Cha Jun-hwan Advances to Third Consecutive Winter Olympics

South Korean figure skater Cha Jun-hwan has secured his place in the upcoming Winter Olympics in Italy, marking his third consecutive appearance at the global event. This achievement places him among an elite group of athletes, as he becomes the second South Korean figure skater to compete in three Winter Olympics in a row, following in the footsteps of Jung Sung-il, who participated in 1988, 1992, and 1994.

Cha’s journey to the Olympics was highlighted by his performance at the 80th National Figure Skating Championships held at Mokdong Ice Rink in Seoul. On Sunday, he claimed the men’s singles title with a total score of 277.84 points. His performance included 97.5 points in the short program on Saturday and 180.34 points in the free skate on Sunday. The competition served as the second leg of the Olympic trials, with the Korea Skating Union (KSU) determining its final team based on combined results from two qualifying events.

The first trial, the KSU President’s Cup in November, saw Cha finish second with 255.72 points. Adding to that result, he accumulated a total of 533.56 points over the two events, securing his spot for the Olympics.

A Journey of Resilience and Adaptation

Cha made his Olympic debut in 2018 at the PyeongChang Winter Games, where he placed 15th — a historic achievement for a South Korean male figure skater. Four years later, at the Beijing Winter Olympics, he improved to fifth place, breaking his own record. Now 24 years old, Cha is preparing for his third Olympics, but not without challenges.

His season has been marked by recurring ankle issues and difficulties adjusting to a new pair of boots. During the Olympic qualifiers, he went through at least a dozen pairs of skates over a three-month period. “I went through one pair a week during that time, but nothing really fit,” Cha said. “But I am kind of used to the pair I wore today. If possible, I will stick with this at the Olympics.”

Due to these challenges, Cha opted to simplify his programs by removing some of his more difficult quadruple jumps. Previously, he had included up to two quadruple jumps in the short program and three in the free skate. However, for the Olympic trials, he attempted just one quadruple jump in each segment. Despite this, he remains optimistic about returning to his full repertoire.

“I need more strength,” Cha added. “I will continue to put in the work and build programs that I can execute well.”

New Faces Joining the Team

Alongside Cha, 19-year-old Kim Hyun-gyeom will also represent South Korea in the men’s singles category. Kim, the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics champion, earned 235.74 points at the recent championships and 467.25 points after the two Olympic qualifiers. This will be his senior Olympic debut, though he has gained significant international experience over the years.

“I’ve had a lot of international experience over the years,” Kim said. “So I will try to stay relaxed and put on a good performance. My primary goal is to qualify for the free skate.”

Another notable athlete is Seo Min-kyu, who finished second overall with 532.15 points. However, due to the age requirement — skaters must be at least 17 years old by July 1, 2025 — Seo is ineligible for the Olympics. He turned 17 in October, making him just shy of the cutoff.

Ice Dance Team Makes History

In the ice dance category, the team of Hannah Lim and Quan Ye will represent South Korea. They were the only team competing at the nationals, earning 188.29 points. Lim, born in Toronto to Korean parents, holds dual citizenship and chose to represent South Korea with her partner. Quan, originally from Iceland, grew up in Canada and obtained South Korean citizenship through a special naturalization process in December 2024.

This will be their first Olympics together. Lim, 21, expressed excitement about realizing her childhood dream. “We will work on some technical elements before the Olympics so that we can have our best performance. Since this will be our first Olympics, we want to enjoy the experience rather than worry about results.”