Vancouver

Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo finally won their elusive Olympic title in Vancouver with two impressive performances.

They're back!

After the 2007 Worlds, Shen and Zhao stepped away from competitive skating. With two Olympic bronze medals and three world titles, many expected the pair to retire from the sport. They kept skating, touring in ice shows, and surprised many when they returned to competition in 2009 in preparation for the Vancouver Games. "Our biggest regret was not winning the Olympic title," Zhao said of the 2006 Games. With speed, emotional connectedness and incredible throws, Shen and Zhao stormed through the fall season, defeating the two-time world champions Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy, and are heavy favorites for Vancouver gold.

Happy couple

At the 2007 Worlds, Shen and Zhao won their third world title with a commanding performance. At the conclusion of their free skate, Zhao dropped to one knee and proposed, but Shen didn't know what the Western gesture meant so she dropped to her knees as well. It was not until later that she said yes, and in May 2007 the pair was officially married, though they did not hold their ceremony until 2008.

Giving back

In July 2007 Shen and Zhao opened a skating school in Shenzhen, China, where they will train coaches to teach skaters from beginners to the elite level. It's a tribute of sorts to their coach, Yao Bin, who finished last at the Sarajevo Games and at three world championships. Since taking over the Chinese pairs program and starting from scratch, Yao has single-handedly propelled the country into the upper-echelons of the sport -- in Torino, Chinese teams occupied second, third and fourth places. "What we have got now are all from Yao Bin," they said while touring with Stars on Ice. "We think his training ideas are the best in China. We have responsibilities to carry it on."

Torino

Shen and Zhao were among the favorites for gold, but were dealt a devastating blow in August 2005. Zhao, whose sore foot had forced the pair to withdraw from the 2005 Worlds, tore his Achilles tendon on triple toe loop. His swift recovery from surgery was remarkable, as Zhao was back on the ice in November and performing single jumps in January. By mid-January the pair was doing full run-throughs of their programs, with the exception of Zhao's triple toe. "We are running the risk from the very beginning, and we will face the bigger risk from now on," coach Yao Bin told China Daily. "No risk means no hope."

Shen and Zhao also expressed hope. "At present, standing on the ice at the Olympic Games is our biggest hope, and we hope to display our best form there," Zhao said in the China Daily. "As to the result, it is not that important. We were very downbeat when our Olympic dream was broken when I got injured, but now everything is improving and the condition is getting better and better. Being fit in time for the Olympics is my honor and claiming the gold is not our only goal."

In an ironic twist, it was Shen who struggled with the side-by-side triple toes, while Zhao executed his perfectly in both skates. The pair was fifth after the short program but moved up in the free skate to earn their second Olympic bronze medal.

Trailblazers

At their first world championships, in 1994, Shen and Zhao finished 21st of 24 pairs. Five years later, in 1999, they won China's first world championship pairs medal -- a silver. At the 2002 Worlds, they won their first gold. The next year at Worlds, Shen tore ligaments in her right ankle during practice and had to rely on memory to land her jumps; she had received numerous numbing injections and said her foot felt like wood. Second after the short program, Shen and Zhao earned a standing ovation and their second world title with a flawless free skate.

Early career

Though they have since relocated to Beijing, Shen and Zhao both hail from Harbin, China, a winter sports mecca in the northeastern portion of the country. Shen began skating on a frozen soccer field and at times practiced eight hours a day outside. Because it was difficult to get private ice time at the beginning of their careers, the pair often trained in the middle of the night to avoid sharing ice with speed skaters and hockey players.