[Olympics] Figure Skater Cha Jun-hwan Scores Personal Best 99.51 in Short Program... Higher Than Rival Hanyu

Personal Best Short Program Score of 99.51
Higher Than Competitor Hanyu from Japan (85.15)

Cha Jun-hwan is performing to the music of "Fate of the Clockmaker" from Eternal Eclipse during the men's singles short program figure skating event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics held on the 8th at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo Mideum] Figure skating men's singles leader Cha Jun-hwan (21, Korea University) has secured a spot in the free skating at the Winter Olympics.

On the 8th, at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics figure skating men's singles short program held at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, Cha Jun-hwan scored a technical element score (TES) of 54.30, program component score (PCS) of 45.21, for a total of 99.51 points.

This broke his previous personal best short program score (98.96 points) set last month at the International Skating Union (ISU) Four Continents Championships. He comfortably secured a free skating spot, which is granted to 24 out of 29 competitors.

Skating 23rd on the ice, Cha Jun-hwan flawlessly executed his first performance element and signature move, the quadruple Salchow, to the melody of "Fate of the Clockmaker."

He then performed the triple Lutz-triple loop combination jump without error. Enhancing the completeness of his routine with the first non-jump element, the flying camel spin, Cha Jun-hwan perfectly executed the final jump element, the triple Axel.

After completing all jump elements, Cha Jun-hwan flawlessly performed the change foot sit spin, step sequence, and change foot combination spin.

Having achieved 15th place at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, the highest Olympic result for a Korean male figure skater, he aims to become the first Korean male figure skater to enter the Olympic top 10 at this competition.

Japan’s leading contender and strong favorite, Hanyu Yuzuru (28), scored a total of 95.15 points.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.