MESMERIZING DANCE: China's Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo give their performance in the pairs figure skating event at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics on February 14. They win the gold medal with a combined total of 216.57 points (CHEN XIAOWEI)

It took Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo 18 years to finally realize their Winter Olympics gold dream. As the perfect beginning for the Chinese athletes to make their nation feel proud, Shen and Zhao won their long-sought-after Olympic figure skating glory on February 14 at the Vancouver Winter Olympics.

Shen, 31, and Zhao, 36, are the first-ever non-European couple to top the Olympic pairs podium, snapping a 12-game winning streak from Russia who had dominated the event for 46 years.

Winning games

Zhao was the only male out of the Chinese athletes to stand on the highest podium during the Winter Games. To conclude a great career, Zhao was chosen as the flagbearer of the Chinese delegation at the closing ceremony.

The husband-and-wife duo earned a record combined total of 216.57 points to capture China's first title in the discipline.

"This is a dream come true. We've had this dream for many years," Zhao said.

Shen and Zhao began skating together in 1992. They made an auspicious start just after teaming up, winning the national championships in four months. Four years later, they made their World Championship debut. Despite finishing in 15th place, their ambitious moves and distinctive style distinguished them as a pair to watch.

After finishing second in the Worlds in 1999, Shen and Zhao were among the favorites in the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. A failed attempt at the quadruple salchow, the most difficult movement in the sport, sent them tumbling to bronze.

The pair recovered from that disappointment to claim gold in the World Championships later that year. They repeated the following year despite a serious injury to one of Shen's ankles, which was wrapped heavily in tape during the competition.

Then another injury struck. The duo was forced to withdraw from the 2005 World Championships when Zhao ruptured his Achilles' tendon while practicing a triple toeloop in August that year. He was off the ice for months afterward.

Following a full recovery, the pair stood on the podium again with a bronze medal at the 2006 Turin Olympics half a year later. They decided to hang it up after winning their third Worlds in March 2007.

But China's drought of Olympic gold in the sport drew the duo back to the ice. Overcoming their age and lingering injuries, the couple started chasing for the gold last May.

"The only goal of our comeback is the Olympic gold medal," Zhao said.

"To achieve this, we have done a lot of preparation, such as inviting the best choreographer and the best costume designers in the world," he said.

Besides, the veteran duo was also working hard every day, particularly to build up strength.

"We worked on our choreography and technique in lifts and death spirals. With those improvements, I was confident of a win at the Olympics," Zhao said.

Winning life

On February 15, just the following day after winning the figure skating pairs gold, Shen and Zhao announced their retirement.

"I want to tell all the people that care about us that we won't take part in any competition from now on," Shen said.

Their relationship became clear to the public from a world championship. On March 21, 2007, Zhao proposed to his long-time partner after they won the pairs title at the World Figure Skating Championships in Tokyo.

Then they married on May 28 that year, but still have not found time to hold a wedding ceremony.

"We have no plan yet because we will be busy for a while attending some activities, including performances and television programs. Maybe the wedding will be in summer or even later of this year," Zhao said.

Although deciding to retire, the couple said they would not be far away from the figure skating.

"We plan to participate in figure skating exhibition galas in Beijing and other cities in China later this year. We will also invite some of the top figure skaters from other countries to join us for the exhibition to draw more fans," Zhao said.

Besides, they are running a skating club in Shenzhen in south China's Guangdong Province to continue their career.

"We want to help promote the sport in China, especially among young people," Zhao said.