Sui Wenjing and Han Cong Q&A: 'The fog has cleared' 

Sui Wenjing and Han Cong would like to finish the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 with a golden flurry.

The Chinese pair skating team are two-time world champions, in 2017 and 2019, and finished just 0.43 points away from the gold medal at PyeongChang 2018.

They've revisited their iconic "Bridge Over Troubled Water" free skate program from their world championship-winning season in 2016-17, revitalizing it for the Olympic year.

The duo are so popular in China that the pairs event, normally held as the first individual event among the four disciplines in the Olympic programme, has been moved to last in Beijing.

"During the last four years, I think we have accumulated more experience from the important competitions, absorbed a lot from them," Sui told Olympics.com in an exclusive interview in November. "Regarding the goal, we want to reach the top [of the podium], but we will pay more attention to details because there is a saying that details determine success or failure."

The details will be important, as Sui/Han will face a trio of tough ROC teams, including reigning world champions Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov, who set the overall world record score last month at the European Championships.

While Mishina/Galliamov and the other top two ROC teams will look to challenge Sui/Han for gold here, the Chinese are coached by the country's lone gold medallist in the sport, Zhao Hongbo winning at Vancouver 2010 with partner Shen Xue.

The pairs event is ongoing, with Sui/Han setting a new world record in the short program on Friday (18 February) to lead Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov by 0.16 points going into Saturday's (19 February) free skate.

See the full Olympic figure skating schedule here - and read our preview of the event here.

Hear more from China's gold-medal hopes below.

A return to... 'Bridge Over Troubled Water'

Olympics.com: Tell us about the decision to return to this program that you had used previously. And what is some of the meaning that that is weaved into the program itself?

Sui Wenjing: First of all, this music is very special for both of us, because after my surgery in 2016, I was out of action for the whole 2017. When I get back to the rink again, we thought this music “Bridge Over Troubled Water", was a nice bridge that reflects the two of us who support each other, help each other and get out of trouble after being injured.

However, we have made lots of changes to our program, and it’s almost like a brand-new program. It’s a bridge that connects us, symbolises that we help each other to get out of the injuries and difficulties together.

Han Cong: As Wenjing said, I think it's a new bridge of communication between people. Through our performances and competitions, we can connect the bridge in everyone's heart so that they can be moved by us, by the meaning of “together” that we’d like to show.

I think this music means a lot to us and it’s our identification, everyone had the same opinion, then it was confirmed. I think it’s because of the companionship all the years round, we have been paired up for 14 years, and we might have been one of the longest pairs among the active pairs in figure skating.

After these years, we have developed a tacit understanding. People always say that we look more and more alike, maybe it’s because we are at the same pace, we train and eat together, we share a long time during the training life, so I think this is one of the reasons for our tacit understanding.

'The fog has cleared, and we are going to move towards dawn'

Olympics: What changes have you gone through in the last four years? You have have had many challenges along the way.

Sui: Many things have happened in the past four years. For example, Han Cong had an operation. I broke my ankle before the Olympic Games of 2018, I performed two programs with the injury. [PyeongChang] were our first Games, we took it very seriously and we were excited and nervous. It was like many different emotions mixed.

Han: All the details stuck together can make a mountain, and we can gradually improve our performance by making well the details. I think there have been a lot of changes in the past four years, and our relationship has become more tacit.

Although we have suffered a lot of pains, including injuries. After these years, we feel that we have turned them into our motivation, we are challenging our limits every day to move forward.

In this year we have achieved significant changes, we think we are more prepared this time than before.

The fog has cleared, and we are going to move towards dawn

Continuing a Chinese tradition in pair skating

Olympics: What makes the double skating event in China so special? Your coach is a gold medalist in the pair event. What makes the pair event so special about you?

Sui: I think this is a kind of inheritance, for example, our coach. I decided to learn figure skating was because I watched our coach’s competition one day at home. I think this is the best demonstration of inheritance.

Moreover, through our efforts, we have continuously achieved good results, and now my childhood idol has become my coach. I think it is a very glorious and happy thing, and it is also a great honour to have such an opportunity.

Every coach in our career played such a very important role in our lives. We are also very grateful to every coach and everyone who has helped us. I wish we could encourage more people and make them feel gratified by our performance.

This is the inheritance in my mind.

Han: For me, it's the same. I think it is because China was good in the pairs event.

When we were young, we always heard about the names of Shen/Zhao, Pang Qing/Tong Jian, Zhang Dan/Zhang Hao, they could win the title or got the results they wanted wherever they competed.

This was something that inspired us as young athletes a lot. Motivated us to get improved.

Olympics: OK - last question. What was your memory of the first Olympic Games you watched when you were young?

Sui: The first Olympic memory was the Summer Olympics in 2008, I started to learn skating in 2003. At that time I was not pretty sure what Olympic Games are. In Beijing 2008, I felt the importance of the Olympic Games for the first time.

The opening ceremony was overwhelming. It stunned our hearts. I was thinking when I was young that if I could take part in one Olympic Games would be so great.

But I didn’t know that the Winter Games and Summer Games are separated. I’ve noticed that until 2010 when our coach won the gold medal in Vancouver. At that point, I knew that Winter Games and Summer Games are separated.

Though there was only one kind of Games long ago and it became two for many reasons.