Sui/Han rank 2nd in pairs short program at 2019 World Figure Skating C'ships

China's Han Cong (front) and Sui Wenjing perform during the pairs' short program competition of 2019 ISU World Figure Skating Championships at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, on March 20, 2019. (Xinhua/Wang Lili)

SAITAMA, Japan, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Chinese figure skating Olympic runners-up Sui Wenjing/Han Cong took second place in the pairs short program at the 2019 ISU World Championships in Saitama, Japan on Wednesday.

Sui/Han danced to "No One Like You" by Red Electrick, and performed a clean program with a perfect triple toeloop, a triple twist, and a throw triple flip. They scored 79.24 points, 1.97 points less than leaders Evgenia Tarasova/Vladimir Morozov of Russia. Fellow Chinese pair Peng Cheng/Jin Yang ranked third with 75.51.

"I am not totally recovered from my injury," said Sui, who fell in a training on February and had to rest for ten days. "But we performed our best. Our team gave us lots of encouragement."

The pair had been struggling for form a week before they came to Japan.

"We felt bad at home, but when we came here and took to the ice, we felt better and better," said Sui. "We want to fight."

After taking the Olympic silver medal, Sui/Han had not competed in the first half of the season, but bounced back by taking gold at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships last month.

"We will not think about the scores, and just focus on our skating," Sui added. "I hope we can skate a good, free program."

Peng/Jin also did a good job on Wednesday, landing a good triple toeloop, which had been their weakness.

"We were always trying to improve," said Peng. "We enjoyed today's competition, and I think it is the most important."

Natalia Zabiiako/Alexander Enbert, also from Russia, ranked fourth with 73.96. Canada's 2019 Four Continents silver medalists Kirsten Moore-Towers/Michael Marinaro took fifth. Vanessa James/Morgan Cipres of France, who have won each event they entered this season including the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, fell in the throw triple flip, and had to settle for seventh place.

The free program will be held on Thursday.