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Li Zijun
Li at the 2017 Four Continents Championships
Full name	Li Zijun
Native name	李子君
Born	(1996-12-14) December 14, 1996 (age 28) Changchun, China
Hometown	Beijing, China
Height	1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)
Figure skating career
Country	China
Skating club	Jilin Winter Sports Centre
Began skating	2001
Retired	November 13, 2018
Medal record Representing  China Figure skating: Ladies' singles Four Continents Championships 2014 Taipei Ladies' singles Asian Winter Games 2017 Sapporo Ladies' singles Winter Youth Olympics 2012 Innsbruck Ladies' singles Junior Grand Prix Final 2010–11 Beijing Ladies' singles

Li Zijun (Chinese: 李子君; pinyin: Lǐ Zǐjūn; December 14, 1996) is a retired Chinese competitive figure skater. She is the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic bronze medalist and the 2014 Four Continents bronze medalist. Li is also the 2017 Asian Winter Games silver medalist, 2010 JGP Final bronze medalist, and a four-time (2011–2014) Chinese national champion.

Li represented China at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Personal life

Li was born on December 14, 1996, in Changchun, China.

In 2023, Li announced that she had gotten married and had a daughter.

Career

2010–11 season: First senior national title

Li debuted on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit during the 2010–11 season. She won the bronze medal in Austria and placed fourth in the Czech Republic to qualify for the Final. At the Junior Grand Prix Final, she tied with Risa Shoji for third place. She won the bronze medal on the tie-breaker.

Li went on to win her first senior national title. She finished ninth at the 2011 World Junior Championships.

2011–12 season: Bronze at Youth Olympics

Li placed second in both of her assigned 2011–12 Junior Grand Prix events and qualified for the Junior Grand Prix Final which was held in Quebec City, Canada. She finished fourth at the event. At the Youth Olympics, she won the bronze medal. She then competed at the 2012 Junior World Championships and finished fifth. Concluding her season, Li won gold at her first senior international, the Triglav Trophy.

2012–13 season: Senior ISU Championship debut

In the 2012–13 season, Li debuted on the senior Grand Prix series. She was fifth at her first event, the 2012 Cup of China, and fourth at the 2012 NHK Trophy, where she posted a personal best combined total score. Li won her third national title at the 2013 Chinese Championships. She then competed at the 2013 Four Continents Championships and finished fifth. She finished seventh at Worlds after placing twelfth in the short program and fourth in the long. She received the second highest technical score in the free skate, only after Kim Yuna.

2013–14 season: Bronze at Four Continents

In the 2013–14 ISU Grand Prix season, Li's first event was the 2013 Cup of China where she finished tenth. Prior to her next Grand Prix assignment, the 2013 NHK Trophy, her coach Li Mingzhu stated, "She's getting taller and bigger, but losing power and coordination" and said it was affecting her self-confidence. The skater withdrew from the NHK Trophy, which was scheduled for the following week. She returned to competition at the 2014 Four Continents Championships, placing second in the short, third in the long and won the bronze medal overall behind gold medalist winner Kanako Murakami, and second-place finisher Satoko Miyahara. Li then competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia where she finished fourteenth. At the 2014 World Championships, Li finished seventeenth overall.

2014–15 season

After the 2013–14 season, Li's head coach Li Mingzhu's contract to coach young Chinese skate for the 2014 Olympics ended and she moved back to the United States, while Li remained in China. In October, Gao Haijun became Li's new coach.

Li finished 6th at the 2014 Cup of China, after placing fifth in the short program and sixth in the free skate. At the 2014 NHK Trophy, she placed fifth in the short, eighth in the free, and seventh overall. She went on to win her fourth national title at the Chinese Championships, placing first by over 25 points.

At the 2015 Four Continents, Li finished in fifth-place after placing fifth in the short program and fourth in the free skate, 1.52 points back of third place. At the 2015 World Championships in Shanghai where she placed sixth in the short program and eleventh in the free skate to finish ninth overall. At the 2015 World Team Trophy, she placed seventh in the individual event and Team China placed fifth overall.

2015–16 season

For the 2015–16 Grand Prix series, Li was assigned to compete at 2015 Cup of China and 2015 NHK Trophy. She placed ninth in China and seventh in Japan.

She finished tenth at the 2016 Four Continents Championships in Taipei and eleventh at the 2016 World Championships in Boston.

2016–17 season

Ahead of the 2016–17 season, Li returned to train under Li Mingzhu in Artesia, California, and under Pang Qing. She later spent time training with Alexei Mishin in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and with Gao Haijun in Changchun, China.

Li began the season with a fourth-place finish at the 2016 Rostelecom Cup before going on to place eighth at the 2016 Cup of China.

At the 2017 Four Continents Championships in Gangneung, South Korea, Li finished seventh after placing eighth in the short program and fifth in the free skate.

Li then went on to compete at the 2017 Asian Winter Games where she won the silver medal behind Choi Da-bin.

At the 2017 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland, Li finished in twenty-first place after placing twentieth in both the short and free program segments of the competition.

Li finished the season by competing at the 2017 World Team Trophy. After placing ninth in the short program, Li managed to score personal bests in both the free program and combined total scores. Team China would finish in fifth place overall.

2017–18 season

Although Li was assigned to compete at the 2017 Cup of China and the 2017 Internationaux de France, she withdrew from both events. Zhao Hongbo spoke on her behalf, stating that an injury was the reason for Li's withdrawals.

She did not compete for the remainder of the season.

In November 2018, Li announced her retirement from competitive figure skating on her Weibo account, stating that she no longer felt fulfilled from competing. She went on to say, "I am ready to embrace the new chapter of my life and I will continue being with you all."

Programs

Competitive highlights

GP: Grand Prix; JGP: Junior Grand Prix

Detailed results

Small medals for short program and free skating awarded only at ISU Championships.

Junior level

• QR = Qualifying round
• Personal bests highlighted in bold.

References

1. ^ Li, Zijun (November 13, 2018). "经过多次纠结反复思考后...我将正式告別花样滑冰的赛场。" (Weibo).
2. "ISU World Standings for Single & Pair Skating and Ice Dance". ISU Results. International Skating Union. 18 December 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
3. ^ "Zijun LI: 2016/2017". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on February 9, 2017.
4. Li, Zijun. "Married". Instagram. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
5. Li, Zijun. "Baby Girl". Instagram. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
6. "ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2013 Ladies Result". isuresults.com. Retrieved 2013-03-24.
7. Zhang, Han (November 2, 2013). "China's teenage skater Li Zijun faces big challenge en route to Sochi 2014". Xinhua English. sina.com.
8. "Zijun Li". Sochi2014.com. Organizing Committee of the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games of 2014 in Sochi. Archived from the original on April 7, 2014.
9. "李子君谈换教练：李明珠对我帮助大 新教练很幽默". sina. Sina Sports. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
10. ^ Xiong, Wei (29 April 2015). "Zijun Li aims for strong comeback". Golden Skate.
11. "ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating 2015/16- Ladies" (PDF). ISU Prod. ISU. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 July 2015. Retrieved 16 June 2015.
12. Xiong, Wei (June 12, 2016). "Zijun Li: 'You will see the best of me'". Golden Skate.
13. "Li Xiangning hopeful to grab Chinese women's sole Olympic figure skating spot". Xinhua. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
14. "Zijun LI: 2015/2016". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 28, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
15. "Zijun LI: 2014/2015". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on May 21, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
16. "Zijun LI: 2013/2014". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on June 22, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
17. "Zijun LI: 2012/2013". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on September 17, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
18. "Zijun LI: 2011/2012". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on January 21, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
19. "Zijun LI: 2010/2011". International Skating Union. Archived from the original on August 15, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
20. ^ "Competition Results: Zijun LI". International Skating Union.
21. "2010–2011 Chinese Figure Skating Championships Results". Archived from the original on 2011-07-15.; "Protocols" (PDF) (in Chinese). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-25.
22. "2009–2010 Chinese Figure Skating Championships Results". Archived from the original on 2012-03-15.

External links

• Li Zijun at the International Skating Union
• Li Zijun at Olympics.com
• Li Zijun at Olympedia
• Li Zijun at the Chinese Olympic Committee (archived)

Media related to Li Zijun at Wikimedia Commons

• 1996 births
• Living people
• Chinese female single skaters
• Figure skaters from Changchun
• Four Continents Figure Skating Championships medalists
• Figure skaters at the 2014 Winter Olympics
• Olympic figure skaters for China
• Figure skaters at the 2012 Winter Youth Olympics
• Figure skaters at the 2017 Asian Winter Games
• Medalists at the 2017 Asian Winter Games
• Asian Games silver medalists for China
• Asian Games medalists in figure skating
• 21st-century Chinese sportswomen