Zhang Ruiyang
Zhang Ruiyang is a Chinese figure skater. She is the 2026 Chinese national silver medalist and the 2025 Asian Open Trophy champion.
Personal life
Zhang was born on 21 December 2007, in Beijing, China. She is currently a student at Beijing No. 10 Middle School.She is often nicknamed "Dada."
Career
Early years
Zhang began learning how to skate at the age of six. She was then inspired to pursue the sport competitively after being moved by the "graceful movements and exquisite techniques" of figure skaters from online videos that her parents showed her.She made her junior national debut at the 2022 Chinese Junior Championships, where she finished in sixth place. The following season, she competed on both the junior and senior level at the 2023 Chinese Championships, placing fourth and fifth, respectively.
2023–2024 season: Junior international debut
Zhang started the season by making her junior international debut at 2023 JGP Austria, finishing in twelfth place.In December, Zhang competed at the 2024 Chinese Championships, Zhang placed seventh at both the junior and senior levels. Two months later, she competed at the 14th Chinese National Winter Games, winning gold in the team event and placing fourth in the individual event.
2024–2025 season
Zhang began her season by finishing fourth on the junior level at the 2024 Asian Open Trophy. She subsequently competed on the junior and senior level at the 2025 Chinese Championships, where she finished fifth and eighth, respectively.2025–2026 season: Senior international debut
Zhang opened her season by making her senior international debut at the 2025 Asian Open Trophy, winning the gold medal. Because of this result, Zhang was selected to compete at the ISU Skate to Milano, the final qualifying event for the 2026 Winter Olympics, held in her hometown of Beijing.At the event, Zhang scored personal bests in all competition segments after placing fourth in the short program, sixth in the free skate, and fifth overall. Her top five finish ultimately won China an Olympic berth in the women's singles event at the upcoming Olympics. Following the event, she shared, "I am very happy to have been able to secure an Olympic spot for China in this competition, because it was a lot of pressure. I have also been working on psychological aspects, and I have learned a great deal through this experience."
Selected as a host pick, Zhang made her Grand Prix debut at the 2025 Cup of China, finishing in seventh place overall. In December, she competed at the 2026 Chinese Championships, winning the silver medal behind fourteen-year old, Jin Shuxian. As a result of Jin being age ineligible to compete on the senior international level, Zhang was ultimately granted the sole women's singles skating spot for the 2026 Winter Olympics. She was also selected to compete at the 2026 Four Continents Championships and the 2026 World Championships.
In January, Zhang competed 2026 Four Continents Championships in Beijing, China, finishing in tenth place overall.