A New Skating Pair Raises Eyebrows
Hey guys! So, something pretty wild is trending in the winter sports world, and it’s sparking a major conversation. Over in China, a pair of figure skaters from the Hebei province team are getting a ton of attention, but not just for their skills. The duo, 16-year-old Li Mingda and 9-year-old Li Xinze, competed in the senior division of the 2025-2026 Chinese National Figure Skating Championships, and their seven-year age difference is one thing, but the visual size gap is what really has people talking.
The “Shocking Visual” Everyone’s Talking About
When the Korean headlines say “a sturdy boy and a petite girl,” they aren’t kidding. Photos from the competition are pretty striking—Li Xinze is so small that she barely comes up to her partner’s chest. Seeing this tiny 9-year-old paired with a skater who looks like a fully grown young man has been jarring for many viewers. It’s not something you typically see, especially in the high-stakes senior category.
High-Level Skills Amidst Controversy
Despite the visual disparity, this team isn’t holding back on the difficulty. They were seen performing some seriously high-level techniques, like the ‘triple twist lift,’ where the male skater throws his partner into the air, and the ‘throw triple Salchow jump,’ where he helps launch her into a jump. These are already risky moves for skaters of similar size, so seeing them performed by a pair with such a significant physical difference has raised a lot of concerns among figure skating fans around the world. The debate is blowing up online, with people questioning if this is safe or fair for such a young competitor.
A Debate on Safety and Sport Ethics
The core of the issue for many fans is the potential danger. Figure skating is tough and demanding, and pair skating requires an incredible amount of trust and physical coordination. The sight of a young girl being thrown and lifted by a much larger and stronger partner has led to a flood of criticism online. People are worried about her safety and are questioning the ethics of allowing such a pairing in a senior-level competition. It’s one of those moments that makes you think about the boundaries of the sport and what’s best for the athletes, especially when they’re so young. What do you all think about it?
