Yanhao Li sets high goals for Junior Worlds
Yanhao Li
Yanhao Li is making history for New Zealand. The 16-year-old from Auckland became the first skater from his country to win a Junior Grand Prix event and qualify for the Junior Grand Prix (JGP) Final, where he finished fifth. While qualifying for the Final was impressive, is not surprising to the young athlete who is confident in his abilities.
“I knew that this season I had it in me to win a JGP and make it to the Final,” he stated confidently during the event in Grenoble, France.
From China to New Zealand
Li began skating as a young child in Beijing, China, where the summers were very hot.
“The temperatures reached 35- 40 degrees Celsius (95-104°F),” he recalled. “There was this commercial rink next to our house and it was a good opportunity to cool down. This is how I got into skating. I really enjoyed moving and gliding on the ice.”
In 2017, when Li was eight, his father received a job offer in New Zealand.
“My family also thought it was a good opportunity for me to see the outside world, so our whole family emigrated to New Zealand.”
Li remembers his first weeks in the new country where everything was a stark contrast to China. But his main surprise was the nature.
“Everything was so green and beautiful!” he said. “It was a big difference to China. I spoke a little bit of English before moving to Auckland, but to be honest, the learning curve went up quite fast. It was pretty easy to get my English.”
In Auckland, Li met his coach, Bess Cao, who continues to train him to this day. He is grateful for her guidance, and despite skating not being a popular sport in New Zealand, he has no trouble finding ice time.
“There are two rinks in Auckland and there is plenty of ice time,” he said. “I am the only one on my level, but there are some more small skaters. It is a good thing to get the sport more popular in the country. I love to see more people getting to know my sport and getting invested in it.”
Coach Bess Cao remembers her first moments with her young student, who also goes under the English name “Dwayne,” in New Zealand.
“My first impression of Dwayne was that you could immediately tell he loved skating,” she recalled. “He was confident and a very quick thinker. Skating on foreign ice for the first time can be quite intimidating for an eight-year-old, but he didn’t care. He just went about his routine as usual, with his own unique style. I remember thinking, ‘This is the boy.'”
“Our first lesson was in February 2017,” she remembered. “He was very cute, always wearing an orange jacket on the ice and crying all the time when he got frustrated with himself. He was quite talkative too! I often had to ask him to quiet down to save time during the lesson. At that time, he could land a double Salchow and was working on other doubles. He always liked to show off and be the first one to try new things.”
His development from that point on was unexpected yet expected.
“I always believed he was capable, as long as he put his mind to it,” said Cao. “We both like to use the rules to our advantage, and the navigation routes were so clear. After Junior Worlds last season, we took some time to analyze and evaluate. We felt the Final was within reach, but it took some time and effort for him to truly believe he could do it. Once he did, we stayed very focused on the goal.”
Their efforts paid off last month in Grenoble and resulted in a memorable experience for Li.
Coach Bess Cao and Yanhao Li
First trip to the Junior Grand Prix Final
Li, who began competing on the JGP circuit in 2022-23, qualified for the Final after taking the gold in Thailand and bronze in China. It was the first time a skater from New Zealand to both win a JGP event and qualify for the Final.
The skater admitted to feeling nervous and shaky in his first outing at this event.
“It didn’t totally go as expected, but I am taking a lot from this competition,” he said. “I felt really good out there performing in front of a big audience. It took me a bit by surprise that I felt far more nervous than I expected and because of that, I got tense. Physically, I was ready. I have to work on how to be more focused. I hope this was not my last JGP Final and I can use this experience for other big events to come.”
Li also had the opportunity to watch the senior skaters compete at the Final.
“It was amazing!” he said. “I could feel their determination. It showed me that I really need to improve quite a bit more and work harder. Ilia Malinin’s quad jumps are amazing, and I really admire the skating skills of Yuma Kagiyama.”
Music and maturation
At just 16, Li is already showing exceptional skating skills and dedication to his craft.
“I really think that skating skills are very important as figure skating is not only about the technical side,” he pointed out. “I aim to get both sides to a high level. Working on artistry and skating skills is a part that I enjoy about figure skating.”
Li has two expressive programs this season. His short program is to Robbie Williams’ ” Supreme.” While this is his third season skating to it, he continues to improve it, both artistically and technically.
“I really like the song, it’s such catchy music,” he shared. “When I skate to it, I am really in the moment and enjoy it every time. When the program was new, I was sometimes still a little bit shy, I worked a lot on being one with the music.”
His free skate, which is new this season, is set to “Earned It” by The Weeknd and “Funny” by Nadim Naaman. Both programs were choreographed by coach Bess Cao.
“My coach and I decided on the music and costume together,” Li shared. “We found the song ‘Funny’ a couple of years ago while searching for short program music, but it was a bit too short, so we set it aside. When we began looking for free skate music earlier this year, we looked at many options, but none felt quite right. We revisited ‘Funny’ and searched for another song that would pair well with it. After finding ‘Earned It,’ we felt there was a connection between the two songs. It’s two stages of love which can build up with the emotions. That’s why we put the two together.”
“The music is different from the programs I’ve skated to before,” he added. “I see it as a great opportunity to explore my options and discover what style suits me best. The more I skate to this music, the more immersed I feel in the program. The appreciation I have for how well the program is put together grows with each practice.”
While there is no particular story or plot behind the free skate music, it isn’t lost on fans that “Earned It” is from the film Fifty Shades of Grey, which deals with more mature themes.
“The song ‘Funny’ portrays some adult problems,” explained Li, of the second piece. “I feel it relates to where I’m at now. This period can be challenging as I navigate my emotions and body, so the music like a reflection of the struggles that come with transitioning from teenage years into adulthood and from junior to senior. It’s something that junior men normally would not use, but I want to show that I can do something that’s unique.”
“In the future, I want to try everything to see what suits me best and also show versatility,” the skater summed up.
Goals for Junior Worlds
Li’s next major competition will be the Junior World Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, in February 2025. It will be his third appearance at the event, and he is aiming for a better result after placing 26th in 2023 and 12th in 2024.
“I have been working on a few quads lately,” he shared. “I have a few months now until Junior Worlds, so I really try to get my quads polished. As I don’t have any events until Junior Worlds, I have a great opportunity for training. I am looking at the more difficult elements during this time. I don’t plan to change my program layouts or elements at the moment, but I will definitely be working on improving my transitions into elements and finding ways to increase the PCS for both of my programs. I want to work on all the regrets I had at the Final and improve on them. I want to show what I prepared for this season.”
Li, who is currently ranked sixth in the World for Junior Men, has set concrete goals for Junior Worlds: to achieve a combined total score of 240 and reach the podium.
“I know many of my friends and competitors share the same ambition,” he said. “Obviously, there is only one gold medal, so my aim for this competition is to skate two programs where I am 100% satisfied with myself. This season, I’ve struggled a little on skating two clean programs in one competition, so as the last competition of the season, I am definitely looking to fix any past mistakes and end the season on a high note.”
Beyond 2024-25
Li has big dreams for the future.
“Skating at the World Championships and the Winter Olympic Games,” he firmly answered. “As I am unfortunately too young for Milan 2026, my big goal is Paris 2030.”
Li had his first Olympic experience last season at the Youth Olympic Games in Gangwon, Korea, where he won the bronze medal.
“That was definitely a new experience,” he recalled. “Being in the Olympic village with all the other athletes, it felt quite a bit like the Olympics already. I was very happy about getting a good result there.”
The skater will continue to compete at the junior level next season but will be senior-eligible internationally for the 2026-27 season.
“I am looking at skating senior programs at New Zealand Nationals in 2025,” he shared. “I am looking forward to it and I think it’s a good chance to experiment with higher difficulty elements, different layouts and find what suits me the best.”
Just a normal teen
Outside of skating, Li is a typical teenager who enjoys listening to music and gaming in his free time. Unlike many of his peers, he’s not active on social media.
“I think social media takes a lot of time away,” he pointed out. “Maybe when I am older and go to university, I will start my own accounts. Right now, I think it is healthier to stay away from it.”
He goes to a regular high school in New Zealand with two years left until graduation.
“I usually skate in the morning and after that, I go to school,” said Li. “Then I train again after school. Sometimes it is a bit tiring, but I think I cope it with pretty well. I enjoy studying chemistry, math and biology because the concepts make a lot of sense to me and just click naturally.”
After high school, Li plans to attend university, with medicine being one field that interests him, though he hasn’t fully decided yet.
He also plays the clarinet which he finds very helpful for finding rhythm in skating.
“While I mostly listen to Mandarin songs, I listen to rap when I feel like it,” Li volunteered. “One of my favorite aspects of competing overseas is the opportunity to travel and experience the outside world, broadening my perspective and exploring new places.”
His dream travel destination is Japan, but he’s been in Osaka for JGP event in the past.
“It’s a special place for me,” he said. “I’d love to visit again soon.” However, he’s equally fond of his home country. “The scenery of New Zealand is so beautiful; it’s a great country for tourism. I really recommend everyone to come and visit, but don’t expect to see too many people there; it’s a very calm place! The weather can also be very unexpected sometimes, so be prepared.”
Outside of competition, Li has formed close friendships with fellow skaters, such as Japan’s Rio Nakata and the USA’s Jacob Sanchez.
“It is really good to have someone to talk to when you are at these big competitions,” he said. “Someone who goes through the same experiences as yourself. They also push me. Their success gives me great motivation.”
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