Carving a new path to glory

Revamped roster ushers in new era for Chinese figure skating at this week's ISU Grand Prix meet in Chongqing

With Olympic champions Han Cong and Sui Wenjing hanging up their skates indefinitely, China's national figure skating program is embracing a busy international season to hone a new crop of medal hopefuls — beginning on home ice this week.

After the curtain came down on the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, Chinese figure skating stepped into a new era, with more youngsters promoted to the ranks and new manager Yao Jia bringing a fresh dynamic for the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic cycle.

After missing out on the previous ISU Grand Prix season due to the pandemic, Chinese skaters are raring to shake off the rust and get back into their rhythm at the top-flight series, as well as a number of lower-ranked senior and junior events.