Golden pair sets a shining example
The Chinese pair won their second world title in 2019, but their preparations for the Beijing Games were interrupted when Han underwent hip surgery in April 2020. But they kept waiting and supporting each other throughout the injuries and setbacks, and eventually conquered the biggest stage together.
"I just felt so lucky to meet Han, and together we achieved something incredible," says Sui. "And we set great examples. Before us, it was hard for skaters of our physical stature to reach such a high level in pairs skating, but we showed the possibilities."
A key issue during Sui and Han's preparation for the Beijing 2022 was to find a song for their free skate program. Eventually, they skated to Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge Over Troubled Water, the same music they performed to when winning the 2017 world championships.
On Feb 19, their gold-winning performance to the song at the Beijing Games wowed the world－and Sui burst into tears in Han's arms after finishing. For the pair, the rhythm and the lyrics of the song is the perfect match of their stories of dedication and the support of each other, especially during the hard times.
"We have great communication, and we feel that song is just like our story," Han explains. "And we used the song just twice and both times achieved success.
"The song is really famous. And, as the world faces the challenges of the pandemic together, through the song, and our performances at the Olympics, we hoped to build a golden bridge in the hearts of people to connect the world."
