said confidently to his coach when he sat down beside him, "Let the match go 3-0. Even at 10-0, I wouldn’t lose my composure, it’s just 2-0 now."
He said this, took a few sips of water, and looked around haughtily.
The break time between matches was very short; Chang Yixian and Coach Wang came and went in a hurry, and apart from his clothes now being dry, there was no visible change in his emotions.
Yet in the silence, a storm was brewing. Perhaps it was a mysterious power, or maybe Chang Yixian had truly grasped his opponent’s rhythm, winning the third game decisively with a score of 11-4.
The big score was now 2-1!
Kikuchi Shizhi had a solid mentality; a single loss didn’t shake his confidence. He remained full of confidence in himself.
Even when the big score reached 2-2, not a trace of ripple appeared in his mind.
The fifth game ended with a significant margin of 11-4, bringing the score to 3-2 at match point!
Wang Fan and Zhuo Qianqian tightly held each other’s hands, feeling each other’s tension.
The feeling of watching live compared to watching on TV was entirely different, the tension was truly spine-tingling.
Gu Zhengchao was already kneeling in front of the television at this moment.
But it wasn’t because Father Gu was punishing him; he just wanted to pray to a god he had never believed in before, to favor him once.
He had already prayed while sitting on the couch, but the 3-2 score told him he wasn’t devout enough.
Kneeling before the television, hands clasped in prayer, he mumbled, "Boundless heavens, Amitabha, please Buddha, protect Kung Fu Panda to win!"
After saying this, he drew a cross over his chest and bowed three times to the TV.
Occasionally among fans, Chang Yixian was nicknamed Kung Fu Panda.
Father Gu had shut himself in the bathroom and wouldn’t come out.
He couldn’t help it; he had watched the first two games, and seeing Chang Yixian lose both, he couldn’t take it and went to the bathroom to smoke a cigarette, only for Chang Yixian to miraculously win two games in a row!
Excited, he returned to the couch to watch, only for Chang Yixian to lose again!
"Damn, what’s going on?"
Father Gu was shocked, coming to the conclusion that he was jinxing the player!
So he decisively returned to the bathroom, resuming his cigarette in exactly the same position as before.
"Awooo!"
Gu Zhengchao howled like a wolf, excitedly shouting, "3-3! Both sides at match point! God, thank you!"
7-7!
7-8!
7-9!
7-10!
7-11!
"Holy shit, holy shit, amazing! Dad, get out here, the Panda won haha!"
"Holy shit!"
Father Gu rushed out incredulously, staring at the television.
On TV, Chang Yixian was already raising both hands triumphantly, shouting out his joy.
"God, thank my ancestors for eighteen generations hahaha!"
The audience in front of the TV was incredibly excited; one can only imagine the state of the audience who had been suppressing their excitement for most of the match.
Every spectator in the stands was excitedly shouting and jumping, almost happier than if they had won the championship.
Kikuchi Shizhi, who claimed he wouldn’t panic even at 10-0, now had his hands on the table, squatting on the ground in confusion without reacting for a long time.
Chang Yixian powerfully waved his fist towards Team Captain Long.
The banner, I didn’t let it fall!