The Kaipher Editorial Team 
At the 2025 ISU Skate to Milano Figure Skating Qualifier in Beijing on September 21, Taiwan achieved a historic milestone by qualifying its first Olympic figure skater in 28 years. The qualifier distributed the final 17 spots for the 2026 Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics across men’s singles, women’s singles, pairs, and ice dance.
Lee Yu-hsiang’s Breakthrough in Men’s Singles
Eighteen-year-old Lee Yu-hsiang clinched the final men’s singles quota with a fifth-place finish and a combined score of 216.98 points. After placing eighth in the short program, Lee delivered an almost flawless free skate, earning 146.67 points and overtaking competitors to secure the berth. Lee becomes only the second athlete to represent Taiwan in Olympic figure skating, the first being David Liu at Nagano 1998 (Olympics.com).
China’s Dominance in Pairs and Ice Dance
At their home qualifier, China secured multiple berths:
- Pairs: Zhang Jiaxuan and Huang Yihang won gold with 191.52 points, leading from start to finish to claim one of three available pairs quotas (Focus Taiwan).
- Ice Dance: Veterans Wang Shiyue and Liu Xinyu earned fourth-place qualification, overcoming a two-year competitive hiatus due to injuries and asthma treatment to secure China’s ice dance spot.
Notable First-Time and Return Berths
- Lithuania: Allison Reed and Saulius Ambrulevicius won ice dance with 198.73 points, marking Reed’s Olympic return after a 15-year absence since Vancouver 2010 and securing Lithuania’s first ice dance quota. Reed’s citizenship process concluded in November 2024, enabling her qualification (HKU Press).
- Armenia: Karina Akopova and Nikita Rakhmanin claimed Armenia’s first Olympic pairs quota since Salt Lake City 2002 by finishing second with 186.84 points.
- Australia: Holly Harris and Jason Chan secured Australia’s ice dance berth with a runner-up score of 183.50 points.
- Spain: Sofia Val and Asaf Kazimov finished third to clinch Spain’s pairs spot.
- Japan: Yuna Nagaoka and Sumitada Moriguchi rallied from fourth in the short program to third overall, grabbing Japan’s final pairs quota.
Olympic Quota Distribution
The Beijing qualifier allocated:
- 5 men’s singles spots
- 5 women’s singles spots
- 3 pairs spots
- 4 ice dance spots
A total of 142 figure skaters will compete in Milan–Cortina 2026, representing nations across all four disciplines.
Taiwan’s breakthrough not only ends a 28-year absence from Olympic figure skating but also reflects the broader global competitiveness emerging at the sport’s final qualification event.
