Cha Jun-hwan seeks perfection after setback

“Yesterday in the short program, Jun-hwan was flawless. It was easily the best performance of his career. I was honestly surprised by the low score. But mistakes happen in men’s singles. A 10-point gap can be erased at any moment. With a perfect skate, Jun remains a strong medal contender.”

Adam Rippon of the United States, covering the Winter Games in Milan as a commentator, had just finished reporting on the ice dance event shortly after midnight Tuesday at the Milan Ice Skating Arena. As he walked out briskly, reporters asked for his thoughts on Cha Jun-hwan’s performance. His eyes lit up as he responded.

In the men’s singles short program the day before, Cha skated to “Rain, In Your Black Eyes,” executing his jumps and step sequences with unmatched precision and polish. So satisfied was he that he pumped his fist at the routine’s conclusion. Many observers had expected him to surpass his personal best score of 101.33.

Instead, he received 92.72 points. His triple Axel, which traveled more than three meters, was ruled underrotated. His step sequence, long considered the highlight of his program and consistently awarded Level 4, was downgraded to Level 3. Currently sixth after the short program, Cha trails third-place Adam Siao Him Fa, who scored 102.55, by 9.78 points, and leader Ilia Malinin, who posted 108.16, by 15.44.

In men’s singles, seven skaters, including short program leader Malinin and second-place Yuma Kagiyama, performed combination jumps that include a quadruple jump, the sport’s most difficult element. Based on base values alone, Cha effectively starts no higher than eighth in the medal race.

Rippon said Cha could turn that disadvantage into what he described as the thrill of perfection. Only a flawless performance, he said, can fully convey the sport’s appeal to the audience. He added that Cha’s free skate might deliver exactly that. “I really love ‘Roco’ as a program,” Rippon said. “I have never seen the version with the white costume, so I am already looking forward to it.”

Cha’s medal rivals plan to attempt three to five quadruple jumps in the free skate. Yet even the most difficult jumps can backfire if not landed cleanly, often resulting in deductions that outweigh their base value. At last year’s Asian Winter Games in Harbin, Kagiyama attempted three quadruple jumps in the free skate, and at the 2023 World Figure Skating Championships, Malinin included seven. Both skaters made repeated errors and finished behind Cha, who delivered a clean program.

Rather than stacking his layout with quadruple jumps, Cha has focused on maximizing his grade of execution by enhancing the overall quality and cohesion of his performance.

Cha’s free skate is scheduled for Friday. He will perform to “A Ballade for a Madman,” known as “Roco,” the same program he skated cleanly at last season’s Asian Winter Games in Harbin, where he won gold ahead of Kagiyama.


Bo-Mi Im bom@donga.com