Take-off line

Time for men's singles skates. Skaters include: Petr Gumennik, Ilia Malinin, Mikhail Shaidorov, Cha Junhwan and many others. Petr and Adeliia are similar in their burden. Both perform under a neutral flag, but their country is known to everyone. The girl came to his skate, before him she helped him style his hair and said words of encouragement. Petr performed in the 3rd warm-up and after his performance Adeliia watched the free programs of the remaining skaters at the exit to the world of the Olympic ice backstage. Then the first meeting of Ilya and Adeliia happened. It was time for his free program and they crossed paths at the boards, not giving this collision any importance, although the girl looked at him and mentally wished him good luck, because he was the last one to perform and he had high hopes. Adeliia was of the opinion "whoever is stronger will win". Of course, the girl thought that Malinin would be on the podium with a 99.9% chance, but her intuition failed her. The guy fell from a jump twice, and both times Petrosian's heart stopped... The way he approached his quadruple Axel and the slight creaking of the ice... It was a loss, not for his country, but for himself. Not only did Adeliia's heart stop, but the entire arena fell silent during the falls. For the guy, it was a complete disappointment in himself. As he was leaving the ice, Adelia caught up with him and decided to support him. "You're still doing well," the girl said with a smile. For Malinin, this was surprising, as he didn't know her well, but he had heard about her. Although it was just a supportive remark, it made the guy smile a little. "Thank you," the guy said and went to wait for the results of the program. 8th place was a blow to Malinin, although he tried not to show it. Adeliia was very happy for Peter, although there was nothing to be happy about, as he had been severely punished, but she also felt sorry for Ilia. She could understand the pressure he was under and wanted to support him at least with words. The guy was sitting very upset and for the girl it was a terrible sight. Adeliia only knew him from the news and saw him for the first time, but his sad face made her heart to squeeze. She wanted to come, but she knew that it would be a mistake for her and something was stopping her. Ilya was fixated on the scores and here, on the scoreboard, his scores and final place are projected. 8th... his eyes are filled with disappointment in himself, they are filled with anger towards himself and the realization that he has let his country and parents down, and most importantly himself. His thoughts were devouring him, but at some point he remembered the warmth of the hand of that girl who spoke to him in Russian, who despite the fear in her eyes came to him. Her voice echoed in his ears, "Does she really think I'm worthy of praise? Who is she? What's her name?" Thoughts slipped by one after another, and he no longer felt so alone. In her gaze, he saw genuine concern, as if she was worried about him, and perhaps she was.