CHANGCHUN, China, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese figure skating pair Peng Cheng and Jin Yang will make their season debut at the 2019 Figure Skating National Championships, which runs from September 11 to 15 here in Jilin Province.

Peng/Jin, runners-up at the 2018/2019 ISU Figure Skating Grand Prix Final and fourth at the World Championships in Saitama, Japan, skipped the Chinese Club League this season and will bring two new programs to Changchun.

Yu Xiaoyu and Zhang Hao, who won gold at the 2017 Winter Asiad and finished eighth at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, will also participate in the National Championships.

Yu/Zhang were absent from the 2018 national team training roster and also skipped the 2019 World Championships due to Zhang's injury. Zhang underwent two leg operations and had been sidelined from training for three months before they competed in the Chinese Club League's Changchun round last month.

"I am still not fully recovered," said 34-year-old Zhang. "But I will try my best at the National Championships as it is a qualifying event for the National Winter Games next year."

The pairs' competition starts on Saturday.

Veteran Yan Han will take part in the men's competition, while star skater Jin Boyang will miss the event. The ladies' competition will feature top skaters An Xiangyi, Chen Hongyi and Lin Shan.

In the ice dance category, Wang Shiyue and Liu Xinyu, and Chen Hong and Sun Zhuoming, who have spent considerable time training in Canada, will both return for the tournament. Wang and Liu finished 18th at the Saitama World Championships earlier this year.

The National Championships serves as a qualifier for the National Winter Games and also includes Junior competitions, which run from September 11 to 12. Enditem

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