BEIJING, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) -- Just two days to go before the Beijing Winter Olympic figure skating competitions start with the team event, local favorite pair Sui Wenjing and Han Cong are becoming more and more excited despite the pressure of playing at home.
"We are so excited as time goes by and the Olympic Winter Games is just around the corner," Sui told an after-training mixed zone at the Capital Indoor Stadium on Wednesday.
"Two days later, there is the team event first, and no matter who play it as China's representatives, we wish them, or maybe ourselves, a great Games," Sui added, referring to the other options China might pick: Peng Cheng/Jin Yang.
Four years ago in PyeongChang, two-time world champions Sui and Han won an Olympic silver medal, narrowly missing the top of the pairs podium by 0.43 points.
In the Olympic circle of Beijing 2022, they recovered from injuries and managed to come back to the ice, making another attempt to realize their dreams.
Talking about the pressure of fighting on home ice, the current world No. 3 pair said they cherish the chance to be host competitors.
"We know that it's a once-a-life-time experience to play an Olympic Games on your home ice. Therefore, we've decided to embrace the grand event with our full hearts, and don't think too much," Sui said.
At this Olympics, Sui and Han perform a free skate program to "Bridge Over Troubled Water," the music with which they took their first world championship during the 2016-17 season.
Sui received a major operation on a fractured right foot after PyeongChang 2018, and Han underwent hip surgery in early 2020. They said their mutual support has become a "bridge" between them.
This season, Sui and Han won back-to-back Grand Prix series in Canada and Italy, and are deemed one of the promising gold medal prospects in Beijing. Reigning world and European champions Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov of the Russian Skating Union are the pair to beat en route to the top of the podium. ■
