Goebel, an Olympic bronze medalist, was skating for the first time since he pulled out of Skate America after problems with his skates caused him pain during training sessions. He earned 67.70 points for second place despite falling while attempting a triple axel.

Li, who took a spill at the end of his program as he finished a flying camel spin, was third with 67.30 points.

Gao skated with fluidity and grace, beginning with a neat quadruple toe loop-triple toe loop combination. A well-controlled program with smooth spins and strong jumps earned him 70.25 points.

"Of course, I am surprised," Gao said. "Tonight I skated perfectly."

Goebel said he was "very happy" to be skating despite the problems at the beginning of this season. Except for the mistake, the rest of this dramatic program - set to Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet" - was strong, and he seemed to enjoy himself. "It was a big step for me to pull it together," he said.

Li, ranked third in the world among men, skated an energetic performance. The audience clapped along as he gyrated to the music, tapped out intricate footwork and executed tightly controlled spins.

After his fall in the final seconds, he scrambled up and pumped both fists in the air to loud applause.

Earlier yesterday, Russia's Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostomarov gave a sinuous and sassy performance in the original dance program for ice dancing, holding their lead in the second day of the Cup of China.