# Li Zijun

Li Zijun (Chinese: 李子君; pinyin: Lǐ Zǐjūn; December 14, 1996) is a retired Chinese competitive figure skater. She is the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic bronze medalist and the 2014 Four Continents bronze medalist. Li is also the 2017 Asian Winter Games silver medalist, 2010 JGP Final bronze medalist, and a four-time (2011–2014) Chinese national champion.
Li represented China at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

## Personal life

Li was born on December 14, 1996, in Changchun, China.
In 2023, Li announced that she had gotten married and had a daughter.

## Career
### 2010–11 season: First senior national title

Li debuted on the ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit during the 2010–11 season. She won the bronze medal in Austria and placed fourth in the Czech Republic to qualify for the Final. At the Junior Grand Prix Final, she tied with Risa Shoji for third place. She won the bronze medal on the tie-breaker.
Li went on to win her first senior national title. She finished ninth at the 2011 World Junior Championships.

### 2011–12 season: Bronze at Youth Olympics

Li placed second in both of her assigned 2011–12 Junior Grand Prix events and qualified for the Junior Grand Prix Final which was held in Quebec City, Canada. She finished fourth at the event. At the Youth Olympics, she won the bronze medal. She then competed at the 2012 Junior World Championships and finished fifth. Concluding her season, Li won gold at her first senior international, the Triglav Trophy.

### 2012–13 season: Senior ISU Championship debut

In the 2012–13 season, Li debuted on the senior Grand Prix series. She was fifth at her first event, the 2012 Cup of China, and fourth at the 2012 NHK Trophy, where she posted a personal best combined total score. Li won her third national title at the 2013 Chinese Championships. She then competed at the 2013 Four Continents Championships and finished fifth. She finished seventh at Worlds after placing twelfth in the short program and fourth in the long. She received the second highest technical score in the free skate, only after Kim Yuna.

### 2013–14 season: Bronze at Four Continents

In the 2013–14 ISU Grand Prix season, Li's first event was the 2013 Cup of China where she finished tenth. Prior to her next Grand Prix assignment, the 2013 NHK Trophy, her coach Li Mingzhu stated, "She's getting taller and bigger, but losing power and coordination" and said it was affecting her self-confidence. The skater withdrew from the NHK Trophy, which was scheduled for the following week. She returned to competition at the 2014 Four Continents Championships, placing second in the short, third in the long and won the bronze medal overall behind gold medalist winner Kanako Murakami, and second-place finisher Satoko Miyahara. Li then competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia where she finished fourteenth. At the 2014 World Championships, Li finished seventeenth overall.

### 2014–15 season

After the 2013–14 season, Li's head coach Li Mingzhu's contract to coach young Chinese skate for the 2014 Olympics ended and she moved back to the United States, while Li remained in China. In October, Gao Haijun became Li's new coach.
Li finished 6th at the 2014 Cup of China, after placing fifth in the short program and sixth in the free skate. At the 2014 NHK Trophy, she placed fifth in the short, eighth in the free, and seventh overall. She went on to win her fourth national title at the Chinese Championships, placing first by over 25 points.
At the 2015 Four Continents, Li finished in fifth-place after placing fifth in the short program and fourth in the free skate, 1.52 points back of third place. At the 2015 World Championships in Shanghai where she placed sixth in the short program and eleventh in the free skate to finish ninth overall. At the 2015 World Team Trophy, she placed seventh in the individual event and Team China placed fifth overall.

### 2015–16 season

For the 2015–16 Grand Prix series, Li was assigned to compete at 2015 Cup of China and 2015 NHK Trophy. She placed ninth in China and seventh in Japan.
She finished tenth at the 2016 Four Continents Championships in Taipei and eleventh at the 2016 World Championships in Boston.

### 2016–17 season

Ahead of the 2016–17 season, Li returned to train under Li Mingzhu in Artesia, California, and under Pang Qing. She later spent time training with Alexei Mishin in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and with Gao Haijun in Changchun, China.
Li began the season with a fourth-place finish at the 2016 Rostelecom Cup before going on to place eighth at the 2016 Cup of China.
At the 2017 Four Continents Championships in Gangneung, South Korea, Li finished seventh after placing eighth in the short program and fifth in the free skate.
Li then went on to compete at the 2017 Asian Winter Games where she won the silver medal behind Choi Da-bin.
At the 2017 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland, Li finished in twenty-first place after placing twentieth in both the short and free program segments of the competition.
Li finished the season by competing at the 2017 World Team Trophy. After placing ninth in the short program, Li managed to score personal bests in both the free program and combined total scores. Team China would finish in fifth place overall.

### 2017–18 season

Although Li was assigned to compete at the 2017 Cup of China and the 2017 Internationaux de France, she withdrew from both events. Zhao Hongbo spoke on her behalf, stating that an injury was the reason for Li's withdrawals.
She did not compete for the remainder of the season.
In November 2018, Li announced her retirement from competitive figure skating on her Weibo account, stating that she no longer felt fulfilled from competing. She went on to say, "I am ready to embrace the new chapter of my life and I will continue being with you all."

## Programs

| Season | Short program | Free skating | Exhibition |
| 2017–2018 | East of Eden by Lee Holdridge choreo. by Lori Nichol | Galaxy by Yuko Toyoda choreo. by Lori Nichol | |
| 2016–2017 | Le Diable Matou by Dompierre choreo. by Lori Nichol | Only For Love by Tan Dun choreo. by Lori Nichol | Baton Bunny soundtrack |
| 2015–2016 | Claire de Lune by Claude Debussy La Polka de Paris (from Cinderella) by Patrick Doyle choreo. by Lori Nichol | The Artist by Ludovic Bource choreo. by Lori Nichol | The Water Is Wide performed by Charlotte Church |
| 2014–2015 | Waltz of the Flowers from (The Nutcracker) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky choreo. by Lori Nichol | Moon River by Henry Mancini performed by John Bayless and Nancy LaMott choreo. by Lori Nichol | I Dreamed a Dream (from Les Misérables) from Glee performed by Idina Menzel and Lea Michele |
| 2013–2014 | Danzarin from Tango Lorca choreo. by Lori Nichol | Coppélia by Léo Delibes choreo. by Lori Nichol | The Sound of Music by Richard Rodgers |
| 2012–2013 | Dark Eyes choreo. by Jiang Hailan | Sleeping Beauty by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky choreo. by Lori Nichol | Express Yourself Legend by Li Jian performed by Chang Jing |
| 2011–2012 | The Addams Family by Marc Shaiman The Carousel (from The Haunting) by Jerry Goldsmith choreo. by Jiang Hailan | Scenes of Summer by Lee Holdridge choreo. by David Wilson | A Spoonful of Sugar by Robert B. Sherman, Richard M. Sherman Simple Things by Kay Huang |
| 2010–2011 | Up by Michael Giacchino choreo. by Karen Kwan-Oppegard | Until The Last Moment by Yanni choreo. by Karen Kwan-Oppegard | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 Walt Disney film) |
| 2009–2010 | East of Eden by Lee Holdridge | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 Walt Disney film) | Somewhere Over the Rainbow (from The Wizard of Oz) by Judy Garland |

## Competitive highlights

GP: Grand Prix; JGP: Junior Grand Prix
International :
| Event | 09–10 | 10–11 | 11–12 | 12–13 | 13–14 | 14–15 | 15–16 | 16–17 | 17–18 |
| Olympics | | | | | 14th | | | | |
| Worlds | | | | 7th | 17th | 9th | 11th | 21st | |
| Four Continents | | | | 5th | 3rd | 5th | 10th | 7th | |
| GP Cup of China | | | | 5th | 10th | 6th | 9th | 8th | WD |
| GP France | | | | | | | | | WD |
| GP NHK Trophy | | | | 4th | | 7th | 7th | | |
| GP Rostelecom | | | | | | | | 4th | |
| Asian Games | | | | | | | | 2nd | |
| Triglav Trophy | | | 1st | | | | | | |
| Volvo Open Cup | | | | 1st | | | | | |
| International: Junior ||||||||||
| Junior Worlds | | 9th | 5th | | | | | | |
| Youth Olympics | | | 3rd | | | | | | |
| JGP Final | | 3rd | 4th | | | | | | |
| JGP Austria | | 3rd | 2nd | | | | | | |
| JGP Czech Rep. | | 4th | | | | | | | |
| JGP Latvia | | | 2nd | | | | | | |
| National ||||||||||
| Chinese Champ. | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | | 1st | | | |
| National Games | | | 1st | | | | 1st | | |
| Team events ||||||||||
| World Team Trophy | | | | 5th T 6th P | | 5th T 7th P | | 5th T 7th P | |
| TBD = Assigned; WD = Withdrew T = Team result; P = Personal result. Medals awarded for team result only. ||||||||||

## Detailed results

Small medals for short program and free skating awarded only at ISU Championships.
2016–17 season :
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| April 20–23, 2017 | 2017 World Team Trophy | 9 59.76 | 7 128.30 | 5T/7P 188.06 |
| March 28 – April 2, 2017 | 2017 World Championships | 20 56.30 | 20 103.50 | 21 159.80 |
| February 23–26, 2017 | 2017 Asian Winter Games | 4 58.65 | 3 116.95 | 2 175.60 |
| February 15–19, 2017 | 2017 Four Continents Championships | 8 60.37 | 5 116.68 | 7 177.05 |
| November 18–20, 2016 | 2016 Cup of China | 7 61.32 | 8 111.08 | 8 172.40 |
| November 4–6, 2016 | 2016 Rostelecom Cup | 5 63.89 | 4 117.94 | 4 181.83 |
| 2015–16 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| March 28 – April 3, 2016 | 2016 World Championships | 11 65.39 | 12 119.13 | 11 184.52 |
| February 16–21, 2016 | 2016 Four Continents Championships | 6 60.04 | 11 107.84 | 10 167.88 |
| November 27–29, 2015 | 2015 NHK Trophy | 6 60.78 | 10 105.62 | 7 166.40 |
| November 6–8, 2015 | 2015 Cup of China | 5 58.62 | 9 100.51 | 9 159.13 |
| 2014–15 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| April 16–19, 2015 | 2015 World Team Trophy | 7 58.83 | 7 103.67 | 5T/7P 162.50 |
| March 23–29, 2015 | 2015 World Championships | 6 61.83 | 11 103.39 | 9 165.22 |
| February 9–15, 2015 | 2015 Four Continents Championships | 5 60.28 | 4 115.64 | 5 175.92 |
| December 27–28, 2014 | 2014 Chinese Championships | 1 52.79 | 1 109.09 | 1 161.88 |
| November 28–30, 2014 | 2014 NHK Trophy | 5 56.44 | 8 106.46 | 7 162.90 |
| November 7–9, 2014 | 2014 Cup of China | 5 53.66 | 6 98.96 | 6 152.62 |
| 2013–14 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| March 24–30, 2014 | 2014 World Championships | 16 54.37 | 17 95.97 | 17 150.34 |
| February 6–22, 2014 | 2014 Winter Olympics | 11 57.55 | 14 110.75 | 14 168.30 |
| January 20–26, 2014 | 2014 Four Continents Championships | 2 62.84 | 3 118.72 | 3 181.56 |
| November 1–3, 2013 | 2013 Cup of China | 8 53.58 | 10 85.40 | 10 138.98 |
| 2012–13 season |||||
| Date | Event | SP | FS | Total |
| April 11–14, 2013 | 2013 World Team Trophy | 9 53.16 | 4 118.34 | 5T/6P 171.50 |
| March 10–17, 2013 | 2013 World Championships | 12 56.31 | 4 127.54 | 7 183.85 |
| February 8–11, 2013 | 2013 Four Continents Championships | 10 54.51 | 4 115.91 | 5 170.42 |
| January 10–13, 2012 | 2013 Volvo Open Cup | 1 58.12 | 1 101.98 | 1 160.10 |
| December 20–21, 2012 | 2013 Chinese Championships | 1 58.09 | 1 117.01 | 1 175.10 |
| November 22–25, 2012 | 2012 NHK Trophy | 3 59.62 | 4 114.49 | 4 174.11 |
| November 1–4, 2012 | 2012 Cup of China | 5 59.21 | 5 100.85 | 5 160.06 |

### Junior level

2011–12 season :
| Date | Event | Level | QR | SP | FS | Total |
| April 4–8, 2012 | 2012 Triglav Trophy | Senior | – | 1 52.74 | 1 101.13 | 1 153.87 |
| Feb. 27 – March 4, 2012 | 2012 World Junior Championships | Junior | – | 6 51.74 | 5 105.57 | 5 157.31 |
| January 14–22, 2012 | 2012 Youth Olympics | Junior | – | 3 50.92 | 2 106.78 | 3 157.70 |
| January 4–6, 2012 | 12th Chinese National Winter Games | Senior | – | 1 60.56 | 1 125.56 | 1 186.12 |
| December 8–11, 2011 | 2011–12 Junior Grand Prix Final | Junior | – | 6 43.10 | 4 103.43 | 4 146.53 |
| Sept. 28 – Oct. 1, 2011 | 2011 Junior Grand Prix, Austria | Junior | – | 2 55.59 | 2 100.81 | 2 156.40 |
| September 20–23, 2011 | 2012 Chinese Championships | Senior | – | 3 49.28 | 1 100.77 | 1 150.05 |
| Aug. 31 – Sept. 3, 2011 | 2011 Junior Grand Prix, Latvia | Junior | – | 1 55.09 | 2 93.10 | 2 148.19 |
| 2010–11 season |||||||
| Date | Event | Level | QR | SP | FS | Total |
| Feb. 27 – March 6, 2011 | 2011 World Junior Championships | Junior | 3 89.10 | 8 51.00 | 10 88.81 | 9 139.81 |
| December 23–24, 2010 | 2011 Chinese Championships | Senior | – | 1 53.24 | 2 101.05 | 1 154.29 |
| December 8–12, 2010 | 2010–11 Junior Grand Prix Final | Junior | – | 5 49.62 | 4 100.20 | 3 149.82 |
| October 13–16, 2010 | 2010 Junior Grand Prix, Czech Republic | Junior | – | 5 47.76 | 4 100.50 | 4 148.26 |
| September 15–18, 2010 | 2010 Junior Grand Prix, Austria | Junior | – | 5 47.56 | 3 97.20 | 3 144.76 |
| 2009–10 season |||||||
| Date | Event | Level | QR | SP | FS | Total |
| December 19–20, 2009 | 2010 Chinese Junior Championships | Junior | – | 1 51.23 | 1 89.70 | 1 140.93 |
| September 3–5, 2009 | 2010 Chinese Championships | Senior | – | 3 44.82 | 2 83.94 | 2 128.76 |
* QR = Qualifying round
* Personal bests highlighted in bold.