[Olympics] From Dreamer to 'Olympic Top 5'... Cha Junhwan Making History in Korean Figure Skating

Personal Best 282.38 Points Secured to Join 'Olympic Top 5'
Korean Men's Singles Pioneer Leaps Forward in Pyeongchang, Making 'New History' in Beijing

Cha Jun-hwan is smiling as he leaves the rink after finishing his performance to the music of the opera "Turandot" in the men's singles free skating event at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics held on the 10th at the Beijing Capital Indoor Stadium. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Cha Junhwan (Korea University), the leading figure in Korean men's figure skating, has made a historic mark in Korea's Olympic history.

On the 10th, at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics men's singles free skating held at the Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, Cha Junhwan scored 182.87 points, achieving a total combined score of 282.38 points including the short program, ranking 5th overall. This is the first time a Korean figure skater has entered the top 5 at the Winter Olympics since Kim Yuna at the 2014 Sochi Games.

Cha Junhwan also easily surpassed his own record for the highest placement by a Korean male singles figure skater at the Winter Olympics (15th place) set at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. He also exceeded the official highest score for Korean male singles (273.22 points) that he set last month at the International Skating Union (ISU) Four Continents Figure Skating Championships.

Cha Junhwan began his connection with figure skating at the age of eight because he liked the wind brushing his face on the ice. In 2016, when he was in the third year of middle school, he stood out by winning the Junior Grand Prix with a junior world record. He was noted as the youngest male skater in the world to successfully land a quadruple jump at the age of 15. Cha Junhwan's skills rapidly improved after meeting coach Brian Orser, who had coached figure skating queen Kim Yuna in 2015.

At the 2017 ISU World Junior Championships short program, he scored 82.34 points, becoming the first Korean male skater to break the 80-point mark in an international competition. At his first Olympics, the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, he recorded a total score of 248.59 points, the highest ever for a Korean male figure skater. The "first" label that has come to be associated with Cha Junhwan was newly rewritten in Beijing as he surpassed his previous records.

Given the nature of figure skating, where athletes typically compete actively into their mid-20s, Cha Junhwan's challenges are expected to continue through the next Winter Olympics. He has also set a goal to increase Korea's men's figure skating quota from the current two spots to three at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics.

Cha Junhwan said, "Four years from now is still a distant future, but I want to continue growing as a strong athlete."

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