Hey, skating fam! Olympic golden duo Sui Wenjing and Han Cong made a dazzling return at the ISU Grand Prix Cup of China in Chongqing Municipality in the Chinese mainland. Their Carmen–inspired routine has been trending across TikTok and Instagram Reels, and for good reason: they scored 72.45 points to land third in the pairs short program ⛸✨
Georgia's world junior champs Anastasiia Metelkina & Luka Berulava refreshed their personal best with 77.77 points, while Italy's Sara Conti & Niccolo Macii edged out Sui & Han with 73.41. With just a month to prep, Sui admitted her opening triple toe loop led to a fall and a one-point deduction, but both stars kept their cool and wowed the judges.
In men's action, Japan's Shun Sato stole the spotlight with a season-best 94.13, landing a quad Lutz, quad toe loop-triple toe combo, and a triple Axel. Italy's Daniel Grassl (90.42) and Kazakhstan's Mikhail Shaidorov (88.33) weren't far behind. Local favorite Jin Boyang landed a strong quad but missed another, finishing fifth with 86.62.
The women's short program saw US standout Alysa Liu top the leaderboard with 74.61, nailing a triple flip and a triple Lutz-loop combo. Japan's Rinka Watanabe wowed with a triple Axel, earning the night's highest technical score (41.56), but placed second by just 0.60 points. Defending champ Amber Glenn rounded out the podium at 73.04.
Ice dance fans got a treat as US champs Madison Chock & Evan Bates led the rhythm dance with 84.44, four points clear of teammates Emilea Zingas & Vadym Kolesnik. Three home pairs wrapped up the rankings, with veterans Wang Shiyue & Liu Xinyu in eighth.
From viral routines to high-level jumps, this Cup of China comeback has everything for figure skating lovers. Keep your eyes on the ice—this season's just heating up! 🎉
Reference(s):
Olympic champions Sui & Han shine at Cup of China in comeback show
cgtn.com
