Gao won the silver medal at the 1998 ISU Junior Grand Prix in China.

In the 1999–2000 JGP series, he qualified for the final by winning gold in Norway and placing fourth in Japan.

In December 1999, he was awarded the gold medal at the JGP Final in Gdańsk, Poland, ahead of Germany's Stefan Lindemann and Canada's Fedor Andreev.

Gao failed to qualify for the Chinese national team and received no international assignments in the 2000–01 season.

During the 2003–04 Grand Prix series, Gao placed fourth at the 2003 Cup of China and won the bronze medal at the 2003 NHK Trophy.