Winter Olympics 2022 - Sui Wenjing and Han Cong delight Chinese crowd to win pairs figure skating gold

Sui Wenjing and Han Cong finally fulfilled their potential to become Winter Olympic figure skating champions with the tightest of victories in the pairs competition in Beijing. In front of a delighted but reduced home crowd, the Chinese couple beat Russians Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov by just 0.63 points.

Across the short program and free skate, barely anything separated the pairs throughout, but the Chinese — who set a world record on Friday — just edged it. Ad/> World and European champions Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov took silver for the Russian Olympic Committee.

Beijing 2022'At a loss' — Valieva coach responds after Bach's 'chilling' comment4 HOURS AGO Sui and Han had wowed the Chinese crowd on Friday with a second world record performance in a single Games, thanks to their stunning short program, but Tarasova and Morozov produced the second best performance ever and were lurking behind, waiting to capitalise on any slip-ups. Realistically it was a three-way fight for the medals, with world champions Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov third.

With seven pairs to go, it was down to the group who were within 10 points of the leaders. Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc, the first openly non-binary Winter Olympian, took to the ice, but Cain-Gribble got off to a poor start, falling during a triple loop and then again following a combination which started with a triple salchow.