China's Jin Boyang ready to slug it out at figure skating worlds

Chinese figure skating star Jin Boyang, who dominated the free skate at the national championships last month, is gearing up to raise his game and challenge the world's best at the 2019 World Figure Skating Championships in Saitama, Japan.

The 21-year-old struggled to find his form earlier this season but showed signs of improvement after he cruised to win the national title in February. He will get a much sterner test when he faces Olympic gold medalist Yuzaru Hanyu and reigning world champion Nathan Chen next week.

Jin Boyang competes in the men's free skating event during the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating at the Helsinki Arena on November 4, 2018. /VCG Photo

"I don't care to compete in Hanyu's home country. I will try my best in the two programs," Jin, a two-time world bronze medalist, told reporters.

"I wasted the first two Grand Prix stops, but my form became better and better recently. I am focusing on my jumps this two weeks."

"Literally I don't take them [other figure skaters] as my rivals. I compete against myself. All I have to do is to perform my best," he added.

Yuzuru Hanyu winks during the victory ceremony for the men's singles competition at the Rostelecom Cup at the Megasport Arena on November 18, 2018. /VCG Photo

The world championships, which kick off on Monday, will be dominated by a much-anticipated showdown between Hanyu, who became the first man in over 50 years to win back-to-back Olympic figure skating gold medals, and Chen, who became U.S. champion for the third straight year in January.

An injured Hanyu was forced to drop out of last year's Japan nationals and the Grand Prix Final, where Chen claimed the crown for a second year running, meaning they have not competed against each other since the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang.

"Worlds is a whole other ballgame. I'm really excited for it," Chen said. "I'm going to start training as best as I can for it."

(With input from agencies)