South Korean figure skater Cha Jun-hwan claimed gold in the men’s singles figure skating event at the Asian Winter Games on Feb. 13.
Competing at the Heilongjiang Ice Training Center’s multipurpose hall in Harbin, China, Cha delivered a commanding performance in the free skate, earning 187.60 points. His score comprised a technical element score (TES) of 99.02 and a program component score (PCS) of 88.58. Combined with his short program score of 94.09, he secured the gold with a final total of 281.69 points.
Cha’s victory reinforced South Korea’s presence in figure skating, as both the men’s and women’s singles skaters surpassed Japan’s top contenders. He edged out Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama, often regarded as the “strongest in Asia,” who settled for silver with a total of 272.76 points.
Earlier in the day, Kim Chae-yeon secured gold in the women’s singles event at the same venue. She posted a free skate score of 147.56, with a TES of 79.07 and a PCS of 68.49. Combined with her short program score of 71.88 from the previous day, she clinched victory with a final total of 219.44 points, surpassing the world’s top-ranked skater and 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic bronze medalist Kaori Sakamoto of Japan, who took silver.
