, Heilongjiang

Heilongjiang

For the river known in Mandarin as Heilong Jiang, see Amur River' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the northeastern part of the country. "Heilongjiang" literally means Black Dragon River, which is the Chinese name for the Amur. The one-character abbreviation is 黑...

, China

People's Republic of China

China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

) is a Chinese pair skater. With her partner Zhang Hao

Zhang Hao

Zhang Hao is a Chinese figure skater. With partner Zhang Dan, he is the 2006 Olympic silver medalist, 2005 & 2010 Four Continents champion, and three time World silver medalist.-Biography:...

, she is the 2006 Olympic silver medalist, 2005 & 2010 Four Continents champion

Four Continents Figure Skating Championships

The Four Continents Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition. The International Skating Union established it in 1999 to provide skaters representing non-European countries with a similar competition to the much older European Figure Skating Championships and a chance...

, and three time (2006, 2008–2009) World silver medalist

World Figure Skating Championships

The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...

.

Biography

The unrelated Zhang Dan and Zhang Hao teamed up in 1997. They immediately had a lot of success on the junior circuit. They won two medals on the Junior Grand Prix in their first year on it and then placed 5th at the Junior Grand Prix Final. They also won the bronze medal at the 1999 Chinese national championships and the silver at the 2000 Chinese national championships.

In the 2000-2001 season, they won the Junior Grand Prix Final, placed third at nationals, and then won Junior Worlds. At the 2000 Junior Worlds, they performed a quadruple twist, the first quad twist ever performed at that event.

They stayed in the junior ranks in the 2001-2002 season, winning the Junior Grand Prix Final yet again. They won the bronze medal at the 2002 Four Continents Championships and then went to the 2002 Olympics, where they placed 11th. After the Olympics, they went to their first Worlds and came in 9th place.

In the 2002-2003 season, they competed at both the Junior and senior Grand Prix, due to ISU

International Skating Union

The International Skating Union is the international governing body for competitive ice skating disciplines, including figure skating, synchronized skating, speed skating, and short track speed skating. It was founded in Scheveningen, Netherlands in 1892, making it one of the oldest international...

 rules that pairs can do both in one season. They won the Junior Grand Prix event in China, then performed well at both their Grand Prix events, placing 4th in both of them. They went to Junior Worlds and once again won it before going to the World Figure Skating Championships and placing 6th.

Following that season, Zhang and Zhang became serious contenders. They consistently medaled at their Grand Prix events. They won the 2005 Four Continents Championships and then won the bronze at the 2005 Worlds.

Zhang and Zhang went into the 2006 Olympics as medal contenders. They had planned a throw quadruple salchow jump

Salchow jump

The Salchow is a figure skating jump with a takeoff from a back inside edge of one foot. The rotation in the air is made in the direction of the curve of the take-off edge. The landing is made on the back outside edge of the foot opposite the one used for take-off. One or more rotations may be...

 for the free skate, a jump which had not yet been landed in competition. Zhang Dan fell on it during the free skate and suffered an injury, but chose to finish the program. There was a minor controversy about finishing the program because while Zhang Dan had been lying on the ice from the fall, the referee had stopped the music, and the Zhangs took a certain amount of time to restart the program. ISU rules say that the program can be continued if the referee agrees the stoppage was due to a valid reason, such as injuries or equipment failures. Once the referee has approved a continuation, the skaters are given two minutes to continue the program from the point where the music stopped. Zhang regrouped within this period and was able to finish the program. They won the silver medal, placing ahead of defending Olympic medalists Shen Xue

Shen Xue

Shen Xue is a female Chinese pair skater. With her partner and husband Zhao Hongbo, Shen is the 2010 Olympic champion, the 2002 & 2006 Olympic bronze medalist, a three-time World champion, a three-time Four Continents Champion and a six-time Grand Prix Final champion.Shen and Zhao were the first...

 & Hongbo Zhao. At Worlds, they won the silver, behind Pang Qing

Pang Qing

Pang Qing is a Chinese pair skater. With partner Tong Jian, she is the 2010 Olympic silver medalist, the 2006 and 2010 World Champion, a five-time Four Continents champion and the 2008 Grand Prix Final Champion.-Career:...

 & Tong Jian

Tong Jian

Tong Jian is a Chinese pair skater. With partner Pang Qing, he is the 2010 Olympic silver medalist, 2006 & 2010 World Champion, a five-time Four Continents champion and the 2008 Grand Prix Final Champion....

.

In the 2006-2007 season, Zhang and Zhang placed first at Skate Canada, second at the NHK Trophy, and would go on to place third at the Grand Prix Final. They placed 5th at the 2007 World Figure Skating Championships later that season.

Zhang Dan is the tallest currently-competing female pair skater. In 2008, she was 1.63 m and in October 2009, she reached 1.675 m, surpassing Tatiana Totmianina

Tatiana Totmianina

Tatiana Ivanovna Totmianina is a Russian pair skater. With partner Maxim Marinin, she is the 2006 Olympic Champion, two-time World Champion, and five-time European Champion...

 (1.65 m) and ending in a virtual tie with Viktoria Borzenkova

Viktoria Borzenkova

Viktoria Borzenkova is a Russian pair skater. She competed with partner Andrei Chuvilaev.Borzenkova began skating at the age of five and switched to pairs at 16, teaming up with Chuvilaev. They finished 15th in their only trip to the World Championships in 2002...

 (1.68 m) who are both retired. As of August 2011, she is the tallest female in elite pair skating, being 1.695 m in height.

At the 2010 Winter Olympics

2010 Winter Olympics

The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...

, the pair placed 5th. They also placed fifth at 2010 World Figure Skating Championships.

Before the 2010-2011 season began, her partner Hao broke his finger, forcing the team to pull out of their two Grand Prix assignments. He also dealt with some shoulder and cervical vertebra problems.

Age controversy

On February 14, 2011, the Zhangs' ages became the subject of controversy. Although her International Skating Union bio lists Zhang Dan as born on October 4, 1985, a Chinese skating association website suggested she was born on that day in 1987. This would mean that during the 2001-02 season she was 14 and too young to compete in senior events such as the Four Continents where they won bronze, as well as the Olympics and World Championships. Her partner's age also came under scrutiny. His ISU bio states that he was born on July 6, 1984 but the Chinese website suggested he was born on February 6, 1982, making him too old to compete in junior events during the 2002-03 season, such as the 2003 World Junior Championships

2003 World Junior Figure Skating Championships

The World Junior Figure Skating Championships is an annual event sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which junior age eligible figure skaters compete for the title of World Junior Champion...

 where they won gold. The dates disappeared from the website by February 15. On February 17, the ISU said there were no discrepancies for the Zhangs in terms of the birthdates listed on their passports, ISU registration forms and the Chinese Olympic Committee's website.

Programs

(with Zhang Hao)

Season	Short program	Long program	Exhibition
2011–2012	A Transylvanian Lullaby by John Morris John Morris (composer) John Morris is an American film and television composer, best known for his work with filmmaker Mel Brooks.-Life and career:...	Adagio Sostenuto from Piano Concerto No. 2 in A Major "Totentanz" by Franz Liszt Franz Liszt Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
2010–2011		Adagio of Spartacus and Phrygia  by Aram Khatchaturian	Here I Am by 4Men Spanish Caravan, Hello I Love You by The Doors The Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
2009–2010	Piano Fantasy by Maksim Mrvica Maksim Mrvica Maksim Mrvica is a Croatian pianist. He plays classical crossover music.- History :Mrvica was born in Šibenik, Croatia. He took up piano lessons from the age of nine from Marija Sekso and gave his first public performance in the same year. Just three years later he gave his first concert...   Selections from Fosse Fosse Fosse is a three-act musical revue showcasing the choreography of Bob Fosse. After 21 previews, the original Broadway production, conceived and directed by Richard Maltby, Jr...  (musical) including Sing, Sing, Sing Sing, Sing, Sing "Sing, Sing, Sing " is a 1936 song, written by Louis Prima and first recorded by him with the New Orleans Gang and released in March 1936 as a 78 as Brunswick 7628 . It is strongly identified with the big band and swing eras. It was covered by Fletcher Henderson and most famously Benny Goodman...	Scheherazade Scheherazade (Rimsky-Korsakov) Sheherazade , Op. 35, is a symphonic suite composed by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1888. Based on One Thousand and One Nights, sometimes known as The Arabian Nights, this orchestral work combines two features common to Russian music and of Rimsky-Korsakov in particular: dazzling, colourful...   by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov was a Russian composer, and a member of the group of composers known as The Five.The Five, also known as The Mighty Handful or The Mighty Coterie, refers to a circle of composers who met in Saint Petersburg, Russia, in the years 1856–1870: Mily Balakirev , César...	Auf Flügeln des Gesanges by Felix Mendelssohn
2008–2009	Auf Flügeln des Gesanges ("On Wings of Song") by Felix Mendelssohn Felix Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Barthóldy , use the form 'Mendelssohn' and not 'Mendelssohn Bartholdy'. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians gives ' Felix Mendelssohn' as the entry, with 'Mendelssohn' used in the body text...	Changjiang River Piano Concerto by Hao Weiya
2007–2008	Piano Fantasy by Maksim Mrvica Maksim Mrvica Maksim Mrvica is a Croatian pianist. He plays classical crossover music.- History :Mrvica was born in Šibenik, Croatia. He took up piano lessons from the age of nine from Marija Sekso and gave his first public performance in the same year. Just three years later he gave his first concert...	The Myth (soundtrack)	Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto The Butterfly Lovers' Violin Concerto is one of the most famous works of Chinese music and certainly one of the most famous outside of China. It is an orchestral adaptation of an ancient legend, the Butterfly Lovers...   by Chen Gang and He Zhanhao
2006–2007	Spanish Caravan & I Love You by The Doors The Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...	The Offspring of Dragons by Hou De Jian
2005–2006	Kashmir Kashmir (song) "Kashmir" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin from their sixth album Physical Graffiti, released in 1975. It was written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant over a period of three years, with the lyrics dating back to 1973.-Overview:The song centres around a signature chord progression...   by Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
2004–2005	All Alone by Joe Satriani Joe Satriani Joseph "Joe" Satriani is an American instrumental rock guitarist and multi-instrumentalist, with multiple Grammy Award nominations...

Competitive highlights

(with Zhang)

Event	1999–00	2000–01	2001–02	2002–03	2003–04	2004–05	2005–06	2006–07	2007–08	2008–09	2009–10	2010–11	2011–12
Winter Olympic Games Winter Olympic Games The Winter Olympic Games is a sporting event, which occurs every four years. The first celebration of the Winter Olympics was held in Chamonix, France, in 1924. The original sports were alpine and cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating...			11th				2nd				5th
World Championships World Figure Skating Championships The World Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which elite figure skaters compete for the title of World Champion...			9th	6th	5th	3rd	2nd	5th	2nd	2nd	5th
Four Continents Championships Four Continents Figure Skating Championships The Four Continents Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition. The International Skating Union established it in 1999 to provide skaters representing non-European countries with a similar competition to the much older European Figure Skating Championships and a chance...			3rd	3rd	2nd	1st			2nd	3rd	1st
World Junior Championships World Junior Figure Skating Championships The World Junior Figure Skating Championships is an annual figure skating competition sanctioned by the International Skating Union in which younger figure skaters compete for the title of World Junior Champion...	4th	1st		1st
Chinese Championships Chinese Figure Skating Championships The Chinese Figure Skating Championships are the figure skating national championship held annually to determine the national champions of China. Skaters compete in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.-Men:...	2nd	3rd	3rd	1st	2nd				1st				1st
Grand Prix Final Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final The Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final is an international, senior-level figure skating competition. It is the culmination of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Skaters compete in men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing....					6th	5th	2nd	3rd	2nd	2nd	6th		TBD
Cup of China Cup of China The Cup of China is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. The location changes yearly. Figure skaters compete in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing.The Cup of China is...						2nd				1st	2nd		2nd
Skate America Skate America Skate America is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. It is organized by the United States Figure Skating Association. The location changes yearly...				4th	3rd	1st	1st				3rd		2nd
Cup of Russia Cup of Russia The Cup of Russia is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Figure skaters compete in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. It was held as the Rostelecom Cup in 2009 after...					3rd	1st			1st	1st
Trophée Eric Bompard Trophée Eric Bompard The Trophée Eric Bompard is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. The Trophée Eric Bompard was formerly known as the Trophée Lalique...				4th	1st				1st
NHK Trophy NHK Trophy The NHK Trophy is an international, senior-level figure skating competition held as part of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series. Figure skaters compete in the disciplines of ladies' singles, men's singles, pair skating, and ice dancing....							1st	2nd
Skate Canada Skate Canada International The Skate Canada International is an international, senior-level invitation-only figure skating competition organized by Skate Canada. It is the second competition of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. The location changes yearly. Medals are awarded in four disciplines: Ladies' singles, Men's...								1st
Winter Universiade						1st		1st		1st
Junior Grand Prix Final ISU Junior Grand Prix The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating is a series of international invitational junior level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Junior figure skaters compete in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing...	5th	1st	1st
Junior Grand Prix, China ISU Junior Grand Prix The ISU Junior Grand Prix of Figure Skating is a series of international invitational junior level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. Junior figure skaters compete in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing...		1st		1st
Junior Grand Prix, Italy 2001-2002 ISU Junior Grand Prix The 2001–2002 ISU Junior Grand Prix was the fifth season of the ISU Junior Grand Prix, a series of international junior level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. It was the junior-level complement to the Grand Prix of Figure Skating, which was for senior-level skaters....			1st
Junior Grand Prix, Sweden 2001-2002 ISU Junior Grand Prix The 2001–2002 ISU Junior Grand Prix was the fifth season of the ISU Junior Grand Prix, a series of international junior level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. It was the junior-level complement to the Grand Prix of Figure Skating, which was for senior-level skaters....			1st
Junior Grand Prix, Norway 2000-2001 ISU Junior Grand Prix The 2000–2001 ISU Junior Grand Prix was the fourth season of the ISU Junior Grand Prix, a series of international junior level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. It was the junior-level complement to the Grand Prix of Figure Skating, which was for senior-level skaters...		1st
Junior Grand Prix, Japan 1999-2000 ISU Junior Grand Prix The 1999–2000 ISU Junior Grand Prix was the third season of the ISU Junior Grand Prix, a series of international junior level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. It was the junior-level complement to the Grand Prix of Figure Skating, which was for senior-level skaters....	1st
Junior Grand Prix, Canada 1999-2000 ISU Junior Grand Prix The 1999–2000 ISU Junior Grand Prix was the third season of the ISU Junior Grand Prix, a series of international junior level competitions organized by the International Skating Union. It was the junior-level complement to the Grand Prix of Figure Skating, which was for senior-level skaters....	2nd

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