Figuring out the future

"The 2030 edition (French Alps) in six years is our main target. From the performances of our young talent at the world junior events, we've drawn confidence for the future. Hopefully, they can keep improving on the international stage," said Yao, who served as the event director for figure skating at Beijing 2022.

According to International Skating Union rules, athletes have to reach the "technical minimums" — a combined score of short program and free skate in men's and women's singles, pairs and ice dance, respectively — at any ISU-sanctioned international event to be eligible for the worlds.

Team China currently has three men's singles skaters, led by veteran Jin Boyang, and only one woman, An Xiangyi, to have met the minimums, while none of China's pairs or ice dance teams have reached the benchmark yet.

It's a far cry from the good old days, when generations of world-class pairs skaters — the latest being 2022 Olympic champions Han Cong and Sui Wenjing — had kept Team China on the podium at multiple worlds and Olympics dating back to 2006.

With Han hanging up his skates after Beijing 2022, and Sui not yet ready to return to the rink, maintaining the country's glorious tradition in pairs skating seems like it might be too big a task for young combo Yang Yixi and Deng Shunyang this time around, having only just progressed from junior events to the senior circuit this season.