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'It wouldn't have mattered where I finished': Figure skater Cha Jun-hwan reflects on Asiad gold medal

Published: 14 Feb. 2025, 11:15

Cha Jun-hwan bites his gold medal at the awards ceremony at the Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China on Feb. 13. [NEWS1]

After completing his free skate in the men's singles at the Asian Winter Games in China on Thursday, Korean figure skater Cha Jun-hwan watched the final skater, Yuma Kagiyama of Japan, on television with a throng of reporters in the mixed zone.

Cha had just put up a massive score, topping the field with 187.60 points in the free skate and 281.69 points overall. He was already assured of at least the silver medal.

And then Kagiyama struggled with his jumps and finished with only 168.95 points in the free skate and 272.76 points overall. Cha became the new Asian Games champion, but one wouldn't have been able to tell by his understated reaction.

"Honestly, I was happy with the way I performed, and I had absolutely zero regrets. It wouldn't have mattered where I finished," Cha said. "I am happy to have put on a satisfying performance in the free skate, even though I didn't break my personal best [of 296.03 points]."

A lot was riding for Cha in the free skate. Win a gold medal, and the 23-year-old would receive an exemption from the mandatory military service, which would allow him to continue his career uninterrupted.

Many Korean male athletes have crumbled under the pressure of trying to earn their military service exemptions, most of them stumbling while trying to force the issue. Cha, on the other hand, was the opposite.

Figure skater Cha Jun-hwan performs in the men's single free skating event at the Asian Winter Games held in Harbin, China on Thursday, Feb. 13. [YONHAP]

If Kagiyama had landed all of his three quadruple jumps, he likely would have beaten Cha, who only has two quadruple jumps in his free program. The difference in their technical scores would have been substantial. And Cha could have altered his program and added a third quadruple jump to topple Kagiyama.

However, Cha, who has been battling a nagging ankle injury for over a year, decided not to push the envelope. He stuck to performing just two quadruple jumps and landed both of them cleanly.

"I thought that if I got too greedy in pursuit of some big outcome, then I would not be walking down the path of hard work," Cha said. "Once I recover from my injury, I will make my program more technically difficult and make sure I can still be steady."

Cha, the 2023 world silver medalist, will now set his sights on winning an Olympic medal next year in Italy. He placed fifth three years ago in Beijing and 15th in 2018 in PyeongChang.

No Korean man has won an Olympic figure skating medal.

Yonhap