BEIJING, July 21(Xinhua) -- Chinese top pair skater Sui Wenjing has been back to the rink after a four-month rest to treat her injured right foot, confirmed the figure skating Olympic silver medalist here on Saturday.
The 23-year-old Harbin native, having partnered with Han Cong to finish as the pairs Olympic runners-up at PyeongChang, South Korea, gave up the chance of defending their world title in Milan, Italy last spring due to Sui's foot injury.
Sui was diagnosed of a bone fatigue fracture in the right foot not long after her and her skating partner's first Winter Games.
She was then forced to rest her injured foot "without bearing any weight", while Han kept training and preparing their new programs for the 2018-2019 season.
It's not until earlier this month that Sui ended her in-hospital rehabilitation and came back to the national squad to resume regular on-ice training immediately for the 2022 Beijing Winter Games preparation.
"There's nothing serious on my injured foot right now," Sui told Xinhua while taking an observation lesson with China's gymnastic national team alongside with 17 other skaters from the Chinese figure skating eam in Beijing on Saturday.
"I've been training very hard since my return to the national squad," she added. "The main task for me is to lose some weight and try to get back to my normal level, technically speaking."
Sui returned to the national team three weeks ago and kept doing some basic skating and sliding training on the ice ever since.
"I'm not capable of doing high-quality skating skills and air rotations now, and also, since my injury was fatigue fracture, which means my foot bones are still fragile. I have to keep my training level with a scale of safety," she said.
Due to the same injury, Sui was not involved in the qualification match and training in Sanya, South China on April with her partner Han.
"I'm just so happy to be back to the rink!" Sui added. "I can't wait to do my part in our team's long preparation for the new season as well as the new Olympic circle to come."
