Chinese 'rough diamond' raising the bar in men's figure skating

Teenage figure skater Yan Han has vowed the "best is yet to come" after finishing a groundbreaking seventh for China at the Sochi Winter Olympics,

"This is my first Winter Olympics and I know I am not a mature skater and not that capable," Yan, 17, said.

Yan Han competes during the figure skating short program at the Sochi Winter Olympics on Friday. Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

"I could have done better and I'm sure I will be better in the future. Do believe in me. See how I will improve into a better skater. I will be back to the Olympics; the best is yet to come."

In the singles free skate on Friday, Yan downgraded a quadruple jump to a triple and made errors in his triple loop and triple Lutz jumps. Another mistake in a spin also cost him points. He earned 160.54 points to finish seventh among 24 skaters in free skating and finished with a total of 246.20 for the same overall position.

Japanese 19-year-old Yuzuru Hanyu became the first Asian skater to win a men's singles Olympic figure skating title with a total of 280.08 points, beating three-time world champion Patrick Chan of Canada (275.62) and Kazakhstan's Denis Ten (255.10).

Yan's result was the best achieved by a Chinese men's singles skater at the Winter Olympics. Guo Zhengxin finished eighth at the 1998 Nagano Games.

At the following two Olympics, Li Chengjiang placed ninth in 2002 and Zhang Min was 10th in 2006. Chinese male skaters failed to qualify for the Vancouver Olympics four years ago; the first time no Chinese competed in the event since the country first participated in the Winter Games in 1980.

"Returning to the Winter Olympics in men's singles is very important for China. For me, it was practicing for a better future," Yan told China Daily. "I will participate in the following Olympic Games. I didn't perform well this time. I will get better and better."

Yan started to figure skate in 2001 at the age of four and made quick progress.

He started competing in national events in 2005 and started racking up national titles at a young age.

In October 2009, Yan participated in the ISU Figure Skating Junior Grand Prix for the first time and won gold at the Turkey event.

The following season, he qualified for the Junior Grand Prix final in Beijing and finished second.

He was hailed as the leader of a new generation of Chinese men's singles skaters due to his impressive skating skills as Chinese male skaters were renowned for their jumping ability but came up short in the skating and artistic parts of the sport.

Yan attributes his success to his coach, Jia Shuguang.

"I think this largely comes from my coach. She placed great emphasis on skating skills when I was still a novice skater," Yan said. "I did much more skating and spin training than other kids. I didn't know why at that time. Some of the kids at my age were even attempting triple axels, but my coach made me do a lot of steps and spins. Now I really appreciate her work."

Yan also left a deep impression on champion Hanyu at an Asian boys' competition in which he was beaten by Yan.

Hanyu said he was impressed by Yan's skating and spinning at that time and expected to see him again in senior competitions.

"Yan is one of the most gifted among all the Chinese male skaters. He can deal with all the jumping skills and that enables him to make few mistakes," said his coach Jia.

"Yan is a quick learner and stood out from his peers in his early years. He has a lot of potential and we will help him to move forward step by step."

In March 2012, Yan was crowned world junior champion, the first Chinese male to win that title. He also won gold at the Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria, the same year.

The 2013 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Osaka, Japan, was Yan's first senior competition and he won bronze. That was also his first senior event against Hanyu, who won the silver behind Kevin Reynolds of Canada.

"Yan is stronger than before," Hanyu said after the Four Continents. "His skating has become more mature and he will be a strong opponent for me in the future."

In his first full senior season, Yan lifted the trophy at the Grand Prix China stop last November but ended up a disappointing sixth at the Grand Prix Finals in December.

However, a skating legend also saw his immense potential.

"Look at this skater who has incredible gifts with flow across the ice," said Canada's four-time world champion Kurt Browning after watching Yan compete at the 2013 Four Continents. "He does need to improve, but he is a rough diamond."

leilei@chinadaily.com.cn

Yan Han and coach Jia Shuguang wave in the "kiss and cry" zone after his free skating program on Friday. Lucy Nicholson / Reuters

(China Daily 02/17/2014 page23)