Sui Wenjing bursts into tears in the arms of Han Cong after finishing their gold-winning performance in the pairs free skate program at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics on Feb 19. (XIONG QI / XINHUA)
It was a golden moment, but the path to Olympic glory had been littered with obstacles and heartache. Finally, after 15 years, their dream of winning pairs figure skating gold at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics was realized, albeit after a fair share of disappointment. Sui Wenjing and Han Cong hope that their story will attract more people to winter sports and set an example for the younger generation to bravely pursue their dreams.
“We are born in a great time with great opportunities,” said Sui, during China Daily’s exclusive interview with the pair.
“All we need to do is to fight toward the hope and seize the chances. We need to keep our passion and fight for our dreams. I never doubted myself, and failure is never my option. But there are different definitions of success for different people.
“For me, my success is to always be better than the version of myself a second ago. And that same belief will support me to achieve more in the future.”
Sui, 26, and Han, 29, shone brightly at Beijing 2022 in February, as they claimed their first Olympic figure skating pairs title. The triumph was China’s second ever Olympic title in the discipline. The first was won by Sui and Han’s coach, Zhao Hongbo, and his partner, Shen Xue, at the 2010 Vancouver Games.
“I always like to say that great moments are born from great opportunity,” Han added. “For us, the opportunity occurred thanks to our perseverance over the past 15 years. We achieved great results as we have won all the possible gold medals that we could have since we were junior skaters.”
Sui and Han perform on the ice. (ZHANG WEI / CHINA DAILY)
However, the pair’s journey toward the podium of Winter Olympic glory was strewn with misfortune. After winning the world championship for the first time in 2017, Sui suffered a stress fracture in her foot the following year and missed the 2018 Grand Prix season.
They returned in time for their Olympic debut in Pyeongchang 2018, where they won the silver medal, just missing out on the gold secured by Aljona Savchenko and Bruno Massot of Germany by the tiniest of margins.
The Chinese pair won their second world title in 2019, but their preparations for the Beijing Games were interrupted when Han underwent hip surgery in April 2020. But they kept waiting and supporting each other throughout the injuries and setbacks, and eventually conquered the biggest stage together.
“I just felt so lucky to meet Han, and together we achieved something incredible,” said Sui. “And we set great examples. Before us, it was hard for skaters of our physical stature to reach such a high level in pairs skating, but we showed the possibilities.”
A key issue during Sui and Han’s preparation for Beijing 2022 was to find a song for their free skate program. Eventually, they skated to Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water, the same music they performed to when winning the 2017 world championships.
The pair waves from the podium after winning gold at the Beijing Winter Games. (FENG YONGBIN / CHINA DAILY)
On Feb 19, their gold-medal-winning performance to the song at the Beijing Games wowed the world — and Sui burst into tears in Han’s arms after finishing. For the pair, the song’s rhythm and lyrics are the perfect match to their stories of dedication and support for each other, especially during the hard times.
“We have great communication, and we feel that song is just like our story,” Han explained. “And we used the song just twice and both times achieved success.
“The song is really famous. And, as the world faces the challenges of the pandemic together, through the song, and our performances at the Olympics, we hoped to build a golden bridge in the hearts of people to connect the world.”
But the triumph did not come easily and required a great deal of sacrifice, said Han.
“For me, I consider the whole process as a journey to seek perfection. I also think that is a tradition among Chinese figure skaters. The dedication of different generations of Chinese skaters is one of the major reasons why Chinese winter sports are growing stronger.”
Sui added that she has been practicing figure skating for more than 20 years. Sui, who trained as a dancer before figure skating, believed she “first needed to become an artist before becoming an ice skater”.
The pair stressed that it would have been impossible for them to reach such a high level all on their own. Their triumph was due to a team working behind the scenes and the support of their families.
“That is the result of the passion of all Chinese figure skaters, coaches and people who have been working in the sport. The passion is also mixed with partnerships, love, dedication and hard work,” Han said.
“The younger generation should have the same passion to fight hard for their dreams and make a contribution to the development of their country. And they should not be afraid when they face setbacks, because there are always people who love and stand behind them.”
Sui and Han have started a new chapter of their lives, seeking new possibilities. Sui is learning public speaking, as well as English and Japanese. She has also started writing her autobiography.
“I just feel people need to continue to explore. And through the process, we can earn the recognition of people from different sectors. I think that is a way of gaining more confidence,” said Sui.
