Comeback pair to lead national charge at Cup of China

The 2025 ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix Cup of China, the second event in the ISU Grand Prix series, will begin in Chongqing on Friday.

Serving as a warm-up event for the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, the competition will feature top skaters from around the world.

It will also mark the return of China's pairs stars Sui Wenjing and Han Cong, who will make their first competitive appearance in more than three years. The event has added importance for Chinese skaters, with Olympic selection on the line.

Sui and Han, the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic pairs champions, announced their comeback in June and the Cup of China will be their first competitive test.

While Sui and Han, aged 30 and 33, respectively, were once renowned for their synchronization, questions remain about how close to their top form they can get. They will perform two new programs in Chongqing.

Following the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, Sui never fully left the sport, resuming formal training at the end of last year with the goal of featuring at the Milan Games. Han had previously announced in 2023 that he would withdraw from all competitions during the 2026 Olympic cycle due to injury.

Since the Beijing Olympics, China's dominance in pairs skating has diminished, making the veteran pair's comeback particularly significant. Recent videos shared by Sui showed the duo training intensively during China's National Day holiday.

Additionally, Zhang Jiaxuan and Huang Yihang, who secured China's Olympic spot in pairs, will also compete in Chongqing.

As the second stop in the ISU Grand Prix series, the Cup of China attracts elite skaters from around the world. The event features 60 skaters from 14 countries and regions.

The United States team has sent its top competitors in both women's singles and ice dance. The field includes 2025 world champion Alysa Liu in women's singles and three-time world ice dance champion duo Madison Chock and Evan Bates. Another notable US entry is defending women's singles champion Amber Glenn, who also won the 2024 Grand Prix Final and placed fifth at the 2025 World Championships.

In women's singles, South Korea's Shin Ji-a, considered the successor to Kim Yu-na, and Lee Hae-in, the 2023 world silver medalist, are among the favorites. While Japan's top skater Kaori Sakamoto is not competing, other strong contenders like Hana Yoshida will feature. The 2023 European champion, Anastasiia Gubanova of Georgia, will also compete. China's women's singles will feature Zhu Yi and young skater Zhang Ruiyang.

The men's singles competition will be equally competitive, featuring defending champion Shun Sato of Japan, South Korea's Cha Junhwan and Kazakhstan's Mikhail Shaidorov, the 2025 world silver medalist. China's veteran Jin Bo-yang will also make his season debut at the event.

In pairs, Sui and Han will face defending champions Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii of Italy.

Race to Milan

The combined results of the Cup of China and this year's National Championships will determine Team China's Olympic roster. The skater with the highest total score in each discipline will make the team.

China has secured one Olympic spot each in men's singles, women's singles, ice dance and pairs.

The returning Sui and Han will compete against the young pair of Zhang Jiaxuan and Huang for the Olympic spot.

Zhang Jiaxuan and Huang, who recently moved up to the senior level, earned China's Olympic spot in pairs at the September qualification event and were last season's ISU Junior Grand Prix Final champions.

In ice dance, veteran pair Wang Shiyue and Liu Xinyu will face challenges from the younger teams of Ren Junfei and Xing Jianing, and Xiao Zixi and He Linghao.

In women's singles, Zhu and Zhang Ruiyang will compete for the Olympic spot, with 17-year-old Zhang Ruiyang having secured China's Olympic berth at the qualification event. In men's singles, Jin Boyang, Dai Dawei and Peng Zhi-ming will vie for the ticket to Milan.

The Cup of China will take place from Oct 24-26, with Sui and Han performing their short program on the competition's first evening. This marks the fifth time Chongqing has hosted the event.

Xinhua