Chinese skater Jin Boyang wins gold at Four Continents Championships

World
Europe

Chinese skater Jin Boyang grabbed his first gold in the free skating program at the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in the city of Taipei on Saturday.

It is also the first time for the Chinese men’s single figure skating team to win the championship in 17 years.

Jin finished with a total score of 300.95 points Saturday after a free skating program to a selection of songs featured in the Star Wars franchise, including "Cantina Band" by John Williams.

Jin Boyang posing with team members and coaches after winning gold. /Photo via Chinese figure skating team

The 20-year-old skater said the medal is a confidence booster before the PyeongChang Winter Olympics in South Korea next month. It would also be Jin’s first Olympics.

Japan’s 20-year-old skater Shoma Uno took the second place while American skater Jason Brown won the bronze.

Jin returned after an ankle injury that had forced him to withdraw from the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final in Nagoya last month.

Speaking at a press conference after his performance, Jin said he hopes to skate even better at the upcoming Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.

Winners of gold, silver and bronze medals pose for a photo. /Photo via Chinese figure skating team‍

"The results of this competition gave me even greater confidence to challenge myself to pull off two perfect performances (in) PyeongChang," he told reporters. "I'm not thinking too much about placement. I just hope to skate even more perfectly each time, even more than this time," he added.

Jin described the training coming back from his injury as the hardest he has ever had, but his performances at the Four Continents championships made him a strong competitor for medals at the upcoming Winter Olympics.

Another Chinese skater Yan Han finished at the tenth place with 227.93 points, while skater Zhang He was ranked the 19th with 184.82 points.