Sui Wenjing and Han Cong compete in pairs short program during the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milano Ice Skating Arena on February 6, 2026. Photo: VCG

In the high-stakes arena of the 2026 Winter Olympics figure skating team event, the Chinese squad fell short of advancing to the team event final, finishing ninth overall after the short programs and rhythm dance. Yet, amid the disappointment, the resilience from China's veteran athletes - pairs skaters Sui Wenjing and Han Cong, men's singles competitor Jin Boyang, and ice dancers Wang Shiyue and Liu Xinyu - won accolades on social media.

These three-time Olympians, who first debuted at Pyeongchang 2018, triumphed at Beijing 2022, and now are persevering at Milano Cortina 2026. Their journeys, marked by battles against injuries, age, and intense competition, deserve not just recognition but thunderous applause, regardless of the scoreboard.

Take Sui and Han, China's pairs powerhouse and the reigning Olympic champions from Beijing 2022, for example. After a three-year hiatus from competition, they returned in October 2025, driven by a desire to defend their title and inspire others amid a challenging landscape for Chinese pairs skating.

Their path back was anything but smooth. Sui, now 30, grappled with significant physical setbacks, including a hip joint injury stemming from aggressive weight loss to optimize their lifts and throws, a process that diminished her muscle strength and disrupted her body's balance. This injury flared up during a practice before the 2026 Four Continents Championships, their final Olympic tune-up, where they still managed a silver medal despite Sui's falls. 

At Milano Cortina, the duo's team event short program was marred by a fall on their throw triple flip, landing them sixth with 65.37 points. Sui, fighting back tears after the performance, said she "let everyone down." However, Han countered with optimism, saying "We have time to adjust." Their goal? To "achieve something beyond Olympic champions, surpassing the previous Han and Sui." This mindset isn't just rhetoric but a note to their mental fortitude in a sport in which precision meets peril, and actually they've already reached the podium in every event since their comeback.

Jin, the 28-year-old men's singles veteran, brings a similar narrative of endurance. A two-time world championships bronze medalist in the 2016 and 2017 season and the 2018 Four Continents champion, Jin has long been a trailblazer, notably as the first skater to land a quadruple Lutz-triple toe loop combination in ISU competition back in 2015. 

His third Olympic outing saw him score 84.15 in the team event short program, placing seventh and earning four points for China, close to his personal best. Jin appeared relaxed and dedicated, later sharing, "I felt very relaxed on the rink, which allowed me to fully devote myself to the performance. I  am really enjoying my third Winter Olympics." His consistency, honed through years of international pressure, underscores a career of quiet determination, even as newer talents rise.

Rounding out the trio are ice dancers Wang and Liu, both 31, who have anchored Chinese ice dance for over a decade. As two-time Olympians before 2026, they missed the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons due to injuries and health issues. Their 2025 return was a classic: They secured China's Olympic ice dance spot with a fourth-place finish at the ISU Skate to Milano qualifier in Beijing. At the Olympics, they scored 64.92 in the team event rhythm dance, placing ninth. 

Figure skating demands peak physicality, razor-sharp technique, and unyielding mental strength, qualities that fade with time in a sport in which careers often peak at an early age. For these athletes to contest three Olympics means wrestling with injuries, waning stamina, and the rise of fresh competitors. Yet, their mere presence on the ice is a victory. In an era of fleeting athletic primes, their stories remind us that true champions aren't defined by final berths alone, but by the courage to lace up, time and again. As they pivot to individual events, let's cheer not just for medals, but for the indomitable spirit they've etched into Olympic history.

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. life@globaltimes.com.cn