Testing times

China's figure skating team has been training behind closed doors since the cancelation of March's ISU World Championships in Seoul.

As the first international event held in China since the outbreak of COVID-19, the ISU Grand Prix Cup of China was held in Chongqing in November. The competition was limited to domestic athletes because of travel restrictions, with the Chinese skaters thrilled to have the chance to compete again.

"I think some of our skaters have made big progress," said head coach Zhao Hongbo. "Our preparations for the 2022 Olympic Games are on pace. Although the pandemic forced us to change some training and competition plans, it didn't have much impact on our preparations."

Two-time men's world bronze medalist Jin Boyang debuted two new routines at the event and won the title with 290.89 points.

"Jin made a big improvement in his physical fitness. He trained hard in Sanya, and now he jumps much higher and more steadily," Zhao said.

Two-time pairs world champions Sui Wenjing and Han Cong missed the competition as Han continues his recovery from hip surgery. Sui, though, said the duo remains cautiously optimistic about their 2022 build-up.

"Higher and further is our goal," said Sui. "We need to improve the quality of our moves. What matters more, though, is to stay injury-free to make it to the Olympics."

To test the effect of fitness training, a scrimmage was held for Chinese teams across eight events, including curling, freestyle aerials, and freestyle moguls in October.

Following her strong performance at the end of last season, US-born Gu kicked off her 2020-21 World Cup campaign with a third-place finish in Stubai, Austria, in November.

Gu's 2022 preparations were also boosted by her academic achievements. The 17-year-old was recently offered a place at Stanford University, allowing her to finish her high-school studies a year ahead of schedule.

XINHUA