China's 2022 Winter Olympics gold medalists Sui Wenjing and Han Cong finished first in the pairs short program at the ISU Figure Skating Four Continents Championships on home ice in Beijing on Thursday.
The veteran duo led the standings with 76.02 points, followed by Japan's Yuna Nagaoka and Sumitada Moriguchi with 71.95, just 0.10 ahead of third-placed American pair Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov. Fellow Chinese duo Zhang Jiaxuan and Huang Yihang scored 69.05 points to rank fourth, with the pairs free skate set to take place on Saturday.
"We felt delighted to participate in the Four Continents Championships again," said Han, 33, who has claimed six titles at this event with longtime partner Sui. "Our performance was not that perfect today. We need to forge ahead step-by-step to achieve higher goals at the 2026 Winter Olympics."
Japanese skaters led the women's short program, with 17-year-old Ami Nakai sitting first with 73.83 points, 2.42 ahead of runner-up Yuna Aoki, while Mone Chiba came in third with 68.07.
"I was in good form today to find my rhythm, which boosted my confidence in skating and jumping," Nakai said. "I was satisfied with my performance today and will try to keep improving."
China's Zhu Yi, Zhang Ruiyang and An Xiangyi ranked 10th, 11th and 16th, respectively, in the women's short program.
American skaters took the top three spots in the ice dance rhythm dance. Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik topped the rankings with 79.97 points, followed by Caroline Green and Michael Parsons second with 78.66, with Oona Brown and Gage Brown at 74.24.
Chinese duos Wang Shiyue and Liu Xinyu, Ren Junfei and Xing Jianing, and Xiao Zixi and He Linghao placed 8th, 10th and 11th, respectively.
"After the National Figure Skating Championships last month, we adjusted some details to make the show more impressive," Liu told reporters. "We did great today, but still have to do more to achieve our best."
The Four Continents Championships, which is the final ISU figure skating event before next month's Winter Olympics, will run through Sunday at the National Indoor Stadium.
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