With Milano-Cortina 2026 simply round the nook, the return of the 4 Continents Determine Skating Championships to Beijing serves as a essential final rehearsal for China”s greatest and the world’s elite forward of subsequent month’s Olympic problem.
The annual championships, which have been final hosted in the Chinese language capital in 2003, will kick off its four-day second version in Beijing on Thursday at the Nationwide Indoor Stadium, with over 100 skaters from 17 international locations and areas fine-tuning their routines in the final official Worldwide Skating Union competitors for the final time earlier than the Olympic Video games open in Milan on Feb 6.
Main the host’s cost might be legendary pair skaters Sui Wenjing and Han Cong, who’ve completed on high of the podium at the championships a file six occasions.
After making the nation proud by profitable a gold medal at Beijing 2022, the veteran duo stepped away from aggressive skating to proceed their tutorial research, till they made the shocking determination to lace up once more for elite competitions in June final 12 months.
With back-to-back podium finishes on this season’s ISU Grand Prix collection in Chongqing and Osaka, Sui and Han, a two-time world champion duo, have proved they continue to be a pressure to be reckoned with in pair skating.
They just lately locked in their Olympic qualification spot by profitable final month’s Chinese language nationwide trial to embark on their third Winter Olympic journey.
“For me, this wasn’t a shock,” the 30-year-old Sui stated of her determination to come back again competing.
“I noticed the challenges Chinese language determine skating has confronted throughout the Milan Olympic cycle. As an athlete, who was cultivated by my nation, I really feel I nonetheless have the energy and the accountability to maintain transferring ahead.
“My hope is to guide the sport (for my nation) once more and push it only a bit additional for somewhat longer.”
Sui and Han will skate to the aria Habanera from Bizet’s opera masterpiece Carmen in the brief program and to the music from Chinese language dance drama A Tapestry of a Legendary Land in their free skate at the 4 Continents championships, aiming to additional polish their creative parts and technical particulars on house ice earlier than the Olympic showdown at the Milano Ice Skating Area.
China will even be represented in pairs skating by children Zhang Jiaxuan and Huang Yihang, who’re making their 4 Continents debut in Beijing.
Promoted to the senior ranks this season, the pair performed a key function in incomes China a nationwide quota place for Milano-Cortina in September’s Olympic qualifying occasion, but was outperformed by the seasoned pair of Sui and Han in the home trial three weeks in the past.
