Local star Jin Boyang dominated the men's singles and 14-year-old Jin Shuxian defended her women's title as China's National Figure Skating Championships concluded in Harbin.
HARBIN, China, Dec. 28 (Xinhua) -- Local favorite Jin Boyang cruised to a dominant victory in the men's singles, while 14-year-old Jin Shuxian successfully defended her women's singles title at China's National Figure Skating Championships here on Sunday.
Two-time Olympian Jin Boyang, who built a lead in the short program, stayed on top in the free skate despite an error on one triple Axel. He scored 185.21 points in the free skate and clinched the title with a total of 277.76 points. Chen Yudong finished second, while Peng Zhiming took bronze.
"I wasn't entirely ready, and after successfully landing the first two jumps, my adrenaline was really pumping, so I still felt a bit out of control," Jin admitted. "Overall, my condition was better than yesterday. Being back in my hometown gave me a lot of motivation, which helped me perform well for everyone."
According to China's Winter Sports Management Center's selection regulations, athletes for the 2026 Winter Olympics will be chosen based on combined results from the 2025-26 ISU Grand Prix Cup of China and the National Championships. China has secured one quota place in each of the four figure skating disciplines: men's singles, women's singles, pairs and ice dance.
In the men's singles selection, Jin, Peng and Dai Dawei were the three skaters to complete both events, making them candidates for the Winter Olympics. Jin previously placed fifth at the ISU Grand Prix Cup of China in October, posting a score higher than Peng and Dai.
Jin, who represented China at both the 2018 PyeongChang and 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, achieved a fourth-place finish in PyeongChang, marking China's best-ever result in the men's figure skating.
"If I get the chance to compete at the Olympic Games, I just want to enjoy the competition," Jin said. "Overthinking can become a burden and add pressure that might affect my performance. I just want to go with the flow, stay in a good state, and let everything else follow."
In the women's singles, Jin Shuxian delivered an almost flawless free skate, combining technical precision with artistry to claim the title with a total score of 208.85, including 139.77 points in the free skate. Zhang Ruiyang and Zhu Yi took silver and bronze, respectively.
"I'd give myself a 10 out of 10 today because I was able to perform at my best in the final major competition this year," Jin said. "My goal right now is to perform on the international stage and show an even better version of myself there."
According to China's selection rules, the women's singles Olympic spot was contested between Zhang, aiming for her first Winter Olympics, and Beijing 2022 Olympian Zhu Yi. At the previous China Cup event considered for the selection, Zhang was already in the lead, placing seventh, while Zhu finished 11th.
"Through recent preparations, I feel my mindset has improved. Unlike before, I'm not as nervous during competitions, and I'm looking to incorporate higher-difficulty moves in the future," said Zhang. ■
