Olympic star Sui 'so happy' to be back

China's Olympic silver medalist Sui Wenjing is back in the rink following a four-month injury layoff, the 23-year-old confirmed on Saturday.

Sui and partner Han Cong finished second in the figure skating pairs at the Pyeongchang Games in February, but missed the chance to defend their world title in Milan last spring due to a bone fatigue fracture in Sui's right foot.

The problem was diagnosed immediately after the duo's Olympic debut in South Korea.

As part of her recovery, Sui was ordered not to put any weight on the injured foot. Han, meanwhile, kept training and preparing programs for the 2018-19 season.

The injury ruled Sui out of national team qualifying and training sessions in Sanya, South China in April.

Harbin-born Sui only ended her in-hospital rehabilitation earlier this month, and has now returned to the national squad to resume on-ice training and begin preparations for the 2022 Beijing Winter Games.

"There's nothing serious with my injured foot right now," Sui told Xinhua as she and her skating teammates observed China's gymnastics squad train in Beijing on Saturday.

"I've been training very hard since my return to the national squad. The main task for me is to lose some weight and try to get back to my normal level, technically speaking," she said.

"I'm not capable of doing high-quality skating skills and air rotations now, and since my injury was a fatigue fracture, my foot bones are still fragile. So, I have to train with a degree of safety.

"I'm just so happy to be back in the rink! I can't wait to do my part in our team's long preparation for the new season and the new Olympic cycle."