Chinese figure skating duo, Peng Cheng and Jin Yang, won the pairs competition at the National Championships in Changchun on Sunday. Their emphatic triumph came on the heels of a respectable fourth place finish at the 2019 Saitama World Championships. Earlier, Peng and Jin danced to the music of "Cloud Atlas" to deliver a strong free dance despite a mistake in their throw in the top national event in the capital city of China's Jilin Province. The formidable pair, who were runner-ups in last season's ISU Grand Prix Final, amassed 202.66 points for the gold.

After her magnificent win, Jin told reporters, "We are not satisfied with the free skate. It's the season opener and we need to make some adjustments." Another promising Chinese figure skating pair of Tang Feiyao and Yang Yongchao, who just moved to senior competition this season, settled for the silver in 182.41 while the duo of Liu Jiaxi and Xie Zhong came third in 167.12 ahead of fourth-placed Yu Xiaoyu and Zhang Hao.

Meanwhile, the men's competition saw veteran Yan Han fighting back valiantly to win the gold medal with a beautiful long program "La La Land" and 231.50 points. Yan, who finished seventh at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games, was set to retire last season before changing his mind. "I want to take part in the Beijing Winter Games, so I come back," Yan, who finished ahead of Zhang He and Wang Yi, second and third respectively, mentioned. However, Jin Boyang, who took fifth at the Worlds earlier the year, skipped the Nationals.

(Cover image from VCG)