[Olympics] Cha Junhwan Nears Medal... New History for Korean Figure Skating with 4th Place in Short Program (Comprehensive)

Cha Jun-hwan "Tried to Enjoy This Moment"... Challenges for a Medal in the Free Skate on the 10th
Japan's Hanyu, Aiming for Third Consecutive Olympic Gold, Finishes 8th

Cha Jun-hwan is performing a spiral 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 morning of the 8th at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Cha Junhwan (21, Korea University), the leading South Korean male figure skater who participated in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, has rewritten the history of Korean men's figure skating.

On the 8th, at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics men's singles figure skating short program held at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, Cha Junhwan scored a technical element score (TES) of 54.30, a program component score (PCS) of 45.21, and a total of 99.51 points, ranking 4th overall among 29 competitors. This score is higher than that of Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu (28), who was aiming for a third consecutive Olympic gold, who scored 95.15 points.

Cha Junhwan recorded a score 0.55 points higher than his personal best (98.96 points) set last month at the International Skating Union (ISU) Four Continents Championships. Ranking 4th overall, Cha comfortably advanced to the free skating segment, which is reserved for the top 24 skaters.

This is the first time a South Korean male singles skater has placed within the top 5 in an Olympic short program.

In the competition, Cha performed 23rd to Eternal Eclipse’s “Fate of the Clockmaker.” He cleanly executed the first jump element, a quadruple Salchow, and perfectly completed the second jump element, a triple Lutz-triple loop combination, earning a base value of 9.70 points and a grade of execution (GOE) of 3.33 points.

Additionally, he flawlessly performed the triple Lutz-triple loop combination jump following the flying camel spin, receiving a base value of 10.80 points, demonstrating a composed performance throughout. After the competition, Cha showed satisfaction by tightly clenching his right fist.

After the event, Cha Junhwan said, “I was nervous and trembling, but I trusted myself and performed as I practiced. It’s the Olympics returning after four years and a precious moment, so I tried to enjoy it. Thanks to the fans’ support and love, I was able to come this far. Please continue to cheer for me in the free skate as well.”

Only three skaters scored higher than Cha in the short program: Nathan Chen of the United States (113.97 points), Yuma Kagiyama of Japan (108.12 points), and Shoma Uno of Japan (105.90 points).

Due to his strong short program, public attention is focused on how far Cha Junhwan can improve upon his own best Olympic result for Korean male figure skaters, which was 15th place at Pyeongchang four years ago. Having delivered a perfect quadruple jump in the short program, Cha plans to attempt two quadruple jumps in the free skate on the 10th to gain additional points.

Meanwhile, the first round of the epic showdown between Chen and Hanyu ended with Chen’s victory. Hanyu, who performed 21st, failed to execute the first element, the quadruple Salchow, and placed 8th.

Cha Junhwan will compete in the free skating on the 10th, aiming to win the first medal ever for a South Korean male singles skater.

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