Figure skaters Sui Wenjing and Han Cong have weathered injury, controversy, and rampant speculation about their personal lives. Now all that's left is to deliver gold for China at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. Plenty depends on the photogenic duo, who are the pairs world champions and Olympic favorites, as a victory would go a long way towards igniting Chinese interest in winter sports before the Beijing 2022 Winter Games.
While China is a powerhouse of the Summer Games, they lag behind in winter sports, something they badly want to fix before Beijing becomes the host city in four years' time.
Sui, 22, underwent such extensive surgery in 2016 that she had to relearn how to stand, walk and skate. But after she returned to win the world title with Han, 25, last year, she is setting her sights high.
"In terms of the 2018 and 2022 Olympics, since we have won the world championship, our goal is to be Olympic champions," Sui said after they topped the podium at the worlds in Helsinki last March.
"The only thing standing in our way is ourselves."
It's a bold statement, but Sui's confidence is not unfounded.
In November alone, the duo won the Cup of China and the NHK Trophy in Japan back-to-back and then triumphed in Shanghai to add to their bulging medal haul.
Last year they also took gold at the Four Continents Championships at South Korea's Gangneung, the same venue that will be used for the Olympics.
