Ekaterina Geynish (L)/Dmitriy Chigirev of Uzbekistan compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)
Japan's national champion Utana Yoshida and Masaya Morita claimed the gold medal in ice dance, while Uzbekistan's Ekaterina Geynish and Dmitriy Chigirev triumphed in pair skating at the Asian Winter Games on Wednesday.
China's Ren Junfei and Xing Jianing delivered a clean free dance, scoring 106.96 points, more than 10 points higher than their previous best. However, their total score was not enough to surpass Yoshida and Morita, who took up the top spot with 173.31 points in total. The bronze went to another Japanese pair of Azusa Tanaka and Shingo Nishiyama.
"The gold medal has really boosted our confidence, but still we have room for improvement. Our footwork sequence needs to be sharper with stronger movements. We'll keep practicing and, hopefully, we can have better performance at the World Figure Skating Championships," said Yoshida.
Despite finishing just 2.06 points behind the champions, Ren and Xing remained upbeat. "We've already shown our best and I believe that we'll skate better in the future," Ren noted.
Their coach Zheng Xun praised their performance, noting their rapid progress since teaming up just ten months ago. "They've improved a lot and performed at about 90 percent of their training level."
In pair skating, Geynish and Chigirev claimed the gold with 176.43 points. Ryom Tae-ok and Han Kum-chol of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea edged out the Japanese pair of Yuna Nagaoka and Sumitada Moriguchi to bag the silver medal.
Also on Wednesday, Beijing Winter Olympics bronze medalist Kaori Sakamoto claimed 75.03 points to lead the women's short program. Kim Chae-yeon of South Korea and Japanese skater Hana Yoshida came in second and third respectively.
China's An Xiangyi ranked fifth in women's short program with 62.96 points, followed by her fellow Zhu Yi, who set her personal best with 62.90 points.
"I'm quite satisfied with my first combo of two triple Toeloops. When I practiced it several days ago, my axis was a bit off, so I'm really happy that I can make it today. There was no obvious flaw in my spinning, and I was enjoying my footwork sequence more," said Zhu. -
Wang Yuchen (L) and Zhu Lei of China compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)
Wang Yuchen (C)/Zhu Lei (L) of China wait for the result after competing in the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)
Wang Yuchen (top)/Zhu Lei of China compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)
Wang Yuchen (L)/Zhu Lei of China compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)
Wang Yuchen (R)/Zhu Lei of China compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)
Wang Yuchen (top)/Zhu Lei of China compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)
Wang Yuchen (L)/Zhu Lei of China compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)
Wang Yuchen (top)/Zhu Lei of China compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Chen Zhenhai)
Ekaterina Geynish (L)/Dmitriy Chigirev of Uzbekistan compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)
Ekaterina Geynish (L)/Dmitriy Chigirev of Uzbekistan compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)
Ekaterina Geynish (R)/Dmitriy Chigirev of Uzbekistan compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)
Ekaterina Geynish (top)/Dmitriy Chigirev of Uzbekistan compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)
Ekaterina Geynish (R)/Dmitriy Chigirev of Uzbekistan compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)
Ekaterina Geynish (top)/Dmitriy Chigirev of Uzbekistan compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)
Ekaterina Geynish (L)/Dmitriy Chigirev of Uzbekistan compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Chen Zhenhai)
Ekaterina Geynish (L)/Dmitriy Chigirev of Uzbekistan compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)
Ekaterina Geynish (R)/Dmitriy Chigirev of Uzbekistan compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)
Ekaterina Geynish (bottom)/Dmitriy Chigirev of Uzbekistan compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)
Ekaterina Geynish (L)/Dmitriy Chigirev of Uzbekistan compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)
Ekaterina Geynish (L)/Dmitriy Chigirev of Uzbekistan compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)
Ekaterina Geynish (R)/Dmitriy Chigirev of Uzbekistan compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)
Ekaterina Geynish (L)/Dmitriy Chigirev of Uzbekistan compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)
Ekaterina Geynish (R)/Dmitriy Chigirev of Uzbekistan compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)
Ekaterina Geynish (top)/Dmitriy Chigirev of Uzbekistan compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)
Ekaterina Geynish (2nd R)/Dmitriy Chigirev (2nd L) of Uzbekistan reacts after competing in the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)
Ekaterina Geynish (2nd R)/Dmitriy Chigirev (2nd L) of Uzbekistan wait for the result after competing in the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)
Ekaterina Geynish (L)/Dmitriy Chigirev of Uzbekistan compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)
Ryom Tae Ok (L)/Han Kum Chol of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)
Ryom Tae Ok (2nd R)/Han Kum Chol (2nd L)of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea wait for the result during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)
Ryom Tae Ok (R)/Han Kum Chol of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)
Ryom Tae Ok (L)/Han Kum Chol of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)
Ryom Tae Ok (L)/Han Kum Chol of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)
Ryom Tae Ok (C)/Han Kum Chol (L) of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea wait for the result during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)
Nagaoka Yuna (L)/Moriguchi Sumitada of Japan compete during the pair skating free skating the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)
Nagaoka Yuna (R)/Moriguchi Sumitada of Japan compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)
Nagaoka Yuna (R)/Moriguchi Sumitada of Japan compete during the pair skating free skating the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)
Nagaoka Yuna (R)/Moriguchi Sumitada of Japan compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Chen Zhenhai)
Nagaoka Yuna (L)/Moriguchi Sumitada of Japan compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Chen Zhenhai)
Nagaoka Yuna (R)/Moriguchi Sumitada of Japan compete during the pair skating free skating the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)
Nagaoka Yuna (front)/Moriguchi Sumitada of Japan compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)
Nagaoka Yuna (top)/Moriguchi Sumitada of Japan compete during the pair skating free skating the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)
Nagaoka Yuna (R)/Moriguchi Sumitada of Japan compete during the pair skating free skating the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)
Nagaoka Yuna (R)/Moriguchi Sumitada of Japan compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)
Nagaoka Yuna (top)/Moriguchi Sumitada of Japan compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)
Shimizu Sae (top)/Honda Raphael Lucas Tsuyoshi of Japan compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)
Shimizu Sae (top)/Honda Raphael Lucas Tsuyoshi of Japan compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)
Shimizu Sae (L)/Honda Raphael Lucas Tsuyoshi of Japan compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)
Shimizu Sae (top)/Honda Raphael Lucas Tsuyoshi of Japan compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)
Shimizu Sae (top)/Honda Raphael Lucas Tsuyoshi of Japan compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)
Shimizu Sae (C)/Honda Raphael Lucas Tsuyoshi (R) of Japan wait for the result during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)
Shimizu Sae (C)/Honda Raphael Lucas Tsuyoshi (R) of Japan wait for the result the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)
Marie Isabelle Gamez (top)/Aleksandr Korovin of the Philippines compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)
Marie Isabelle Gamez (R)/Aleksandr Korovin of the Philippines compete during the pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Han Yan)
Bronze medalists Nagaoka Yuna (L)/Moriguchi Sumitada of Japan attend the awarding ceremony for the mixed pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)
Gold medalists Ekaterina Geynish/Dmitriy Chigirev (C) of Uzbekistan, silver medalists Ryom Tae Ok/Han Kum Chol (L) of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and bronze medalists Nagaoka Yuna/Moriguchi Sumitada of Japan attend the awarding ceremony for the mixed pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)
Vice president of The Chinese Figure Skating Association (CFSA), Shen Xue (1st R), attend the awarding ceremony for the mixed pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)
Bronze medalists Nagaoka Yuna (L)/Moriguchi Sumitada of Japan attend the awarding ceremony for the mixed pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)
Gold medalists Ekaterina Geynish (R)/Dmitriy Chigirev of Uzbekistan attend the awarding ceremony for the mixed pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)
Gold medalists Ekaterina Geynish/Dmitriy Chigirev (C) of Uzbekistan, silver medalists Ryom Tae Ok/Han Kum Chol (L) of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and bronze medalists Nagaoka Yuna/Moriguchi Sumitada of Japan attend the awarding ceremony for the mixed pair skating free skating of figure skating event at the 9th Asian Winter Games in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, Feb. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)
