But, injuries, and the rise of younger talent like Zhou Yang, left Qi sidelined and uncertain about her future. Forced to retire in 2009 after a knee injury, Qi applied for graduate studies at Beijing Sport University, but fell short on her English exam.

"My parents supported me to start afresh abroad," she recalled. Drawn to Calgary, Canada, where she had trained briefly as a teen, Qi initially pursued business studies. But, a volunteer coaching stint at a local skating club dramatically changed the course of her career.

"The club director saw my background and said: 'Why not study coaching?' That changed everything," she said.

After graduating from Calgary's coaching academy, Qi honed her craft at the University of Calgary's training center, ascending from youth teams to mentoring future national squad members.