2022 Winter Olympics: Pairs Individual Event Preview

The last figure skating event of the 2022 Winter Olympics will be the high-flying pairs competition, China’s marquee discipline with stars Wenjing Sui and Cong Han in the mix for the gold medal. They will be challenged by three strong teams representing ROC, including current World Champions Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov. Here’s a quick introduction to some of the teams!

See also: 2022 Winter Olympics Info & Streaming for how to watch!

Wenjing Sui / Cong Han (China)

• Age: 26/29

• ISU Season’s Best Scores: SP - 82.83, FS - 145.11, Total - 224.55

• ISU Personal Best Scores: SP - 82.83, FS - 155.60, Total - 234.84

• Programs: SP - Mission Impossible 2 Orchestra Suite, FS - Bridge Over Troubled Water

Pyeongchang Olympic silver medalists and 2-time World Champions, Sui and Han come into their second Olympic Games as strong contenders for the gold medal. They have led Chinese skating for the last 8 years, and are the longest-lasting pairs team in this field. They’ve been skating together for nearly 15 years, and their seamlessness, elegance and chemistry are apparent when they perform.

Their fiery short program to the Mission Impossible 2 soundtrack shows off their crisp elements, while their free program to Bridge Over Troubled water is an emotional tribute to their journey together. They are the only pairs team to attempt a quadruple twist in this Olympics, and they will need every point to fend off challenges from Mishina/Galliamov and the other Russian teams. Sui/Han’s throw jumps are impeccable, but they sometimes struggle with the side-by-side jumps. They are stronger in the short program, where they currently hold the world record score, but will need to be as clean as possible in the free skate to win the gold.

Anastasia Mishina / Aleksandr Galliamov (ROC)

• Age: 20/22

• ISU Season’s Best Scores: SP - 82.64, FS - 157.46, Total - 239.82

• ISU Personal Best Scores: SP - 82.64, FS - 157.46, Total - 239.82

• Programs: SP - Esmeralda, FS - The Snowstorm, Time, Forward!

The young team of Mishina/Galliamov have exploded onto the senior scene in the last few seasons, winning the 2021 World Championship title and 2022 European Championship title. They have cemented themselves as Russia’s top team this season with their consistency and high-quality elements, and are favorites along with Sui/Han for the Olympic gold medal. Their money combo is a side-by-side triple salchow-euler-triple salchow combination in the free skate, a difficult combination that few other pairs have attempted, and which helps their base value significantly. Mishina/Galliamov currently hold the world record scores for the free skate and combined total. Watch for their joyful short program to selections from the Esmeralda ballet.

Evgenia Tarasova / Vladimir Morozov (ROC)

• Age: 27/29

• ISU Season’s Best Scores: SP - 81.58, FS - 154.85, Total - 236.43

• ISU Personal Best Scores: SP - 81.58, FS - 154.85, Total - 236.43

• Programs: SP - Metamorphosis Two, Experience, FS - Lighthouse

Three-time World medalists and Russia’s top team at the 2018 Olympics, Tarasova and Morozov have fought through many challenges in the last few seasons, including coaching changes, injuries, and COVID. When they’re on, they have some of the most impressive technical elements in the field, especially their enormous triple twist. Their main struggle has been consistency, although they have improved in this aspect in the current season. Their programs highlight their classic lines and elegance, and if they can deliver, they may even challenge for Olympic gold.

Aleksandra Boikova / Dmitrii Kozlovskii (ROC)

• Age: 20/22

• ISU Season’s Best Scores: SP - 77.17, FS - 150.97, Total - 227.23

• ISU Personal Best Scores: SP - 82.34, FS - 152.24, Total - 234.58

• Programs: SP - Swan Lake, FS - Malaguena

The 2020 European Champions Boikova/Kozlovskii are another young team that have swept through Russian skating in the last four years. Coached by the legendary Tamara Moskvina, alongside their teammates Mishina/Galliamov, they’re a team with incredible personality — Boikova’s sass stands out amongst Russian pairs women with her outstanding expression. The team has beautiful extension too, especially noticeable in their lifts.

Boikova/Kozlovskii have struggled with consistency in the last two seasons, but they are still very much contenders for the Olympic podium if they skate clean. Watch out for their dramatic programs to Swan Lake and Malaguena, two figure skating classics.

Riku Miura / Ryuichi Kihara (Japan)

• Age: 20/29

• ISU Season’s Best Scores: SP - 74.45, FS - 139.60, Total - 209.42

• ISU Personal Best Scores: SP - 74.45, FS - 139.60, Total - 209.42

• Programs: SP - Hallelujah, FS - Woman

Coming from a country not known for pairs or ice dance, Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara have gone against the odds to prove that Japanese skating can stand on international podiums in every discipline. They paired up only two seasons ago, and spent a portion of time only receiving remote coaching due to travel difficulties surrounding the COVID pandemic. Nevertheless, they have medaled at two Grand Prix events this season, qualifying for the Grand Prix Final (before it was canceled.) Their meteoric rise helped Japan win a medal in the Olympic team event for the first time. Also notable is the fact that Ryuichi Kihara is now attending his third Olympic Games, putting him in impressive company, as few skaters ever make it to more than two.

Both of Miura/Kihara’s programs are full of personality. They skate to a beautiful rendition of Hallelujah by k.d. lang for their short program, and powerful version of Woman by Shawn Phillips in the free program. Clean performances here have the potential to put them in the top 6.

Cheng Peng / Yang Jin (China)

• Age: 24/27

• ISU Season’s Best Scores: SP - 76.71, FS - 135.15, Total - 211.86

• ISU Personal Best Scores: SP - 76.71, FS - 141.21, Total - 216.90

• Programs: SP - Piano & I: Moonlight Sonata, FS - Selections from The Banquet

Sometimes underrated by the judges due to being China’s number two pair, Peng and Jin are incredibly talented, with immaculate synchronicity in their individual elements in addition to their top-notch pair elements. Like their teammates Sui and Han, Peng/Jin have gorgeous throw jumps, but sometimes struggle with their side-by-side jumps.

Peng and Jin are skating at their second Olympics together, looking for redemption from Pyeongchang, where they finished a disappointing 17th. In the last four years, they have absolutely proven to be one of the world’s top pairs, with medals at the Grand Prix Final and Four Continents Championships. They’ll be skating to Chinese music in their free program, composed of selections from The Banquet, a film set at the end of the Tang dynasty, with beautifully expressed themes of love in times of strife.

OTHERS TO WATCH:

Kirsten Moore-Towers / Michael Marinaro (Canada)

• Age: 29/30

• ISU Season’s Best Scores: SP - 67.34, FS - 122.77, Total - 184.37

• ISU Personal Best Scores: SP - 76.36, FS - 138.59, Total - 211.05

• Programs: SP - Hold on Tight, FS - Carry You

Moore-Towers is competing at her third Olympics, and Marinaro at his second. The reigning Canadian National Champions have said this is their final season, and they’ll skate like it, leaving everything on the table for their final showing. With several disappointing performances this season, their main goal will be to show their best at the Olympics. Moore-Towers and Marinaro will skate to the emotional Carry You by Ruelle and Fleurie in their free, a testament to their journey to these Olympic Games.

Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy Leduc (USA)

• Age: 26/31

• ISU Season’s Best Scores: SP - 70.75, FS - 132.04, Total - 202.79

• ISU Personal Best Scores: SP - 76.23, FS - 132.04, Total - 205.58

• Programs: SP - Selections from The White Crow, FS - Selections from W.E.

Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy Leduc have persevered through injuries, and both personal and professional challenges to make it to these Olympic Games. Timothy Leduc is the first-ever openly non-binary athlete at the Winter Olympics. The reigning US National Champions, they’ll skate to The White Crow by Ilan Eshkeri in the short program, and selections from W.E. by Abel Korneniowski in the free program. Keep an eye out for their side-by-side triple loops, another rare jump in pairs skating.