Olympic-bound figure skaters set for final tuneup in Beijing
Published: 20 Jan. 2026, 11:14
![Korean figure skaters set to compete at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics pose for photos after their joint press conference at the Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong on Jan. 7. From left: Lee Hae-in, Shin Ji-a, Cha Jun-hwan and Kim Hyun-gyeom. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/01/20/2eed5ed0-2d0c-471e-a861-2a24f03cb5ca.jpg)
Korean figure skaters set to compete at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics pose for photos after their joint press conference at the Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, North Chungcheong on Jan. 7. From left: Lee Hae-in, Shin Ji-a, Cha Jun-hwan and Kim Hyun-gyeom. [YONHAP]
Korea's Olympic-bound figure skaters will have their final tuneup before the big competition this week in China, as they will seek to build some positive momentum heading into the Winter Games in Italy.
The National Indoor Stadium in Beijing will host the International Skating Union (ISU) Four Continents Figure Skating Championships starting Wednesday.
The annual competition is open to skaters from non-European nations, with those from Asia, North America, South America, Africa and Oceania eligible.
Korea will have three skaters each in the men's and women's singles, plus its lone ice dance team of Hannah Lim and Quan Ye.
The men's team features Cha Jun-hwan, who has qualified for his third consecutive Olympics, and Kim Hyun-gyeom, on the verge of his Olympic debut next month. Their short program is Saturday, followed by the free skate Sunday. Cha is the 2022 Four Continents champion who also won bronze in 2024 and silver in 2025
![Cha Jun-hwan competes at the 80th National Figure Skating Championships at Mokdong Ice Rink in western Seoul on Jan. 4. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/01/20/1d3203aa-897e-4525-a0ff-2fd2a1d2a23c.jpg)
Cha Jun-hwan competes at the 80th National Figure Skating Championships at Mokdong Ice Rink in western Seoul on Jan. 4. [YONHAP]
Two of the women's singles skaters in Beijing, Shin Ji-a and Lee Hae-in, will both make their first Olympic appearances this year. Their Four Continents will start with the short program on Thursday, with the free skate set for the following day. Lee won the Four Continents gold in 2023, a year after taking home silver.
Kim Chae-yeon, the defending women's singles champion from Korea, pulled out of her title defense due to a lower back injury and was replaced by Yun Ah-sun.
Some countries won't send their Olympic athletes to Beijing — the mighty United States, for instance, won't have any of their six singles skaters who qualified for Italy competing this week — but the Koreans decided to use the Four Continents as part of their Olympic preparations.
In particular, Cha is expected to make changes to his programs at the Four Continents before the Olympics, after being limited most of the season due to a nagging ankle injury caused by skate issues.
Cha recently said he had gone through a pair per week over the past three months in a desperate search to find the one that fit just right. He had initially planned to attempt two quadruple jumps in the short program and three quads in the free skate this season but reduced them to one and two, respectively, to prevent injury.
Cha claimed earlier this month skate issues and ankle pains are mostly behind him and he will try to put on a good show in Milan.
Shin, competing in her first senior season at age 17, won the Olympic trials handily earlier this month and will get to test her mettle in her Four Continents debut.
Korea has produced at least one medalist in the women's singles at every Four Continents since 2020.
Yonhap
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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