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2025 Cup of China

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2025 Cup of China
Logo of the Cup of China
Type:Grand Prix
Date:24 – 26 October
Season:2025–26
Location:Chongqing, China
Host:Chinese Skating Association
Venue:Chongqing Huaxi Culture and Sports Center
Champions
Men's singles:
Japan Shun Sato
Women's singles:
United States Amber Glenn
Pairs:
Georgia (country) Anastasiia Metelkina
and Luka Berulava
Ice dance:
United States Madison Chock
and Evan Bates
Navigation
Previous:
2024 Cup of China
Next:
2026 Cup of China
Previous Grand Prix:
2025 Grand Prix de France
Next Grand Prix:
2025 Skate Canada International

The 2025 Cup of China is a figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU). Organized and hosted by the Chinese Skating Association (simplified Chinese: 中国滑冰协会; traditional Chinese: 中國滑冰協會), it was the second event of the 2025–26 Grand Prix of Figure Skating: a senior-level international invitational competition series. It was held from 24 to 26 October at the Chongqing Huaxi Culture and Sports Center in Chongqing.[1] Medals were awarded in men's singles, women's singles, pair skating, and ice dance. Skaters earned points based on their results, and the top skaters or teams in each discipline at the end of the season will be invited to then compete at the 2025 Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, Japan. Shun Sato of Japan won the men's event, Amber Glenn of the United States won the women's event, Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava of Georgia won the pairs event, and Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States won the ice dance event.

Background

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The ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating is a series of seven events sanctioned by the International Skating Union (ISU) and held during the autumn: six qualifying events and the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final. This allows skaters to perfect their programs earlier in the season, as well as compete against the skaters whom they would later encounter at the World Championships. Skaters earn points based on their results in their respective competitions and after the six qualifying events, the top skaters or teams in each discipline are invited to compete at the Grand Prix Final.[2] The Cup of China debuted as a Grand Prix event in 2003 as a replacement for the Bofrost Cup on Ice.[3] The Cup of China has been interrupted three times in its history: in 2018 when the Chinese Skating Association elected to forgo hosting any international skating events in order to prepare its venues for the 2022 Winter Olympics,[4] and then in 2021 and 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][6] The Cup of China has been held in Chongqing since 2019.[7]

Changes to preliminary assignments

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The International Skating Union published the initial list of entrants on 6 June 2025.[8]

Discipline Withdrew Added Notes Ref.
Date Skater(s) Date Skater(s)
Pairs 13 August
  • Uzbekistan
 14 August — [9][10]
Men — 18 August Host picks [11]
Women
Pairs
Ice dance
Pairs 22 August — [12]
24 September 25 September [13][14]
Men 13 October 14 October Injury (Pulkinen) [15][16]
Women 14 October 15 October Injury (Repond) [17][16][18]
21 October — Injury [19]

Required performance elements

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Single skating

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Men and women competing in single skating performed their short programs on Friday, 24 October.[1] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 40 seconds,[20] the short program had to include the following elements:

For men: one double or triple Axel; one triple or quadruple jump; one jump combination consisting of a double jump and a triple jump, two triple jumps, or a quadruple jump and a double jump or triple jump; one flying spin; one camel spin or sit spin with a change of foot; one spin combination with a change of foot; and a step sequence using the full ice surface.[21]

For women: one double or triple Axel; one triple jump; one jump combination consisting of a double jump and a triple jump, or two triple jumps; one flying spin; one layback spin, sideways leaning spin, camel spin, or sit spin without a change of foot; one spin combination with a change of foot; and one step sequence using the full ice surface.[21]

Men and women performed their free skates on Saturday, 25 October.[1] The free skate performance for both men and women could last no more than 4 minutes,[20] and had to include the following: seven jump elements, of which one had to be an Axel-type jump; three spins, of which one had to be a spin combination, one had to be a flying spin, and one had to be a spin with only one position; a step sequence; and a choreographic sequence.[22]

Pairs

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Couples competing in pair skating performed their short programs on Friday, 24 October.[1] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 40 seconds,[20] the short program had to include the following elements: one pair lift, one double or triple twist lift, one double or triple throw jump, one double or triple solo jump, one solo spin combination with a change of foot, one death spiral, and a step sequence using the full ice surface.[23]

Couples performed their free skates on Saturday, 25 October.[1] The free skate performance could last no more than 4 minutes,[20] and had to include the following: three pair lifts, of which one has to be a twist lift; two different throw jumps; one solo jump; one jump combination or sequence; one pair spin combination; one death spiral; and a choreographic sequence.[24]

Ice dance

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See also: Competition elements in ice dance

Couples competing in ice dance performed their rhythm dances on Friday, 24 October.[1] Lasting no more than 2 minutes 50 seconds,[20] the theme of the rhythm dance this season was "music, dance styles, and feeling of the 1990s". Examples of applicable dance styles and music included, but were not limited to: pop, Latin, house, techno, hip-hop, and grunge.[25] The rhythm dance had to include the following elements: one pattern dance step sequence, one choreographic rhythm sequence, one dance lift, one set of sequential twizzles, and one step sequence.[25]

Couples then performed their free dances on Saturday, 25 October.[1] The free dance performance could last no longer than 4 minutes,[20] and had to include the following: three dance lifts, one dance spin, one set of synchronized twizzles, one step sequence in hold, one step sequence while on one skate and not touching, and three choreographic elements.[25]

Judging

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See also: ISU Judging System

For the 2025–26 season, all of the technical elements in any figure skating performance – such as jumps and spins – were assigned a predetermined base point value and were then scored by a panel of seven or nine judges on a scale from -5 to 5 based on their quality of execution.[26] The judging panel's Grade of Execution (GOE) was determined by calculating the trimmed mean (that is, an average after deleting the highest and lowest scores), and this GOE was added to the base value to come up with the final score for each element. The panel's scores for all elements were added together to generate a total element score.[27] At the same time, judges evaluated each performance based on three program components – skating skills, presentation, and composition – and assigned a score from .25 to 10 in .25 point increments.[28] The judging panel's final score for each program component was also determined by calculating the trimmed mean. Those scores were then multiplied by the factor shown on the following chart; the results were added together to generate a total program component score.[29]

Program component factoring[30]
Discipline Short program
or Rhythm dance 		Free skate
or Free dance
Men 1.67 3.33
Women 1.33 2.67
Pairs 1.33 2.67
Ice dance 1.33 2.00

Deductions were applied for certain violations like time infractions, stops and restarts, or falls.[31] The total element score and total program component score were added together, minus any deductions, to generate a final performance score for each skater or team.[32]

Medal summary

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Shun Sato at the 2024–25 Grand Prix Final
Amber Glenn at the 2019 International Challenge Cup
Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava at the 2025 World Championships
Madison Chock and Evan Bates at the 2019 Internationaux de France
The reigning Cup of China champions: Shun Sato of Japan (men's singles); Amber Glenn of the United States (women's singles); Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava of Georgia (pair skating); and Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States (ice dance)
Medalists[33]
Discipline Gold Silver Bronze
Men Japan Shun Sato Italy Daniel Grassl Kazakhstan Mikhail Shaidorov
Women United States Amber Glenn United States Alysa Liu Japan Rinka Watanabe
Pairs
Ice dance

Results

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Men's singles

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Shun Sato of Japan won the men's event; his free skate was "faultless" and included a quadruple Lutz and two quadruple toe loops.[34] "There was anxiety in heading into the Cup of China while not hitting my form, but the support from everyone helped me overcome," Sato said afterward. "I'm really feeling happy."[34] Daniel Grassl of Italy finished in second place with a free skate performance that included a quadruple Lutz, a quadruple loop, a quadruple Salchow, and two triple Axels.[35] Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan finished in third place. "I am satisfied with my skate, even though I was a bit nervous. There were some small mistakes, but I didn't really feel them myself," Shaidorov stated.[36]

Men's results[37]
Rank Skater Nation Total points SP FS
1st place, gold medalist(s) Shun Sato  Japan 278.12 1 94.13 1 183.99
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Daniel Grassl  Italy 269.43 2 90.42 2 179.01
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Mikhail Shaidorov  Kazakhstan 262.67 3 88.33 3 174.34
4 Tomoki Hiwatashi  United States 245.71 6 79.07 4 166.64
5 Jin Boyang  China 232.81 5 86.62 7 146.19
6 Vladimir Litvintsev  Azerbaijan 222.64 8 73.84 6 148.80
7 Jacob Sanchez  United States 221.21 9 72.40 5 148.81
8 Cha Jun-hwan  South Korea 217.53 7 75.61 8 141.92
9 Sōta Yamamoto  Japan 211.67 4 87.57 11 124.10
10 Deniss Vasiļjevs  Latvia 204.51 11 66.54 9 137.97
11 Dai Daiwei  China 197.54 12 61.82 10 135.72
12 Peng Zhiming  China 184.52 10 67.41 12 117.11

Women's singles

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Amber Glenn and Alysa Liu, both of the United States, won the gold and silver medals, respectively, in the women's event. Glenn, who won the 2024 Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final, successfully performed a triple Axel in both the short program and free skate. "I’m just really happy with the overall results and showing the consistency that I’ve been working on with my team in practice every day," Glenn stated afterward.[38] Liu, who won the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships, had been in first place after the short program, but stumbled on a triple Lutz, allowing Glenn to surpass her.[38] Rinka Watanabe of Japan finished in third place despite falling on her opening triple jump combination. "I'm relieved to have made the podium," Watanabe stated.[34]

Women's results[39]
Rank Skater Nation Total points SP FS
1st place, gold medalist(s) Amber Glenn  United States 214.78 3 73.04 1 141.74
2nd place, silver medalist(s) Alysa Liu  United States 212.07 1 74.61 2 137.46
3rd place, bronze medalist(s) Rinka Watanabe  Japan 198.63 2 74.01 5 124.62
4 Anastasiia Gubanova  Georgia 197.88 5 66.28 3 131.60
5 Shin Ji-a  South Korea 195.43 4 68.01 4 127.42
6 Rino Matsuike  Japan 188.06 6 65.91 6 122.15
7 Zhang Ruiyang  China 179.54 10 61.71 7 117.83
8 Anna Pezzetta  Italy 178.34 9 61.89 8 116.45
9 Lee Hae-in  South Korea 177.32 7 65.46 10 111.86
10 Hana Yoshida  Japan 176.54 11 61.47 9 115.07
11 Zhu Yi  China 162.66 8 63.39 11 99.27

Pairs

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Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava of Georgia scored a new personal best in their short program, finishing first in both segments, despite a fall on the final jump of their triple Salchow-double Axel-double Axel jump sequence. "I’m glad we fought for this gold medal and didn’t give up after the mistake on the jump," Berulava stated afterward.[40] Sui Wenjing and Han Cong of China, gold medalists at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, returned to competition after a three-year retirement. They placed third in the short program after Sui fell on her opening jump,[41] and ultimately finished third after the free skate. "I wasn’t nervous today. It’s true, we haven’t competed for a long time, but I really enjoyed that," Sui stated afterward.[40]

Pairs results[42]
Rank Team Nation Total points SP FS
1st place, gold medalist(s)  Georgia 217.24 1 77.77 1 139.47
2nd place, silver medalist(s)  Italy 209.88 2 73.41 2 136.47
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  China 202.92 3 72.45 3 130.47
4  China 195.41 5 68.96 4 126.45
5  Italy 186.85 7 64.60 5 122.25
6  Germany 183.74 6 65.22 6 118.52
7  United States 181.70 4 69.18 7 112.52
WD  Italy Withdrew 8 55.67 Withdrew from competition

Ice dance

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Madison Chock and Evan Bates of the United States, three-time World Championship gold medalists, won the ice dance event in their Grand Prix debut, while Emilea Zingas and Vadym Kolesnik, also of the United States, finished in second place. "It felt really good to perform our flamenco for the first time here," Chock stated afterward. "We feel like this was a great start to our season and we're excited to get back home and bring more work before Skate America."[43] Caroline Green and Michael Parsons of the United States, who had been in seventh place after the rhythm dance, withdrew from the competition after sustaining an injury.[44] "We sustained an injury during the rhythm dances yesterday," Parsons stated prior to the free skate. "I didn't feel stable or strong enough to do this program safely with my partner... We... look forward to NHK."[45]

Ice dance results[46]
Rank Team Nation Total points RD FD
1st place, gold medalist(s)  United States 208.25 1 84.44 1 123.81
2nd place, silver medalist(s)  United States 202.27 2 80.43 2 121.84
3rd place, bronze medalist(s)  France 196.60 3 77.62 4 118.98
4  Spain 187.51 6 67.37 3 120.14
5  South Korea 185.79 5 73.68 5 112.11
6  France 184.20 4 74.32 6 109.88
7  China 165.71 8 62.68 7 103.03
8  China 153.17 9 59.74 8 93.43
9  China 143.92 10 58.61 9 85.31
WD  United States Withdrew 7 65.83 Withdrew from competition

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Cup of China ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating – Announcement" (PDF). International Skating Union. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 September 2025. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
  2. ^ Hines, James R. (2006). Figure Skating: A History. University of Illinois Press. pp. 246–247, 332–335. ISBN 978-0-252-07286-4.
  3. ^ "Bofrost Cup on Ice 2003". Golden Skate. 11 November 2003. Archived from the original on 30 October 2006. Retrieved 30 October 2006.
  4. ^ "China will not host any ISU event during 2018–19 season, CSA says". Xinhuanet. 13 June 2018. Archived from the original on 13 June 2018. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
  5. ^ "ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating – Cup of China 2021 Cancelled". International Skating Union. 16 August 2021. Archived from the original on 18 August 2021. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  6. ^ Burke, Patrick (10 May 2022). "ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating leg latest event in China cancelled over COVID-19". Inside the Games. Archived from the original on 29 May 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2025.
  7. ^ "2019 GP Cup of China". Skating Scores. Archived from the original on 12 January 2025. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
  8. ^ "ISU announces 2025–2026 Grand Prix assignments". Figure Skaters Online. 6 June 2025. Archived from the original on 15 June 2025. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
  9. ^ @AnythingGOE (13 August 2025). "🇺🇿 Ekaterina Geynish/Dmitrii Chigirev have withdrawn from Cup of China" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  10. ^ @AnythingGOE (14 August 2025). "🇮🇹 Lucrezia Beccari/Matteo Guarise have been assigned to Cup of China" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  11. ^ @AnythingGOE (18 August 2025). "🇨🇳 Zhiming Peng, Xiangyi An, Ruiyang Zhang, Jiaxuan Zhang/Yihang Huang, and Shiyue Wang/Xinyu Liu have been assigned host picks at Cup of China" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  12. ^ "ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2025/26 – Pair Skating" (PDF). International Skating Union. 22 August 2025. Archived from the original on 23 August 2025. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  13. ^ @AnythingGOE (24 September 2025). "🇨🇦 Fiona Bombardier/Benjamin Mimar have withdrawn from Cup of China" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  14. ^ @AnythingGOE (25 September 2025). "🇩🇪 Annika Hocke/Robert Kunkel have been assigned to Cup of China" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  15. ^ Pulkinen, Camden [@campulk]; (13 October 2025). "Sadly, I have withdrawn from the Grand Prix, Cup of China" – via Instagram.
  16. ^ a b @AnythingGOE (14 October 2025). "🇨🇭 Kimmy Repond has withdrawn from Cup of China and NHK Trophy" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  17. ^ @AnythingGOE (15 October 2025). "🇮🇹 Anna Pezzetta has been assigned to Cup of China" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  18. ^ Repond, Kimmy [@kimmy_repond]; (16 October 2025). "Dear skating fans, Unfortunately I have to withdraw from both of my GP events, due to a foot injury that keeps bothering me since January" – via Instagram.
  19. ^ @CGTNSportsScene (21 October 2025). "⛸️🇨🇳An Xiangyi withdraws from the Cup of China due to a lower back injury" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  20. ^ a b c d e f International Skating Union 2024, p. 82.
  21. ^ a b International Skating Union 2024, p. 106.
  22. ^ International Skating Union 2024, pp. 110–111.
  23. ^ International Skating Union 2024, p. 119.
  24. ^ International Skating Union 2024, p. 122.
  25. ^ a b c "Communication No. 2704: Ice Dance Requirements for Technical Rules, Season 2025/26" (PDF). U.S. Figure Skating. International Skating Union. 8 August 2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 September 2025. Retrieved 31 August 2025.
  26. ^ International Skating Union 2024, pp. 83–84.
  27. ^ International Skating Union 2024, pp. 15–16.
  28. ^ International Skating Union 2024, pp. 84–85.
  29. ^ International Skating Union 2024, pp. 16–17.
  30. ^ International Skating Union 2024, p. 17.
  31. ^ International Skating Union 2024, pp. 18–19.
  32. ^ International Skating Union 2024, p. 20.
  33. ^ "2025 GP Cup of China". Skating Scores. Archived from the original on 25 October 2025. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
  34. ^ a b c "Figure skating: Sato comfortably wins Cup of China for 2nd Grand Prix title". Japan Wire by Kyodo News. 26 October 2025. Archived from the original on 26 October 2025. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
  35. ^ Testa, Fabrizio (25 October 2025). "Pattinaggio artistico: Grassl splendido secondo alla Cup Of China! Primo podio azzurro al Grand Prix" [Figure Skating: Grassl takes a stunning second at the Cup of China! First Italian podium at the Grand Prix]. OA Sport (in Italian). Archived from the original on 26 October 2025. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
  36. ^ "World champion Liu leads at skating's Cup of China". France24. 24 October 2025. Archived from the original on 26 October 2025. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
  37. ^ "2025 GP Cup of China – Mens Final Results". Skating Scores. Archived from the original on 25 October 2025. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
  38. ^ a b Zaccardi, Nick (25 October 2025). "Amber Glenn, Alysa Liu give U.S. figure skating historic 1-2 at Cup of China". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on 26 October 2025. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
  39. ^ "2025 Cup of China – Womens Final Results". Skating Scores. Archived from the original on 25 October 2025. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
  40. ^ a b Slater, Paula (26 October 2025). "Metelkina and Berulava prevail at 2025 Cup of China". Golden Skate. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  41. ^ "Liu leads at Cup of China; Olympic champs Sui and Han return". ESPN. Associated Press. 24 October 2025. Archived from the original on 26 October 2025. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
  42. ^ "2025 GP Cup of China – Pairs Final Results". Skating Scores. Archived from the original on 25 October 2025. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
  43. ^ Kano, Shintaro (25 October 2025). "Cup of China 2025: Chock/Bates chalk up first Grand Prix victory of season". Olympics.com. Archived from the original on 26 October 2025. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
  44. ^ Zaccardi, Nick (25 October 2025). "Madison Chock, Evan Bates win Cup of China to open Olympic figure skating season". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on 26 October 2025. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
  45. ^ @goldenskate (25 October 2025). "Caroline Green and Michael Parsons 🇺🇸 had to withdraw from today's FD" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  46. ^ "2024 GP Cup of China – Ice Dance Final Results". Skating Scores. Archived from the original on 25 October 2025. Retrieved 25 October 2025.

Works cited

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