Pairs Figure Skating Results 2022: Sui, Han Hold Narrow Lead After Short Program

The first half of the pairs figure skating competition at the 2022 Olympics is in the books, with China's Sui Wenjing and Han Cong sitting in first place with a score of 84.41 after the short program. 

Sui and Han had the second-highest element score (45.96) with a routine that featured a triple twist lift four and throw triple flip. They posted the best presentation score (38.45) of the day to finish 0.16 points ahead of Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov of the Russian Olympic Committee (84.25). 

The Russians occupy three of the top four spots in the standings after the short program. 

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Pairs Short Program Results 

1. Sui Wenjing and Han Cong (China): 84.41

2. Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov (Russian Olympic Committee): 84.25

3. Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov (Russian Olympic Committee): 82.76

4. Aleksandra Boikova and Dmitrii Kozlovskii (Russian Olympic Committee): 78.59

5. Cheng Peng and Yang Jin (China): 76.10

6. Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier (United States): 74.23

7. Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc (United States): 74.13

8. Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara (Japan): 70.85

9. Karina Safina and Luka Berulava (Georgia): 66.11

10. Nicole Della Monica and Matteo Guarise (Italy): 63.58

11. Laura Barquero and Marco Zandron (Spain): 63.34

12. Vanessa James and Eric Radford (Canada): 63.03

13. Kirsten Moore-Towers and Michael Marinaro (Canada): 62.51

14. Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nolan Seegert (Germany): 62.37

15. Hailey Kops and Evgeni Krasnopolski (Israel): 55.99

16. Rebecca Ghilardi and Filippo Ambrosini (Italy): 55.83

17. Jelizaveta Zukova and Martin Bidar (Czech Republic): 54.64

18. Miriam Ziegler and Severin Kiefer (Austria): 51.96

Withdrew: Ioulia Chtchetinina and Mark Magyar (Hungary)

Full standings via Olympics.com

The top of the standings look very similar to what happened two weeks ago in the pairs short program during the team event. 

Sui and Han had a slight advantage over Mishina and Galliamov the first time around. 

This time, Tarasova and Morozov are sandwiched between those pairs.

Sui and Han are looking to finish the job this time around. They were in first place after the short program four years ago but came in third in the free skate to settle for the silver medal. 

It won't be easy, as the free skate is Mishina and Galliamov's specialty. They earned 10 points for the ROC in the team event with a high score of 145.20, nearly six points ahead of Japan's Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara (139.60). 

The American team of Alexa Knierim and Brandon Frazier set a high bar for the rest of the field. They were the second pair on the ice and put together a routine that earned a score of 74.23. 

Among the first 12 teams that skated, only three finished with a score of at least 70. Team USA's Ashley Cain-Gribble and Timothy LeDuc (74.13) and Japan's Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara (70.85) were the others. 

Japan's Cheng Peng and Yang Jin set a new benchmark with a nearly flawless routine that earned a score of 76.10. There was one moment when Jin nearly lost her footing on a landing, but she was able to keep her balance to put the duo in first place. 

Things would pick up from there, with all three Russian teams and the Chinese pair Sui and Han blowing everyone out of the water. 

Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov briefly moved into the lead. Their routine generated a score of 82.76, making them the first pair at that point to surpass the 80-point barrier at that point. 

The lead didn't last long, as Sui and Han skated right after them. Tarasova and Morozov also moved past their fellow Russians with a near-flawless routine that saw them get a total score of 84.25, including a technical score of 46.04. 

Each of the top 16 teams in the short program qualified for the free skate. The final pairs figure skating event of the 2022 Games will take place on Saturday at 6 a.m. ET.

If Sui and Han are able to maintain the top spot after the free skate, they will be the first figure skating pair from China to win Olympic gold since Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo in 2010.