Yan Han (; ; born March 6, 1996) is a former Chinese competitive

figure skater Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, with its introduction occurring at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic d ...

. He is a three-time

Four Continents Europeans in the 16th century divided the world into four continents: Africa, America, Asia, and Europe. Each of the four continents was seen to represent its quadrant of the world—Africa in the south, America in the west, Asia in the east, a ...

bronze medalist (2013, 2015, 2016), the 2013

Cup of China The Cup of China is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), organized and hosted by the Chinese Skating Association (), and part of the ISU Grand Prix Series. The first competition was held in ...

champion and a four-time Chinese national champion (2010-2011, 2018, 2020). On the junior level, he is the 2012 Youth Olympic champion, the 2012 Junior World champion, the winner of four

ISU Junior Grand Prix The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international figure skating competition, junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded ...

titles, and a two-time

Junior Grand Prix Final The ISU Junior Grand Prix Final (titled the ISU Junior Series Final in the 1997–98 season) is the final event of a series of junior-level competitions – the ISU Junior Grand Prix – organized by the International Skating Union (ISU). Medal ...

silver medalist (2010, 2011). He remains the only skater to win Junior Worlds and the Youth Olympic Games throughout the same season.

Career

The only athlete in his family, Yan started skating at the age of 5. He trained in

Harbin Harbin, ; zh, , s=哈尔滨, t=哈爾濱, p=Hā'ěrbīn; IPA: . is the capital of Heilongjiang, China. It is the largest city of Heilongjiang, as well as being the city with the second-largest urban area, urban population (after Shenyang, Lia ...

until he relocated to Beijing in early 2012.

2009–2010 season: Junior Grand Prix debut

Yan made his

debut in the 2009–2010 season. He won gold at the event in Turkey, his only assignment that season. He did not compete at the 2010 World Junior Championships due to a fracture injury.

2010–2011 season

Yan was assigned to the

2010–11 ISU Junior Grand Prix The 2010–11 ISU Junior Grand Prix was the 14th season of the ISU Junior Grand Prix, a series of international junior level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. It was the junior-level complement to the 2010–11 ISU Grand ...

events in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

and

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...

. After winning his two JGP events, he qualified to the

, which was held in

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, China. Yan took the silver medal in his home country. He ended the season by placing 6th in his debut at the 2011 World Junior Championships in Korea.

2011–2012 season: Youth Olympic and World Junior titles

In the 2011–2012 season, Yan began attempting a

triple Axel The Axel jump or Axel Paulsen jump, named after its inventor, Norwegian figure skater Axel Paulsen, is an edge jump performed in figure skating. It is the sport's oldest and most difficult jump, and the only basic jump in competition with a forw ...

and a

quad QUaD, an acronym for QUEST at DASI, was a ground-based cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization experiment at the South Pole. QUEST (Q and U Extragalactic Sub-mm Telescope) was the original name attributed to the bolometer detector instrume ...

toe loop Toes are the digits of the foot of a tetrapod. Animal species such as cats that walk on their toes are described as being ''digitigrade''. Humans, and other animals that walk on the soles of their feet, are described as being ''plantigrade''; ...

in competition. After winning gold at his JGP events in Austria and Italy, Yan qualified for the 2011–12 Junior Grand Prix Final. At the event, held in

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

, Canada, he won the silver medal despite having a fever. He became the

2012 Youth Olympics The 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games (), officially known as the I Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG), were an international multi-sport event for youths that took place in Innsbruck, Austria, on 13–22 January 2012. They were the inaugural Youth ...

champion in

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; ) is the capital of Tyrol (federal state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the Wipptal, Wipp Valley, which provides access to the ...

, Austria. At the 2012 World Junior Championships, Yan became the first skater representing China to win the men's junior world title.

2012–2013 season: First medal at Four Continents

Yan started his season at the 2012 JGP Slovenia, where he finished fifth after a shattering fall on the quadruple toe loop in the free program. He then won silver, behind

Maxim Kovtun Maxim Pavlovich Kovtun (; born 18 June 1995) is a retired Russian figure skater. He is a three-time European medalist (silver in 2015 and 2017, bronze in 2016) and four-time (2014, 2015, 2016, 2019) Russian national champion. On the junior level, ...

at the 2012 JGP Croatia. He did not advance to the JGP Final. Yan took silver at the 2013 Chinese Championships. He made his senior international debut at the 2013 Four Continents Championships, where he took the bronze medal. Yan ended the season placing ninth in the men's discipline and fifth with Team China at the 2013 World Team Trophy. He then flew to Toronto to work with

Lori Nichol Lori Nichol is a Canadian figure skating choreographer and coach. She was a performer for the John Curry Company from 1983 to 1986 and won the silver medal at the World Professional Championships in 1983. She is a four-time recipient of the Profe ...

for two new programs for the upcoming season.

2013–2014 season: Grand Prix debut

Yan's senior Grand Prix debut came at the

2013 Cup of China The 2013 Cup of China was the third event of six in the 2013–14 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing on November 1–3. Medals were a ...

. He placed first in the short setting a personal best score of 90.14 points and placed second in the free winning the gold medal overall, ahead of

. Yan set a personal best overall score of 245.62 points. Yan finished fourth at the

2013 Trophée Éric Bompard The 2013 Trophée Éric Bompard was the fifth event of six in the 2013–14 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Palais Omnisports de Paris Bercy in Paris on November 15 ...

, competing with a fever that he developed the day before his short program. His results qualified him for the

Grand Prix Final The Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final – originally known as the Champions Series Final – is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU). It is the culminating event of the Grand Prix Series. Meda ...

, in which he placed sixth overall. He was selected to compete at the

2014 Winter Olympics The 2014 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXII Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Sochi 2014 (), were an international winter multi-sport event that was held from 7 to 23 February 2014 in Sochi, Russia. Opening ro ...

Sochi Sochi ( rus, Сочи, p=ˈsotɕɪ, a=Ru-Сочи.ogg, from – ''seaside'') is the largest Resort town, resort city in Russia. The city is situated on the Sochi (river), Sochi River, along the Black Sea in the North Caucasus of Souther ...

, where he finished seventh. He then finished seventh at the

2014 World Figure Skating Championships The 2014 World Figure Skating Championships was an international figure skating competition held in Saitama, Saitama, Saitama, Japan, at the Saitama Super Arena from March 24 to 30. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of Single skating, men's ...

in Saitama, Japan.

2014–2015 season: Second bronze at Four Continents

Yan's first assignment of the 2014 Grand Prix season was

. On November 8, during the free skate warm-up, he collided with Japan's

Yuzuru Hanyu is a Japanese figure skater and ice show producer. Universally regarded as one of the greatest figure skaters in history for his well-rounded skills, achievements, innovations, longevity, popularity, and impact on the sport, he started skat ...

. Yan was visibly injured, but decided to compete. He placed seventh in the free program and sixth overall. Later in the same month, he placed eighth at another Grand Prix event, the

2014 Trophee Eric Bompard Fourteen or 14 may refer to: * 14 (number), the natural number following 13 and preceding 15 * one of the years 14 BC, AD 14, 1914, 2014 Music * 14th (band), a British electronic music duo * ''14'' (David Garrett album), 2013 *''14'', an unrele ...

. At the 2015 Four Continents Championships, Yan took the bronze medal with a combined score of 259.47, a personal best. He placed tenth at the 2015 World Championships.

2015–2016 season: Third bronze at Four Continents

Competing in the 2015 Grand Prix season, Yan placed fourth at

Skate America Skate America is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), organized and hosted by U.S. Figure Skating. The first Skate America was in held in 1979 in Lake Placid, New York, as a test event fo ...

and took bronze at

. He went on to win his third bronze medal at the 2016 Four Continents Championships, setting personal bests in the free program (181.98) and combined score (271.55). Yan placed twenty-sixth at the 2016 World Championships.

2016–2017 season

During the 2016 Grand Prix season, Yan placed tenth at

Skate Canada Skate Canada (Canadian French: ''Patinage Canada'', lit. "Skating Canada") is the national governing body for figure skating in Canada, recognized by the International Skating Union and the Canadian Olympic Committee. It organizes the annual C ...

and fifth at

. He ranked 10th at the 2017 Four Continents Championships. He won a bronze medal at the

2017 Asian Winter Games The 2017 Asian Winter Games (), also known as Sapporo 2017 (), were a continental winter multi sport events and the 8th edition of the Asian Winter Games. They were held from February 19 to 26 2017 in Sapporo and Obihiro in Hokkaido, Japan. The ...

. Yan's shoulder dislocated repeatedly after he sustained a fracture. As a result, he withdrew from the 2017 World Championships.

2017–2018 season

Yan's first international competition during this season was the

International Cup of Nice International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

, where he won the gold medal. For his Grand Prix assignments, Yan competed at

and the

, placing fifth at both competitions. He then became the Chinese national champion and went on to place tenth at the

2018 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships The 2018 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships were held in Taipei, Taiwan on January 22–28, 2018. Medals were awarded in men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Qualification This competition is open to ska ...

. During this season, he competed in the

2018 Winter Olympics The 2018 Winter Olympics (), officially the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (; ) and also known as PyeongChang 2018 (), were an international winter multi-sport event held between 9 and 25 February 2018 in Pyeongchang County, South Ko ...

, making it his second time at the Olympics. He ranked 23rd overall.

2018–2019 season

Yan did not compete internationally during the season, subsequently attributing this to both injury recovery and disappointment with his performances in recent seasons. Initially intending to travel and study, he ultimately opted to plan a return to competition.

2019–2020 season

Yan won his fourth national title at the 2020 Chinese Championships in September. Despite rumors of his retirement, he was initially assigned to

2019 CS Nebelhorn Trophy The 2019 CS Nebelhorn Trophy was held in September 2019 in Oberstdorf, Germany. It was part of the 2019–20 ISU Challenger Series. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Entries ...

, but withdrew before the event. Yan was assigned to the

2019 Cup of China The 2019 SHISEIDO Cup of China was the fourth event of the 2019–20 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at Chongqing Huaxi Culture and Sports Center in Chongqing, China fro ...

, where, despite performing only triple jumps, he placed first in the short program, narrowly ahead of

Jin Boyang Jin Boyang ( zh, c=, p=Jīn Bóyáng; ; born 3 October 1997) is a Chinese figure skater. He is a two-time World bronze medalist (2016–2017), the 2018 Four Continents champion, a two-time Four Continents silver medalist (2016, 2019), the ...

. After placing second in the free skate behind Jin, he won the silver medal. Speaking afterward, he thanked the

Chinese Skating Association The Chinese Skating Association (CSA) () was founded in 1956. It was the second Asian country to join the International Skating Union (ISU). It hosts international and manages domestic short track speed skating and speed skating competitions. M ...

for giving him the chance to return to competition, and said that he was somewhat surprised to be competitive for a medal without

quads The quadriceps femoris muscle (, also called the quadriceps extensor, quadriceps or quads) is a large muscle group that includes the four prevailing muscles on the front of the thigh. It is the sole extensor muscle of the knee, forming a large ...

. Yan did not receive a second

Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural ''Grands Prix'') most commonly refers to: * Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition ** List of Formula One Grands Prix, an auto-racing championship *** Monaco Grand Prix, the most prestigious ...

assignment, and thus could not contend for a 2019–20 Grand Prix Final berth. Making his return to the

Four Continents Championships The Four Continents Figure Skating Championships are an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU). Medals are awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. The ISU est ...

in February 2020, Yan placed tenth. Yan was required to self-quarantine for two weeks after returning to China, due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. As a result, he was not named to the team for the 2020 World Championships, despite China having two men's spots.

2020–2021 season

With the

2020–21 figure skating season The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen ...

having to deal with the

, senior skaters were invited to a maximum of one

event, based largely on geographic location. Yan was invited to the

2020 Cup of China The 2020 SHISEIDO Cup of China was the third event in the 2020–21 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating, a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held at the Chongqing Huaxi Culture and Sports Center in Chongqing, China ...

, where he won the silver medal for the second consecutive year. Yan competed at the 2021 World Championships in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, placing thirteenth, while

placed twenty-second. As a result, China qualified only one men's berth at the

2022 Winter Olympics The 2022 Winter Olympics, officially called the XXIV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Beijing 2022 (2022), were an international winter multi-sport event held from 4 to 20 February 2022 in Beijing, China, and surrounding areas wit ...

2021–2022 season

For the 2021-22 Grand Prix Season, Yan was assigned to the

2021 Cup of China 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...

, which was later cancelled and replaced by the

2021 Gran Premio d'Italia The 2021 Gran Premio d'Italia was a figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU), organized and hosted by the Italian Ice Sports Federation (), and the third event of the 2021–22 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Sk ...

. Yan's name was initially in this entry list as well, but he later withdrew.

Age controversy

In February 2011, a group of Chinese skaters' ages became the subject of controversy as their birth dates published on the Chinese Skating Association's website did not match the ones listed on their bio pages in the ISU website. The controversy prompted a search for more discrepancies among Chinese figure skaters' dates of births. According to news articles published in February 2011, although Yan's birthday was listed as March 6, 1996 on ISU's website, the Chinese website suggested that he was born on that day in 1994. Officials from the

State General Administration of Sports The General Administration of Sport () is the government agency responsible for sports in mainland China. It is subordinate to the State Council of the People's Republic of China. It also administers the All-China Sports Federation and Chinese O ...

held a press conference where they attributed the discrepancies to erroneous information provided by the Chinese website.

Programs

Competitive highlights

''GP:

; CS: Challenger Series; JGP:

Junior Grand Prix The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating (titled the ISU Junior Series in the 1997–98 season) is a series of international junior-level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Medals are awarded in the disciplines of men ...

Detailed results

Small medals for short program and free skating awarded only at ISU Championships. Personal bests highlighted in bold.

2013–14 to present

2009–10 to 2012–13

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yan, Han 1996 births Living people Figure skaters from Harbin Chinese male single skaters World Junior Figure Skating Championships medalists Figure skaters at the 2014 Winter Olympics Figure skaters at the 2018 Winter Olympics Olympic figure skaters for China Figure skaters at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics Youth Olympic gold medalists for China Figure skaters at the 2017 Asian Winter Games Medalists at the 2017 Asian Winter Games Asian Games bronze medalists for China Asian Games medalists in figure skating Four Continents Figure Skating Championships medalists