Tong Jian facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tong Jian
Pang (left) and Tong (right) at the 2010 Worlds
Personal information
Full name	Tong Jian
Country represented	China
Born	(1979-08-15) August 15, 1979 (age 45) Harbin
Home town	Harbin
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Partner	Pang Qing
Former partner	Zhang Xiwen
Coach	Yao Bin Liu Wei
Former coach	Cong Wenyi
Choreographer	Lori Nichol David Wilson
Former choreographer	Renée Roca Shae-Lynn Bourne Sarah Kawahara Nikolai Morozov
Skating club	Harbin Skating Club
Began skating	1986
Retired	March 28, 2015
World standing	4 (As of 13 March  2014 (2014 -03-13)[update])
Season's bests	3 (2010–2011) 2 (2009–2010) 2 (2008–2009)
ISU personal best scores
Combined total	213.98 2013 Grand Prix Final
Short program	75.40 2013 Grand Prix Final
Free skate	141.81 2010 Winter Olympics

Tong Jian (Chinese: 佟健; pinyin: Tóng Jiàn) is a retired Chinese pair skater. He was born on August 15, 1979, in Harbin, Heilongjiang. With his skating partner and wife, Pang Qing, he achieved many amazing things. They won a silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics. They were also World Champions twice, in 2006 and 2010. Plus, they won the Four Continents championship five times and the Grand Prix Final once in 2008.

Tong Jian's Skating Journey

Tong Jian grew up in Harbin, China, a city famous for pair skating. He started skating when he was six years old. At first, he was a single skater. Then, he tried ice dancing for two years because his jumps weren't strong enough. After that, he switched to pair skating. He had another partner before, Zhang Xiwen. In 1993, his coach, Yao Bin, put him together with Pang Qing. They have been skating together ever since!

When their coach Yao Bin moved to Beijing, Pang and Tong trained by themselves. They started training with Yao again in 1997.

Pang and Tong didn't have a very strong junior career. They placed 14th, 9th, and 8th at the World Junior Championships between 1997 and 1999. After that, they moved up to senior competitions.

They won a silver medal at the Chinese national championships in 1997. But they didn't go to the World Championships until 1999. They became Chinese national champions in 2000. At their first big international senior event, the 1999 Four Continents Championships, they finished 5th. Then, they went to their first World Championships and placed 14th.

In the 1999–2000 season, Pang and Tong started competing in the Grand Prix series. They placed 4th at Skate Canada and 5th at Cup of Russia. Over the years, they slowly improved their rankings. At the 2002 Winter Olympics, they were the Four Continents Champions and finished 9th.

After the 2001–2002 season, Pang and Tong became strong competitors. They often won medals at their Grand Prix events. They won their first World medal, a bronze, at the 2004 World Championships.

Major Achievements in Figure Skating

After winning their first world medal, they had a tough 2004–2005 season. They also had a shaky start in the 2005–2006 season. But they got back on track by the 2006 Winter Olympics. There, they placed 4th, which was a bit controversial. They then went to the 2006 Worlds and won their first World title!

In the 2006–2007 season, Pang and Tong couldn't defend their World title. They had to pull out of Skate America because of an injury. They won silver medals at the Cup of China, the Asian Winter Games, and the Four Continents Championships. At the World Championships, they placed second.

During the 2007–2008 season, they had a difficult start. They didn't win two of their three Grand Prix events. But they came back strong mid-season. They won bronze at the Grand Prix Final and their third Four Continents title. They finished their season with a disappointing 5th place at the World Championships.

In the 2008–2009 season, Pang and Tong had another tough start at the Cup of China. But they went on to win their next two Grand Prix events and the Grand Prix Final. That season, they made history! They won a record-setting fourth Four Continents title. This meant they had won more Four Continents titles than anyone else. Despite this, they had another disappointing World Championships, finishing off the podium.

During the 2009–2010 season, Pang and Tong won both of their Grand Prix events. They also won a silver medal at the Grand Prix Final. They even beat all the world medalists from the previous year!

At the 2010 Winter Olympics, Pang and Tong set a new World Record for their free skate. They scored 141.81 points! They won the silver medal, coming in second to their teammates Shen Xue and Hongbo Zhao. China made history by winning both gold and silver in pairs skating. This ended Russia's 46-year streak of winning Olympic gold medals in pairs skating. Pang and Tong then became the 2010 World Champions in Turin, Italy.

For the 2010–2011 Grand Prix season, Pang and Tong competed at the 2010 NHK Trophy and the 2010 Cup of China. They won both events, which qualified them for the Grand Prix Final. There, they won a silver medal. They also won a bronze medal at the 2011 World Championships.

Pang and Tong did not compete in their assigned 2011–12 Grand Prix events. However, they returned to competition in January 2012. They won gold at the Chinese National Winter Games. They scored first place in both the short program (70.24) and free skate (126.31). They competed at the 2012 World Championships and finished fourth. This was their only international event that season.

For the 2012–13 season, Pang and Tong won medals at both their Grand Prix events. They took second at 2012 Skate America and first at 2012 Cup of China. They then won the bronze medal at the 2012–13 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. They finished fifth at the 2013 World Figure Skating Championships.

During the 2013–14 season, Pang and Tong finished second at 2013 Cup of China and first at 2013 Trophée Éric Bompard. They then won bronze again at the 2013–14 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. They went on to finish fourth at the 2014 Winter Olympics. This was their fourth time competing in the Olympic Games!

For their final season, 2014–15, Pang and Tong competed at the 2015 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships and 2015 World Figure Skating Championships. They placed third at both events.

Tong Jian's Personal Life

Pang Qing and Tong Jian kept their personal lives private for a long time. But during the 2010 Winter Olympics, they shared in an issue of Vanity Fair that they were in a romantic relationship.

In June 2011, Tong proposed to Pang on the ice during a show in Shanghai. She said yes! They got married on June 18, 2016.

Skating Programs and Music

Pang and Tong perform a triple twist at the 2010 Olympics.

Tong Jian in 2013.

Figure skaters choose different music for their short programs, free skates, and exhibition routines each season. Here are some of the pieces Pang and Tong used:

• 2014–2015 Season:

* Short Program: "Moon Flower" by Secret Garden and Sumi Jo, and "Oblivion" by Astor Piazzolla. * Free Skate: "Io Ci Sarò" by David Foster and Walter Afanasieff. * Exhibition: "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Misérables and "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan.

• 2013–2014 Season:

* Short Program: "Nocturne" from Lady Caliph by Ennio Morricone. * Free Skate: "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Misérables by Claude-Michel Schönberg.

• 2012–2013 Season:

* Short Program: "Scott and Fran's Paso Doble" from Strictly Ballroom by David Hirschfelder. * Free Skate: "Enigma Variations" by Edward Elgar.

• 2011–2012 Season:

* Short Program: "Nocturne in C-sharp minor" by Frédéric Chopin. * Free Skate: "Scheherazade" by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.

• 2010–2011 Season:

* Short Program: "Nocturne in C-sharp minor" by Frédéric Chopin and "Je crois entendre encore" from The Pearl Fishers by Georges Bizet. * Free Skate: "Liebesträume" by Franz Liszt.

• 2009–2010 Season:

* Short Program: "Je crois entendre encore" from The Pearl Fishers by Georges Bizet. * Free Skate: "The Impossible Dream" from Man of La Mancha by Mitch Leigh.

• 2008–2009 Season:

* Short Program: "The Messiah Will Come Again" by Roy Buchanan. * Free Skate: "Concierto de Aranjuez" by Joaquín Rodrigo and "Santa Maria" by Gotan Project.

• 2007–2008 Season:

* Short Program: "O doux printemps d'autrefois" by Jules Massenet. * Free Skate: "Romeo and Juliet" by Nino Rota.

• 2006–2007 Season:

* Short Program: "O doux printemps d'autrefois" by Jules Massenet. * Free Skate: "The Phantom of the Opera" by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

• 2005–2006 Season:

* Short Program: "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" by Sergei Rachmaninoff. * Free Skate: "The Phantom of the Opera" by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

• 2004–2005 Season:

* Short Program: "All I Ask of You" from The Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber. * Free Skate: "Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto" by He Zhanhao and Chen Gang.

• 2003–2004 Season:

* Short Program: "Illumination" by Secret Garden. * Free Skate: "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" by Sergei Rachmaninoff.

• 2002–2003 Season:

* Short Program: "Illumination" by Secret Garden and "Seven Years in Tibet" by John Williams. * Free Skate: "Piano Concerto No. 2" by Sergei Rachmaninoff.

• 2001–2002 Season:

* Short Program: "Illumination" by Secret Garden. * Free Skate: "Piano Concerto No. 2" by Sergei Rachmaninoff.

• 1999–2001 Season:

* Short Program: "Tres minutos con la realidad" by Astor Piazzolla. * Free Skate: "The Red Poppy" by Reinhold Glière.

• 1998–1999 Season:

* Short Program: "Spanish Dance" from Swan Lake by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. * Free Skate: "The Planets" by Gustav Holst.

• 1996–1997 Season:

* Short Program: "Fanfare for the Common Man" by Aaron Copland and "Auf der Jagd" by Johann Strauss II.

Competitive Highlights (with Pang Qing)

Here's a summary of Pang and Tong's main competition results: