Stylish Jin jumping into global spotlight

"Compared to my first season, my performances, skating skills and jumps are much more mature. But I know I have to work harder to be more stable and improve my grades of execution," said Jin, who is ranked No 10 in the ISU world standings.

Jin took up figure skating at the age of seven in his hometown of Harbin, Heilongjiang province, after watching a performance by Chinese pairs icons Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo.

He executed a triple Axel at the 2011 Asian championships, and the following year debuted at the ISU junior Grand Prix, where he won the gold medal with eye-catching quadruple jumps.

In his first senior competition at last year's Cup of China, he landed the world's first quadruple Lutz/triple toeloop combination - the highest-scoring technical element.

He is also the first skater to land a quad Lutz at the world championships and the first to complete six quads in any ISU competition.

"Figure skating has a long history worldwide and it feels really good for me to be the first man to achieve something and make some small history," said Jin, who claimed China's first world championship men's singles bronze medal last season.

"For me, doing jumps is not about difficulty; it is how you feel about it and how you set your mind. First you need to have the desire to jump, then you need to have the desire of beating that jump when you take off. That's it."

Jin's accomplishments have made an impression on the world's best.

"He is very competitive, very talented," said Chan, the 25-year-old Canadian superstar. "He can do what I can never do, I think, especially the quad Lutz. I'm very happy for China because in Jin you have a skater to inspire the younger generation."

Jin is now preparing for February's Asian Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan, followed by the Worlds in Helsinki, Finland, in March.

"I hope I can put on two better programs with smoother performances and better details," Jin said. "For both of them, I hope to finish in the top three."

leilei@chinadaily.com.cn