Kim Hyeongyeom falters on triple Axel...drops into lower ranks
Cha Junhwan, the leading figure in Korean men's figure skating, delivered a flawless performance in the men's singles short program at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics, setting his season's best score.
Cha scored 50.08 points for technical elements and 42.64 points for program components, for a total of 92.72 points in the men's singles short program at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics, held at the Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy, on the 11th (Korean time). Skating fourth in the third group, he rose to first place in the interim standings after the completion of the third group.
Cha Junhwan is delivering an impressive performance in the men's singles short program at the 2026 Milan-Cortina d'Ampezzo Winter Olympics at the Ice Skating Arena in Milan, Italy, on the 11th (local time). [Photo by Yonhap News]
Cha opened with a stable quadruple Salchow for his first jump, then smoothly connected a triple Lutz and a triple loop, establishing a strong early rhythm. As the music picked up, he transitioned into a flying camel spin and successfully landed the triple Axel on which he had made a mistake in the short program during the previous team event, overcoming the biggest hurdle of his routine. After a change-foot sit spin, he glided freely as if swimming through the ice, showcasing an excellent step sequence, and finished his program with a change-foot combination spin. Having delivered a flawless performance, Cha remained on his knees in the same finishing pose as the end of his short program and clenched his right fist in satisfaction.
Cha secured his place in the free skate. Of the 30 skaters who competed in the short program that day, the top 24 advance to the free skate. The free skate, where the medal placements will be decided, will take place on the morning of the 14th.
Competing in his third Olympics, Cha finished 15th at the Pyeongchang 2018 Games and 5th at the Beijing 2022 Games. At this Olympics, he is aiming to win the first-ever Olympic medal in Korean men's figure skating.
Earlier, Kim Hyeongyeom, who skated third in the second group, made a mistake on his triple Axel jump, leaving a sense of disappointment.
Kim cleanly landed his opening jump, a quadruple toe loop, but fell when his right foot failed to hold on the second jumping element, a triple Axel. He then finished the remaining jump elements and other components without major issues.
Kim earned 37.92 points for technical elements and 32.38 points for program components, for a total of 69.30 points. After the completion of the third group, Kim was ranked 14th and had slipped into the lower half of the standings.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
