Milan: No South Korean male figure skater has come as close to winning an Olympic medal as Cha Jun-hwan, who finished fifth at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games. Now 24, the former child actor will take his third and potentially final crack at an Olympic podium this month in the northern Italian city of Milan.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Cha made his Olympic debut as a teenager at PyeongChang 2018, where he finished 15th. At the 2022 Beijing Games, Cha faced heightened expectations, placing fourth after the short program before finishing fifth overall. His strengths lie in artistry, as he is unable to compete with other medal contenders in technical elements, particularly quadruple jumps.
Cha will attempt one quad in the short program and two in the free skate due to persistent ankle problems and issues with finding the right pair of boots. His competitors, including Ilia Malinin of the United States, Adam Siao Him Fa of France, and Yuma Kagiyama from Japan, will perform more quadruple jumps. Malinin, known as the "Quad God," set a world record score with seven quadruple jumps in a single performance.
Cha showed his artistic prowess at the ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Beijing, earning a silver medal. Though ranked sixth after the short program, Cha's free skate performance, which focused on artistry and clean execution of quads, earned him a season-best score.
In women's singles, South Korea will be represented by Lee Hae-in and Shin Ji-a. This will be the first Olympics for both skaters. Shin began her senior career with podium finishes and won the national team trials over Lee. Lee overcame legal challenges to return to competition in December 2024.
South Korea will also send Hannah Lim and Quan Ye to the ice dance competition. Lim, born in Toronto, holds dual citizenship, while Quan, originally from Iceland, gained South Korean citizenship in December 2024. This will be their first Olympics together.
The figure skating events commence with the team competition at the Milano Ice Skating Arena.