Figure skater Li makes history for Taiwan at 2026 Olympic Winter Games

Taipei, Feb. 15 (CNA) Nineteen-year-old figure skater Li Yu-hsiang (李宇翔) made history for Taiwan at the ongoing Winter Games in Milan, Italy, finishing 23rd in the men's competition on Saturday.

Li, the first Taiwanese figure skater to qualify for and compete in the Winter Olympics in 28 years, finished 23rd out of 24 in the men's singles category, with a combined score of 214.33 (72.41 in the short program and 141.92 in the free skate).

Li is the first figure skater representing Taiwan, competing in the Olympics under the name "Chinese Taipei," to qualify for the Winter Olympics since David Liu (劉中達) in 1998.

Unlike Liu, who was born in Taiwan before moving to the United States at the age of six and training there, Li is the first figure skater based and trained in Taiwan to qualify for the Winter Games.

After finishing the men's singles event, Li, the flag bearer for the Chinese Taipei delegation in Milan, said he was happy to successfully land a quad toe loop in Saturday's free skate.

Li said the last time he landed the quad toe loop was nearly a year ago at the Harbin 2025 Winter Games. Since then, he had been unable to find the right timing to perform it until Saturday.

Li also explained why he lay on his back on the ice for a few seconds after completing his free skate. "I was showing respect to the ice rink," he said.

The teenage skater said he felt extremely grateful for the journey that ultimately brought him to Milan. "Figure skating never fails to amaze me."

He called himself "a flower that is ready to bloom on the ice," as he is preparing to compete in next month's 2026 World Junior Figure Skating Championships in Estonia. 

Earlier last week, Sophia Tsu Velicer, a Taiwanese-American cross-country skier and the first to represent Taiwan in the sport at the Olympics, finished 64th, 52nd, and 52nd in the women's 10km interval start free, women's 10km + 10km skiathlon, and women's sprint classic, respectively, placing first among Asian competitors in each race.

The 2026 Olympic Winter Games officially kicked off on Feb. 6 and will run until Feb. 22 across northern Italy.

Taiwan is represented by a record 10 athletes across seven sports at the Winter Games in Milan, including the country's first-ever women's bobsleigh team, according to the Ministry of Sports.