Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics – Pair skating

Figure skating pair skating
at the XXIV Olympic Winter Games
Figure skating
VenueCapital Indoor Stadium
Beijing, China
Date18 & 19 February 2022
Competitors19 from 13 nations
Winning score239.88 points
Medalists
1st place, gold medalist(s) Sui Wenjing
and Han Cong		  China
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Evgenia Tarasova
and Vladimir Morozov		  ROC
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Anastasia Mishina
and Aleksandr Galliamov		  ROC
Figure skating at the
2022 Winter Olympics
Qualification
Singlesmenwomen
Pairsmixed
Ice dancemixed
Team eventmixed

The pair skating competition at the 2022 Winter Olympics was held on 18 and 19 February at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China.[1] Sui Wenjing and Han Cong of China won the gold medals, while Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov, and Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov, both representing the Russian Olympic Committee, won the silver and bronze, respectively.

Background

In 2016, an independent report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) confirmed allegations that the Russian Olympic team had been involved in a state-sponsored doping program, active from at least late 2011 through August 2015.[2] On 9 December 2019, the WADA banned Russia from all international competitions after it found that data provided by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency had been manipulated by Russian authorities in order to protect athletes involved in its doping scheme.[3] Under a ban imposed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Russian athletes could not use the Russian flag or anthem in international competition and had to present themselves as "Neutral Athletes" or a "Neutral Team" at any world championships until 16 December 2022.[4] On 19 February 2021, it was announced that Russian athletes would compete under the name of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) at the 2022 Winter Olympics.[5]

Sui Wenjing and Han Cong of China finished in second place at the 2018 Winter Olympics, despite having been in the lead after the short program, when they finished third after the free skate, ultimately losing the gold medal by 0.43 points. Sui and Han also won the World Figure Skating Championships in 2017 and 2019. They finished second at the 2021 World Championships, losing to Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov of Russia. Mishina and Galliamov also won the 2022 European Figure Skating Championships. Other likely contenders for Olympic medals were Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovskii of Russia, who finished in third place at the 2021 World Championships; and Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov, also three-time World medalists.[6]

Qualification

Main article: Figure skating at the 2022 Winter Olympics – Qualification

Sixteen quota spots in pair skating were awarded based on results at the 2021 World Figure Skating Championships.[7] An additional three quota spots were earned at the 2021 Nebelhorn Trophy.[8]

Qualifying nations in pairs[7][8]
Event Teams
per NOC 		Qualifying NOCs Total
teams
2021 World Championships 3  ROC 16
2  China
 Canada
 United States
 Italy
1  Japan
 Austria
 Germany
 Hungary
 Czech Republic
2021 Nebelhorn Trophy 1  Spain
 Georgia
 Israel 		3
Total 19

Required performance elements

Couples competing in pair skating performed their short programs on 18 February.[1] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 40 seconds,[9] it had to include the following elements: one pair lift, one twist lift, one double or triple throw jump, one double or triple solo jump, one solo spin combination with a change of foot, one death spiral, and a step sequence using the full ice surface.[10]

The top sixteen couples after completion of the short program component moved on to the free skating component, which were performed on 19 February.[1] The free skate performance could last no more than 4 minutes,[11] and had to include the following: three pair lifts, of which one had to be a twist lift; two different throw jumps; one solo jump; one jump combination or sequence; one pair spin combination; one death spiral; and a choreographic sequence.[12]

Judging

See also: ISU Judging System

For the 2021–2022 season, all of the technical elements in any figure skating performance – such as jumps, spins, and lifts – were assigned a predetermined base point value and were then scored by a panel of nine judges on a scale from -5 to 5 based on their quality of execution.[13] The judging panel's Grade of Execution (GOE) was determined by calculating the trimmed mean (that is, the average after deleting the highest and lowest scores), and this GOE was added to the base value to come up with the final score for each element. The panel's scores for all elements were added together to generate a total elements score.[14] At the same time, judges evaluated each performance based on five program components – skating skills, transitions, performance, composition, and interpretation of the music – and assigned a score from .25 to 10 in .25 point increments.[15] The judging panel's final score for each program component was also determined by calculating the trimmed mean. Those scores were then multiplied by the factor shown on the following chart; the results were added together to generate a total program component score.[16]

Program component factoring[17]
Discipline Short program Free skate
Pairs 0.80 1.60

Deductions were applied for certain violations like time infractions, stops and restarts, or falls.[18] The total elements score and program component score were added together, minus any deductions, to generate a final performance score for each skater or team.[19]

Records

For the all-time highest scores, see list of highest scores in figure skating.
For the season's highest scores, see 2021–22 figure skating season § Season's best scores.

The following new record high scores were set during this event.

Record high scores
Date Team Segment Score Ref.
18 February
  • China
 Short program 84.41 [20]
19 February Total score 239.88 [21]

Results

Sui Wenjing and Han Cong at the 2019 Four Continents Championships
Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov at the 2018 Winter Olympics
Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov at the 2019 Russian Championships
From left to right: The gold, silver, and bronze medalists from the pairs event at the 2022 Winter Olympics: Sui Wenjing and Han Cong of China (gold), Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov of Russia (silver), and Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov of Russia (bronze)
Code key

Short program

The pairs' short program was held on 18 February. Sui Wenjing and Han Cong of China broke their own world record in the pairs' short program, the record they had set earlier in the Olympics during the team event. Their score of 84.41 gave Sui and Han a very slim lead over Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov of Russia.[22] Their performance included a "perfect" triple toe loop and a throw triple twist, and they received level 4 marks (the highest marks possible) on all of their elements. "We are very happy, but it was never about a world record," Sui stated afterward. "Only joy on the ice at home."[20] Tarasova and Morozov were followed by Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov of Russia, and Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovskii, also of Russia; placing the Russian teams in three of the top four positions.[22] Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier of the United States, who had been forced to withdraw from the 2022 U.S. Figure Skating Championships after Frazier contracted COVID-19, were "nearly perfect".[20] "We’ve trained so hard to endure whatever is brought to us," Knierim said, “and I feel like today we did a good job of staying focused, no matter how we felt, and just delivered the best we could."[20] Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc, also of the United States, finished only one-tenth of a point behind Knierim and Frazier.[20] Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nolan Seegert of Germany, who were forced to withdraw from the team event after Seegert tested positive for COVID-19, were finally able to compete after missing ten days of practice. However, Ioulia Chtchetinina and Márk Magyar of Hungary withdrew from the competition prior to the short program after Magyar tested positive for COVID-19.[22]

Pairs' short program results[23]
Pl. Team Nation TSS TES PCS SS TR PE CO IN
1  China 84.41 45.96 38.45 9.54 9.43 9.79 9.64 9.68
2  ROC 84.25 46.04 38.21 9.61 9.39 9.57 9.57 9.61
3  ROC 82.76 44.95 37.81 9.25 9.32 9.57 9.54 9.57
4  ROC 78.59 42.17 36.42 9.04 8.93 9.18 9.14 9.25
5  China 76.10 40.87 35.23 8.79 8.68 8.93 8.82 8.82
6  United States 74.23 40.64 33.59 8.39 8.21 8.43 8.50 8.46
7  United States 74.13 39.91 34.22 8.46 8.39 8.57 8.64 8.71
8  Japan 70.85 36.39 34.46 8.71 8.54 8.57 8.71 8.54
9  Georgia 66.11 36.74 29.37 7.39 7.29 7.36 7.39 7.29
10  Italy 63.58 33.16 31.42 7.93 7.68 7.75 8.04 7.89
11  Spain 63.34 34.63 28.71 7.14 7.04 7.18 7.32 7.21
12  Canada 63.03 30.37 32.66 8.21 8.11 8.04 8.21 8.25
13  Canada 62.51 31.94 32.57 8.25 8.18 7.82 8.32 8.14
14  Germany 62.37 32.45 30.92 7.79 7.71 7.57 7.82 7.75
15  Israel 55.99 30.59 25.40 6.25 6.25 6.43 6.46 6.36
16  Italy 55.83 28.38 29.45 7.39 7.18 7.32 7.50 7.43
17  Czech Republic 54.64 29.56 27.08 6.89 6.75 6.54 7.00 6.68
18  Austria 51.96 24.53 27.43 7.00 6.89 6.61 7.00 6.79
WD  Hungary Withdrew from competition

Free skating

The pairs' free skating was held on 19 February. Sui Wenjing and Han Cong of China finished first in the free skate, winning the gold medals, finding redemption from their silver medal finish in the 2018 Winter Olympics. They ultimately finished 0.63 points ahead of Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov of Russia, and began crying tears of joy when their scores were posted. "I’m so happy," Sui said afterward, "that I feel that my dream has come true."[21] Sui and Han's performance featured the only quadruple twist lift of the competition. "We’ve been thinking about the quadruple twist for a long time, ever since [the 2018 Olympics in] PyeongChang," Sui explained. "We thought with the quadruple twist, we can get more [points]; it’s our killer move. After all, the Olympic spirit is faster, higher, stronger, so for us... we wanted to showcase our best program and always want to pursue the highest level of the Olympic spirit."[24] Sui and Han cited Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo – the Chinese pairs skaters who won the bronze medals at the 2002 Winter Olympics – as a source of inspiration. Shen and Zhao followed their 2002 bronze medals with bronze medals at the 2006 Winter Olympics and finally gold medals at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Shen and Zhao were married in the Capital Indoor Stadium, where the 2026 Olympic figure skating events were contested. Sui said that she had begun skating after watching Shen and Zhao win in 2010. Han described his gold medal with Sui as "indeed a legacy from [Shen and Zhao]".[24]

As teams competed in reverse order of how they finished in the short program, Sui and Han performed last, preceded by the three Russian teams who were in second, third, and fourth place, respectively. Each Russian team took the lead, only to cede it to the next Russian team.[21] Ultimately, Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov finished in second place, Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov finished in third place, and Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovskii finished in fourth.[24]

Pairs' free skate results[25]
Pl. Team Nation TSS TES PCS SS TR PE CO IN
1  China 155.47 78.61 76.86 9.71 9.61 9.50 9.71 9.50
2  ROC 155.00 78.01 76.99 9.54 9.54 9.68 9.68 9.68
3  ROC 154.95 79.71 75.24 9.32 9.29 9.57 9.57 9.39
4  ROC 141.91 70.75 71.16 9.00 8.86 8.79 8.96 8.86
5  Japan 141.04 69.95 71.09 8.96 8.68 9.04 8.89 8.86
6  China 138.74 69.03 69.71 8.71 8.54 8.75 8.75 8.82
7  United States 138.45 68.97 69.48 8.64 8.57 8.79 8.75 8.68
8  Georgia 126.33 63.88 62.45 7.82 7.61 8.00 7.89 7.71
9  United States 123.92 59.74 66.18 8.29 8.29 8.00 8.50 8.29
10  Canada 118.86 53.83 65.03 8.04 8.00 8.07 8.25 8.29
11  Spain 118.02 57.90 60.12 7.61 7.39 7.46 7.61 7.50
12  Canada 117.96 53.98 64.98 8.11 7.96 8.11 8.29 8.14
13  Italy 116.29 54.05 62.24 7.86 7.61 7.75 7.89 7.79
14  Italy 109.60 54.82 54.78 6.89 6.64 6.89 6.96 6.86
15  Israel 97.83 47.20 50.63 6.43 6.11 6.39 6.46 6.25
16  Germany 87.32 36.67 51.65 6.89 6.43 5.93 6.57 6.46

Overall

Pairs' results[26]
Rank Team Nation Total SP FS
1st place, gold medalist(s)  China 239.88 1 84.41 1 155.47
2nd place, silver medalist(s)  ROC 239.25 2 84.25 2 155.00
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  ROC 237.71 3 82.76 3 154.95
4  ROC 220.50 4 78.59 4 141.91
5  China 214.84 5 76.10 6 138.74
6  United States 212.68 6 74.23 7 138.45
7  Japan 211.89 8 70.85 5 141.04
8  United States 198.05 7 74.13 9 123.92
9  Georgia 192.44 9 66.11 8 126.33
10  Canada 181.37 13 62.51 10 118.86
11  Spain 181.36 11 63.34 11 118.02
12  Canada 180.99 12 63.03 12 117.96
13  Italy 179.87 10 63.58 13 116.29
14  Italy 165.43 16 55.83 14 109.60
15  Israel 153.82 15 55.99 15 97.83
16  Germany 149.69 14 62.37 16 87.32
17  Czech Republic 54.64 17 54.64 Did not advance
to free skate
18  Austria 51.96 18 51.96
WD  Hungary Withdrew from competition

References

  1. ^ a b c "Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games Competition Schedule Version 9" (PDF). 16 June 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 October 2021. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  2. ^ Ruiz, Rebecca R. (9 December 2016). "Russia's doping program laid bare by extensive evidence in report". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2 March 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  3. ^ "Russia confirms it will appeal 4-year Olympic ban". Time. Associated Press. 27 December 2019. Archived from the original on 27 December 2019. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
  4. ^ Dunbar, Graham (17 December 2020). "Russia can't use its name and flag at the next 2 Olympics". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 23 February 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
  5. ^ "Russia to compete under ROC acronym in Tokyo as part of doping sanctions". Reuters. 19 February 2021. Archived from the original on 20 February 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  6. ^ Penny, Brandon (17 February 2022). "Pairs short program starts final figure skating event of 2022 Winter Olympics". NBC Olympics. Retrieved 3 February 2026.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ a b "Communication No. 2388: Entries/Participation 2022 Olympic Winter Games (OWG) – Single & Pair Skating and Ice Dance". International Skating Union. 1 April 2021. Archived from the original on 26 September 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Communication No. 2428: Olympic Winter Games 2022 – Entries/Participation Single & Pair Skating and Ice Dance". International Skating Union. 28 September 2021. Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
  9. ^ S&P/ID 2021, pp. pp. 75–76.
  10. ^ S&P/ID 2021, pp. 111–112.
  11. ^ S&P/ID 2021, pp. 75–76.
  12. ^ S&P/ID 2021, p. 115.
  13. ^ S&P/ID 2021, pp. 77–78.
  14. ^ S&P/ID 2021, pp. 15–16.
  15. ^ S&P/ID 2021, pp. 79–80.
  16. ^ S&P/ID 2021, pp. 16–17.
  17. ^ S&P/ID 2021, p. 17.
  18. ^ S&P/ID 2021, pp. 18–19.
  19. ^ S&P/ID 2021, p. 20.
  20. ^ a b c d e Skretta, Dave (18 February 2022). "China's Sui, Han top pairs short program record at Olympics". The Washington Post. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 18 February 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  21. ^ a b c Macur, Juliet (19 February 2022). "An Exclamation Point for China, Delivered by the Finest of Margins". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  22. ^ a b c Skretta, Dave (18 February 2022). "Record-breaking pairs short program sets stage for free skate". WCNC-TV. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  23. ^ "Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 – Pair Skating Short Program – Result Details". International Skating Union. 18 February 2022. Archived from the original on 18 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  24. ^ a b c Park, Alice (19 February 2022). "China Continues Its Surge in Pairs Figure Skating and Earns Olympic Gold". Time. Archived from the original on 20 July 2025. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  25. ^ "Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 – Pair Skating Free Skating – Result Details". International Skating Union. 19 February 2022. Archived from the original on 13 May 2025. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  26. ^ "2022 Olympic Winter Games – Ice Dance Final Results". Skating Scores. Archived from the original on 17 April 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2026.

Works cited

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