Yan sets China's best result in men's singles figure skating

Teenage sensation Yan Han was ranked seventh in Sochi on Friday to set a best result for China in men's singles figure skating at Winter Olympic Games.

Skating to a re-arrangement of the Blue Danube and Gourmet Valse Tartare, the 17-year-old Olympic debutant claimed a clean triple Axel and a 4 plus 3 toeloop jump before downgraded a quad toe to triple but added a double toe. He also made faults on his triple loop and triple Lutz jump, and a slow change foot combination spin cost him a few points.

Yan scored 160.54 points to finish seventh among 24 skaters in free skating, summing up to 246.20 points in total for the same position overall.

Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu, just 19 years old, came out the first ever Asian skater to win a men's singles Olympic event with a total of 280.08 points, beating triple-time world champion Patrick Chan of Canada and Kazakhstan's Denis Ten to the second and third on 275.62 and 255.10 respectively.

It has been 16 years ago when Guo Zhengxin finished eighth at the 1998 Nagano Olympics. In the next two Olympics, China's best male figure skaters Li Chengjiang placed 9th in 2002 and Zhang Min 10th in 2006.

Four years ago, Chinese male skaters failed to qualify for the Vancouver Olympic Games, the first time since the country firstly participated in Winter Games in 1980.

"I could have skated a better long program," said an upset Yan after the match. "During the six-minute warm-up, I knew that I'm not at my best form and the performance just said about it."

"My routine program included some challenging elements, but my coach and I decided not to go with so high difficulties.

"I could have done better and I know I own the capability," said Yan, who's confident of making next Olympics. "Do believe in me! See how I will improve into a better skater."

The Harbin native was the event's winner of 2012 world junior championships as well as the gold medalist of Youth Olympic Games. He lifted trophy of the China GP last November in his first senior season before ending up with a disappointing sixth at the Grand Prix Finals of International Skating Union earlier in December.