Grit and grace

China's returning figure skating veterans Han Cong and Sui Wenjing finished their final rehearsal ahead of Milano-Cortina 2026 the hard way, with their injury-plagued performance at the Four Continents raising concerns over their Olympic prospects.

What was hoped would be the ideal tune-up for the champion duo's third Olympic campaign turned out to be a bitter test, after Han and Sui had to settle for a runner-up finish at the ISU Four Continents Championships in Beijing, largely due to a sudden hip injury suffered by Sui during a pre-event practice.

Apparently affected by the injury, Sui fell twice — first off her own double axel jump and then a triple throw — during the pair's free-skate routine on Saturday night, scoring a mere 124.97 points in the free-skate segment to eventually finish second behind Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov of the United States. Combined with their score from the short program, the home favorites finished with a final total of 200.99.

Efimova and Mitrofanov, who finished third in Thursday's short program, came from behind to win their first Four Continents gold medal as a pair by scoring a field-high 133.49 points in the free skate segment.

Japan's Yuna Nagaoka and Sumitada Moriguchi, who finished second behind Sui and Han in the short program, rounded out the podium in third place, with a total score of 197.46.

Having already overcome a huge physical challenge to get back in shape for the Olympics, Sui and Han, who only returned to intensive training seven months ago from their indefinite retirement after winning gold at Beijing 2022, are now racing against time to be fit enough to mount a title defense with only three weeks left before the Olympic figure skating pairs competition begins at the Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb 15.

Sui, who has come back strong from numerous serious injuries during her career, refuses to allow this latest fitness blow to mar their inspiring return.

"It was a tough test for me," the 30-year-old, who's won the Four Continents title a record six times with Han since their debut at the annual meet in 2012, said afterward.

"I was a little bit concerned and hesitant before the event about whether I should compete. Yet, by pulling it off, even carrying the injury, supported by our fans and our diligent medical staff, I feel we are OK," Sui said during the postfinal news conference.

"If it (the injury) has to happen, I am glad it happened here, not during the Olympics. We still have time (to treat my injury and recover from it), and we are still confident for the Olympics."

Her hip problem, a labrum tear, stems from the decline of muscle power in her right knee and ankle, due to her aggressive weight control since returning to the ice, according to Sui, which, with proper treatment, can be contained enough for her to perform with the required intensity for the Games.

Having won a silver medal in their Olympic debut at Pyeongchang 2018, followed by a dream gold on home ice in Beijing, Sui and Han are returning to competition with a renewed passion for figure skating and have shown quite promising form in their attempt to win a third Olympic medal in Italy.

They finished on the podium at all the four official events — two ISU Grand Prix series legs, the Chinese national championships and the Four Continents meet — since their return, proving that — if healthy — they remain the go-to choice for China at the highest international level.

"We will face the challenge head on with a positive mindset, just like we've always done throughout our career," said 33-year-old Han, who, after winning gold in 2022, became a PE teacher at the renowned Tsinghua University.

"We could complete two programs tonight with no other flaws other than the mistakes caused by injury, which actually helped build our confidence further, knowing that we could do better with proper recovery (of Sui's injury).

"Our strength in artistic expression is there, our chemistry remains the best, so we are still quite positive (for the Olympics)."

Later, in Sunday's men's free skate, China's sole Olympic representative Jin Boyang, who's also embarking on a third Olympic campaign in Milan, delivered his own season-best performance to earn 169.40 points for the segment and finish sixth overall with a total of 258.86 points.

Even with the insane trick difficulty at the top level, underlined by Japanese skaters' back-to-back quad jumps, too big an ask for him, Jin still takes pride in executing his routines to his own high standards.

"Hopefully, I can carry this good form to the Olympics so that I can skate with confidence," Jin, the 2018 Four Continents men's champion, said after completing his free-skate routine without a single error.

"To pull off the last competition before the Olympics like this really gave me a lot of strength and belief in myself.

"I hope I can leave a mark at my third Olympics, demonstrate the resilience of Chinese athletes and inspire younger skaters to achieve their own dreams," said the 28-year-old, who finished fourth at Pyeongchang 2018 to achieve the best Olympic result for Chinese men in the event.

China's teen skater Zhang Ruiyang finished 10th in women's singles after veteran duo Wang Shiyue and Liu Xinyu settled for eighth place in ice dance on Friday.

The 11-day Milano-Cortina 2026 figure skating program kicks off on Feb 6 with the team discipline, before the women's singles free skate caps off the program at the Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb 19.