"Visual Gold": Figure Skater Cha Junhwan Named Vogue's Most Handsome Athlete

"Looking forward to performances where technique and emotion explode"

Vogue Hong Kong, a fashion magazine, has ranked Korean figure skater Cha Junhwan (Seoul City Hall), who will compete at the Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo 2026 Winter Olympics, as the most handsome male athlete among all male competitors.

Cha Junhwan, a men's singles figure skater, is seen biting his medal after winning gold in the men's singles at last year's Harbin Winter Asian Games, held at the multipurpose hall of the Harbin Heilongjiang Ice Training Center in China. Photo by Yonhap News

On the 6th, Vogue Hong Kong published an article on its website titled "2026 Milan Winter Olympics / A Complete Round-Up of the 13 Most Handsome Male Athletes," stating that it was "taking a look at the most stylish male athletes representing countries around the world" and released a "most handsome athletes ranking" featuring men who combine strong visuals with outstanding skills.

The athlete chosen for the top spot was Cha Junhwan. Vogue Hong Kong wrote, "Cha Junhwan, the 'Prince of Korean Ice' (韓國氷上王子), exudes sharp lines and a restrained aura that give off a pure and cool impression, as if he has applied his own filter," adding, "The moment he steps onto the ice, he transforms into a completely different person." It continued, "Former child actor Cha Junhwan has extensive experience in front of the camera from his days working as a model in his youth, and thanks to that, his performance delivers a perfect show at every moment," and added, "We look forward to seeing him unleash both technique and emotion at the same time, with clean quadruple jumps and increasingly bold step sequences."

Klaebo Johannes Hosflot, a Norwegian cross-country skier who placed second in Vogue Hong Kong's "Most Handsome Male Athlete of the Milan Winter Olympics".

Following Cha Junhwan on the list were Norwegian cross-country skier Johannes Hosflot Klaebo, Japanese snowboarder Ayumu Hirano, Hungarian short track speed skater Liu Shaoang, French ice dancer Guillaume Cizeron, Italian figure skater Daniel Grassl, and American figure skater Ilia Malinin, among others.

Cha Junhwan first set foot on the Olympic stage at the Pyeongchang 2018 Games, but finished only 15th, leaving some disappointment. However, he surged to fifth place at the Beijing 2022 Games, and is now aiming for a medal at the upcoming Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics.

Klaebo, one of the world’s top cross-country skiers, has won a total of five gold medals, one silver, and one bronze across the 2018 and 2022 Olympics. Snowboarder Hirano became Japan’s youngest Winter Olympic medalist at age 15 by winning silver in the halfpipe at the Sochi 2014 Olympics. He went on to win another silver at Pyeongchang and claimed gold at Beijing. Liu Shaoang, a Chinese-Hungarian mixed-race athlete who is the leading short track skater for Hungary, captured gold in the 5000m relay at Pyeongchang and in the 500m at Beijing.