It was the day when Sui Wenjing and Han Cong faced the cold fact that no figure skating competition is as unrelenting as the Four Continents, which assembles top-notch skaters from Asia, Africa, Oceania and the Americas in front of a sold-out crowd.
This was a chastening setback for the two-time and reigning world champions, who struggled to bring their skill on ice into full play before paying the price for one lapse in concentration on the first day of the pairs short program at the much-anticipated event in Seoul, South Korea, on Thursday.
The irritation for the Chinese duo was that they opened their performance to "Blues Deluxe" with a decent side by side triple toe but then errors crept into their play when Sui doubled the throw triple flip. To their credit, Sui and Han responded to the blot with aplomb and finished with an admirable triple twist, a level-four death spiral and reverse lasso lift.
Sui Wenjing (R) and Han Cong in action during the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships at Mokdong Ice Rink in Seoul, February 6, 2020.
Yet, for all the recovery and resilience, the damage has been done. They just grabbed 73.17 points and sent Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro into ecstasy as the Canadian pair skyrocketed to first place with a triple twist, a throw triple loop and a side-by-side triple toe en-route to scoring 76.36.
Sui later revealed that their uncharacteristic low-key performance could be down to their ill-fitting uniform. "Today we skated a bit tight. We had a problem with my costume. It is so stressful for me so we just did a double throw," observed Sui.
However it's not all doom and gloom for China, as Peng Cheng and Jin Yang ended the day with a personal best of 75.96 points and moved ahead of their team-mates Sui and Han into second place.
Peng Cheng (L) and Jin Yang post their best record during the first day of ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships at Mokdong Ice Rink in Seoul, February 6, 2020.
The ISU Grand Prix Final silver medalists put on a captivating show to "Alegria," boasting a triple toe, throw triple loop and triple twist as well as two level-four elements. "We are quite satisfied with our performance. We feel our display is improving every time," said Jin.
"We had a hard time after the [2019] Grand Prix Final. I had an injury," Peng added. While things might be at a low ebb at the end of last year, there is significant progress throughout the campaign, and 2020 could provide a springboard for the duo to realize their full potential.
In women's short program, Japan's seventeen-year-old defending champion Rika Kihira, who had a phenomenal run last season, continued her dazzling form with a triple axel, a triple flip-triple toe loop combination, and a triple Lutz decorating her entertaining display.
Skating to "Breakfast in Baghdad," the Grand Prix Final winner posted 81.18 points, more than five points clear of American Bradie Tennell who finished with 75.93, while home favorite You Young, the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games champion, were forced to settle for third on 73.55. China's Chen Hongyi was placed in 11th with 56.81 points, while Zhu Yi grabbed 55.53 and sat 12th.
Rika Kihira takes the lead in the women's event during the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships at Mokdong Ice Rink in Seoul, February 6, 2020.
"I'm very happy with my jumps but they were not 100 per cent yet, and I'll keep working to make them better for the free skating (segment)," said Kihira. "I still have practice in the next days and I will determine the program content then."
"For now, the quad Salchow is looking good. I'll keep practicing it and depending on my condition I'll determine my final content for the free skating."