South Korean skater Cha Jun-hwan is a four-time South Korean champion, a Grand Prix Final bronze medallist, and a Winter Olympian. Cha has been ranked as one of the Top 10 men’s singles skaters in the world standings, and has set several international records and South Korean firsts across his junior and senior careers.
Cha showed early promise on the rink, claiming victories at the Asian Open and Merano Cup at novice level, and landing two consecutive South Korean Junior Championships titles. Later, on the international junior circuit, he would score gold medal wins at the Autumn Classic in Barrie, and at Junior Grand Prix events in Germany and Japan. During this time, he also made his mark at the top level of international competition with fifth-place finishes at the Junior Worlds and the Youth Olympics.
Cha took his first of four consecutive national titles in Gangneung in 2017, and has since proven himself to be the most decorated South Korean men’s skater of his generation. He made his senior international debut in the 2017-18 season, which saw him land a top ten finish at Skate America, and compete at his first senior Winter Olympic Games in South Korea. The following year would see him take home several pieces of silverware, including bronze medals at the Finland and Skate Canada Grand Prix events and at the Grand Prix Final in Vancouver, and Challenger Series silver medals at the Autumn Classic and Finlandia. At the 2019 Four Continents Championships, Cha recorded a personal best score of 97.33 in the short programme, which became one of the highest men’s scores under the new ISU Judging System.
