Cha Jun-hwan wins Korean Figure Skating Championships, stamps ticket to worlds
Published: 06 Jan. 2025, 11:50
Updated: 06 Jan. 2025, 16:11
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- PAIK JI-HWAN
- [email protected]
![Cha Jun-hwan competes during the Korean Figure Skating Championships at Uijeongbu Indoor Ice Rink in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi on Jan. 5. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/01/06/2ebde761-24c3-49fa-a63f-a5385c4edf51.jpg)
Cha Jun-hwan competes during the Korean Figure Skating Championships at Uijeongbu Indoor Ice Rink in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi on Jan. 5. [NEWS1]
Cha Jun-hwan won the Korean Figure Skating Championships on Sunday with a total score of 281.02 and secured a spot in the national squad for the 2025-26 season, booking a ticket to the World Figure Skating Championships in March.
Cha scored 190.49 points in the free skating program at Uijeongbu Indoor Ice Rink in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi, preceded by 90.53 points in the singles short program the day before, winning the tournament that serves as the national squad selection contest.
The victory marks his ninth straight win at the competition.
Cha is now eligible to compete at the World Championships in the United States in March alongside countryman Lee Si-hyeong, who finished third. No. 2 Seo Min-kyu, 16, cannot participate at the tournament as competitors must be at least 17 to take part.
Cha, 23, is the first Korean male figure skater to medal at the World Figure Skating Championships, winning a silver medal in Japan in March 2023. He won a silver at the World Team Trophy later that year and went on to win bronze at the Four Continents Championships in 2024.
He also represented Korea at the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics, but has yet to secure a medal at the Games.
Over in the women’s program, Kim Chae-yeon won the contest with 216.09, qualifying for the World Championships alongside No. 5 Yun Ah-sun and No. 6 Lee Hae-in.
No. 2 Shin Ji-a, No. 3 Kim Yu-jae and No. 4 Kim Yu-seong are all too young to compete.
Kim Chae-yeon and Cha can also compete in the upcoming Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China next month, where they can tune up ahead of the World Championships in March.
The World Championships is considered the second highest tournament in figure skating after the Winter Olympics. The next Winter Olympics take place in Italy next year.
BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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