Countdown to Beijing 2022 | Sui/Han go after 3rd world title as Chinese team head to Stockholm worlds

BEIJING, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Two-time world champions Sui Wenjing and Han Cong are eyeing their third world title at the upcoming Figure Skating World Championships in Stockholm, Sweden.

The Chinese figure skating team will leave Beijing on Sunday afternoon to take part in the worlds, which runs from March 22 to 26 and serves as an Olympic qualifier.

The form of Sui/Han remained unknown as the duo withdrew from Cup of China in November as Han continued to recover from hip surgery in April 2020.

Sui/Han's teammates Peng Cheng and Jin Yang, two-time Four Continents medallists, were unsatisfied with fourth place at the last world championships and aim to stand on the podium this time.

The Chinese will be challenged by Russia's national champions Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov, and Canada's four-time Four Continents medallists Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro.

China's two-time world bronze medallist Jin Boyang will try to bring back more Olympic berths with veteran Yan Han in the men's competition. Additionally, two favorites for Olympic gold will face off once more, as Japan's two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu takes on American star Nathan Chen. Chen beat Hanyu the last two times they met - at the 2019 ISU World Championships and at the ISU Grand Prix Final 2019.

Chen Hongyi will be the only Chinese to take part in ladies' competition, as well as Wang Shiyue and Liu Xinyu in ice dance. Chen finished 19th last time while Wang/Liu 15th.

Russia and Japan lead the way in the ladies' competition. Russia's Anna Shcherbakova and Alexandra Trusova are both good at quadruple-jumping, while Japan's Rika Kihira, who was famous for her triple axel, landed a quad salchow at the Japanese nationals in December.

In ice dance, four-time and reigning world champions Gabriella Papadakis and Guillaume Cizeron of France are sitting out the Championships this year. Enditem