China secures figure skating pairs berth for 2026 Winter Olympics

BEIJING, Sept. 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese pair skaters Zhang Jiaxuan and Huang Yihang finished first in the figure skating pairs at the ISU Figure Skating Olympic Qualifier here on Saturday to clinch a berth for China in the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics.

The top three pairs in the event were awarded Winter Olympic berths. As Zhang and Huang ranked first in the short program on Friday, they maintained their momentum in the free skating and remained top of the rankings with a total score of 191.52 points.

Zhang, 18, expressed his excitement after finishing the show, saying, "We made our utmost efforts in training, and it was an honor for us to skate on this international stage and win the berth."

"We had some mistakes in the free skating and fluctuated a little bit, but basically, we performed steadily despite some pressure at home," said Huang, 23. "China has a great tradition in pairs, so we are confident that our team can attain new heights in the future."

Armenia's Karina Akopova and Nikita Rakhmanin and Japan's Yuna Nagaoka and Sumitada Moriguchi seized the other two Olympic berths in pairs, after scoring 186.84 points and 178.66 points, respectively.

French pair Camille Kovalev and Pavel Kovalev, who ranked second in the short program, fell short in the free skating and missed the Winter Olympics with fourth place in the final rankings.

The ISU Figure Skating Olympic qualifier took place at the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing from Friday to Sunday. Skaters competed for 17 2026 Winter Olympic berths, with five in the men's singles and the women's singles respectively, three in the pairs, and four in the ice dance.