Tong Jian facts for kids

{{Infobox figure skater | name = Tong Jian | image = WC 2010 Tong Jian and Pang Qing.jpg | caption = Pang (left) and Tong (right) at the 2010 Worlds | fullname = Tong Jian | altname = | country =  China | formercountry = | birth_date = (1979-08-15) August 15, 1979 (age 46) | birth_place = Harbin | hometown = Harbin | residence = | height = 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | partner = Pang Qing | formerpartner = Zhang Xiwen | coach = Yao Bin
Liu Wei | formercoach = Cong Wenyi | choreographer = Lori Nichol
David Wilson | formerchoreographer = Renée Roca
Shae-Lynn Bourne
Sarah Kawahara
Nikolai Morozov | skating club = Harbin Skating Club | beganskating = 1986 | retired = March 28, 2015 | worldranking = 4 (As of 13 March  2014 (2014 -03-13)^[update]) | pbrankings = 3 (2010–2011)
2 (2009–2010)
2 (2008–2009) | combined total = 213.98 | combined date = 2013 Grand Prix Final | SP score = 75.40 | SP date = 2013 Grand Prix Final | FS score = 141.81 | FS date = 2010 Winter Olympics |module =

Event
Olympic Games	0	1	0
World Championships	2	1	3
Four Continents Championships	5	3	1
Grand Prix Final	1	2	4
Total	8	7	8

Medal list
Olympic Games
2010 Vancouver Pairs
World Championships
2006 Calgary Pairs 2010 Turin Pairs 2007 Tokyo Pairs 2004 Dortmund Pairs 2011 Moscow Pairs 2015 Shanghai Pairs
Four Continents Championships
2002 Jeonju Pairs 2004 Hamilton Pairs 2008 Goyang Pairs 2009 Vancouver Pairs 2011 Taipei Pairs 2003 Beijing Pairs 2005 Gangneung Pairs 2007 Colorado Springs Pairs 2015 Seoul Pairs
Grand Prix Final
2008–09 Goyang Pairs 2009–10 Tokyo Pairs 2010–11 Beijing Pairs 2004–05 Beijing Pairs 2007–08 Turin Pairs {{GPF= 2012–13 Sochi Pairs 2013–14 Fukuoka Pairs }}

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 great things. They won a silver medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics. They were also World Champions twice, in 2006 and 2010. They won the Four Continents title five times (2002, 2004, 2008, 2009, and 2011). In 2008, they became the Grand Prix Final Champions.

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 skated by himself. Then, he tried ice dancing for two years because his jumps were not very strong. After that, he switched to pair skating. He used to skate with another partner, Zhang Xiwen. In 1993, his coach, Yao Bin, paired him with Pang Qing. They have been skating together ever since.

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

Early Career and First Big Competitions

Pang and Tong did not have a very strong junior career. They placed 14th, 9th, and 8th at the World Junior Figure Skating Championships between 1997 and 1999. After their junior years, they moved up to senior competitions.

They won a silver medal at the Chinese national championships in 1997. However, they did not go to the World Championships until 1999. They became the Chinese national champions in 2000. At their first big international senior event, the 1999 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in 1999, 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 placed 9th.

Becoming Top Skaters

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

After winning their first World medal, they had a difficult 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 surprising to some.

Pang and Tong then went to the 2006 World Figure Skating Championships and won the gold medal! In the 2006–2007 season, they could not defend their World title. They had to withdraw from Skate America due to 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 tough start, losing two of their three Grand Prix events. But they came back strong by winning a bronze at the Grand Prix Final. They also won their third Four Continents title. Their season ended with a 5th place at the World Championships.

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

Olympic Glory and Later Years

In 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 World Championship.

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, finishing behind their teammates Shen Xue and Hongbo Zhao. China made history by winning both gold and silver medals in pairs skating. This ended Russia's 46-year streak of winning Olympic gold medals in this event. 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, where they won silver. 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 also competed at the 2012 World Figure Skating 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 before retiring.

Personal Life

Pang Qing and Tong Jian kept their personal lives private for a long time. However, 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, and they became engaged. They got married on June 18, 2016.

Competitive Achievements

(with Pang)

Images for kids

• 

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

• 

  Tong Jian in 2013.