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Dwayne Li
Yanhao "Dwayne" Li (simplified Chinese: 李彦皞; traditional Chinese: 李彥皞; pinyin: Li Yānhào; born 12 August 2008) is a New Zealand figure skater. He is the 2024 Youth Olympic bronze medalist, 2024 Junior Grand Prix Thailand champion and 2023 Junior Grand Prix Thailand bronze medalist.[1] He is the first New Zealand figure skater to qualify for or medal at any Olympic event and to win a ISU Junior Grand Prix medal. He has also medalled at other international competitions, including gold at the 2024 Cranberry Cup, 2023 Hollins Trophy and 2023 Oceania International, and silver medals at the 2023 Asian Open and 2022 SEA Open Trophy. Personal lifeLi was born on August 12, 2008 in Beijing, China. At the age of eight, his father's work required the family to move to New Zealand, settling in Auckland. Li is bilingual and able to communicate in Mandarin and English fluently. As of 2024, he is a high school student at Macleans College.[2][3] In addition to figure skating, Li is also able to play the clarinet.[3] CareerEarly yearsLi began skating as a four-year-old in China, to escape the summer heat.[4][2] After arriving in New Zealand at age eight, he joined the Allegro Ice Dance Club and Bess Cao became his coach.[5][6] He trains at Paradice ice rinks in Botany and Avondale.[7] Commenting on the sport, he said, "I love the feeling of weightlessness when I'm jumping on ice. I really enjoy the rush of wind when picking up speed."[8] 2022–23 seasonLi made his international debut in the SEA Open trophy in Singapore, where he finished second. He then made his ISU Junior Grand Prix debut at 2022 JGP Latvia, where he finished sixteenth. He went on to compete on the junior level at the 2022–23 New Zealand Championships, winning the gold medal. Selected to compete at the 2023 World Junior Championships in Calgary, Alberta, Li placed twenty-sixth in the short program and did not advance to the free skate segment of the competition.[9] 2023–24 seasonLi began the season by competing on the junior level of the 2023 Asian Open Trophy, taking the silver medal. Competing on the 2023–24 Junior Grand Prix series, Li took the bronze medal at the 2023 JGP Thailand with a score of 210.08, beating his previous personal best total score by almost sixty points. This was the first ever Junior Grand Prix medal won for New Zealand.[9][4] He later finished in fifth place at 2023 JGP Japan three weeks later.[9] At the 2023–24 New Zealand Championships, Li won the junior national title for the second consecutive time.[9] In January 2024, Li competed in the men's singles event at the Winter Youth Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea. He placed fourth in the short program, despite suffering a nosebleed midway through the program, which he said had "happened quite a few times before in training, so I just pushed on and finished my routine. It was actually pretty funny."[10] In the free skate, he decided to attempt a triple Axel, and landed the jump, despite a step-out on the landing. Li said afterward that it "was the first time I'd ever done a triple Axel in competition and I was really pleased to stay on my feet."[11] Although fourth in both segments, his total score was third highest, winning the bronze medal.[12][13] He made history taking New Zealand's first Olympic medal in figure skating,[11] and was one of four New Zealand athletes to win a medal at the 2024 Youth Olympics. After his medal success, he stated: "I was really proud of myself for being here and performing in front of such a big crowd."[14] Li remarked as well that the "Youth Olympic Games used to be a dream. Now I can say it's reality. This is very special to me."[12] Li finished the season at the 2024 World Junior Championships in Taipei, where he came twelfth.[9] 2024–25 seasonLi started the season by competing on the junior level at the 2024 Cranberry Cup, where he won the junior men's event with a score of 230.54.[15] He went on to compete on the 2024–25 Junior Grand Prix circuit, winning gold at 2024 JGP Thailand and defeating reigning World Junior silver medalist, Rio Nakata. He achieved new personal best scores in both the short (83.25), and free program (146.84), with a total score of 230.09.[15] Li made history as the first figure skater from New Zealand to ever win gold at a Junior Grand Prix event. He called the result "an inspiration to all the skaters in New Zealand. Currently we have a lot of upcoming skaters so I feel like this could be a way to inspire them to improve and to aim higher."[16] He would go on to take the bronze medal at 2024 JGP China behind Nakata and Tian Tonghe of China.[15] Li's results on the Junior Grand Prix guaranteed him a spot at the 2024–25 Junior Grand Prix Final, becoming the first skater from New Zealand to qualify for a Grand Prix Figure Skating Final.[17] At the Junior Grand Prix Final in Grenoble, France, Li would place fourth in the short program and fifth in the free skate, finishing the event in fifth place overall.[15] Following his free skate, Li said, "I felt pretty shaky out there. I learned that it is all mental. I will have to work on that. I really enjoyed my first JGP experience a lot especially having this competition together with the Seniors. I got really inspired by watching all their practices. I love Yuma’s skating skills and Ilia’s quads. I am looking forward to see them skate tonight."[18] Programs
Competitive highlights
Detailed results
Junior level
References
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