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Cha Jun-hwan (; born October 21, 2001) is a South Korean figure skater. He is the 2023 World silver medalist, the 2022 Four Continents champion, the 2025 Four Continents silver medalist, the 2024 Four Continents bronze medalist, the 2018–2019 Grand Prix Final bronze medalist, a six-time Grand Prix medalist (6 bronze), a four-time ISU Challenger Series medalist (1 gold and 3 silver), the 2025 Asian Winter Games champion, the 2025 World University Games bronze medalist, as well as a nine-time consecutive South Korean national champion (2017–2025). He represented South Korea at the 2018 Winter Olympics and the 2022 Winter Olympics. At the junior level, Cha is the 2016–17 Junior Grand Prix Final bronze medalist and a two-time Junior Grand Prix gold medalist.
Cha is the first South Korean man to win and to medal at the Four Continents Championships and the Asian Winter Games, as well as the first to medal at the World Championships, Grand Prix Final, Junior Grand Prix Final, and any senior Grand Prix event.
Cha placed fourth as a junior skater at the 2011 South Korean Championships. In 2012, he won the junior level at the South Korean Championships. In the 2012–13 season, he took the novice gold medal at the Asian Trophy and repeated as the junior champion at the South Korean Championships. He placed fifth at the senior level at the 2014 Korean Championships. This was his first senior experience at national championships. During the 2014–15 season, Cha won the novice gold medal at the Merano Cup and the senior bronze medal at the South Korean Championships. In March 2015, he began training in Toronto under Brian Orser to improve his jumps, including the triple Axel jump and quads.
Making his junior international debut, Cha won gold at the 2015 Skate Canada Autumn Classic by over 30 points. Despite a deduction, he landed his first triple Axel in an international competition. At the 2015 Ranking Competition, he claimed his first senior national title with a total score of 220.40 points, setting a new national record for Korean men's singles. Competing with an ear infection at the 2016 South Korean Championships, he won the senior national bronze medal again.
In February, Cha represented South Korea at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics, becoming the youngest member of the South Korean team. He placed fourth in the short program, fifth in the free skating, and fifth overall. In the team event, Cha competed for Team Courage, earning a season's best 139.97 points in the free skate to place third individually, while the team finished sixth overall. In March, Cha competed at the 2016 World Junior Championships. He placed seventh in the short program with 74.38 points and sixth in the free skate with 132.73 points. In both segments, he successfully landed the triple Axel and received GOE for the first time at an international competition. With a total score of 207.11 points, he finished seventh overall.
He finished second at the aforementioned event, but was 27.54 points behind the leader after the combined scores from the first and second rounds. However, Cha went on to win the third-round qualifying and 2018 South Korea Championships to become the second consecutive national champion. He was selected to represent South Korea at the Olympic after overtaking the leader by 2.13 points with the combined scores from first through third rounds.
Cha competed at the 2018 Winter Olympics Games in Pyeongchang at the age of 16, the youngest competitor in the men's event and the youngest male athlete in any sport on the South Korea team. He arrived late to the athletes' village after being quarantined due to the flu, but competed in the team event, finishing sixth in person and ninth as a team. In the men's event, he scored a personal best 83.43 in the short program to become a South Korean man to qualify for the Olympic free skate in 20 years. He scored 165.16 in the free program and 248.59 for a total score, all personal bests, and a 15th place finish, the best Olympic result for a South Korean male skater. He was scheduled to compete at the 2018 World Junior Championships, but withdrew to recover from an injury.
At his first Grand Prix assignment, the 2018 Skate Canada, he placed third in the short program and third in the free skate to win the bronze medal overall, landing two clean quadruple salchows across both segments of the competition. With this finish, Cha became the second-ever South Korean figure skater to win a Grand Prix medal, after Kim Yu-na, and the first-ever South Korean man to make the podium at a Grand Prix. Cha then won a second bronze medal at 2018 Grand Prix of Helsinki with a total of 243.19 points, making him the first-ever South Korean man to win two medals on the Grand Prix series. These two bronze medals qualified him for the 2018 Grand Prix Final, making him the first South Korean man to do so and the first from his country since Kim.
Cha concluded the Grand Prix series at the final, placing fourth in the short program and third in the free skate, with a season's best of 174.42 in the free skate and 263.49 for his total score. This put him on the podium in third place, earning him the bronze medal. He is the first South Korean man to win a Grand Prix Final medal and the second-ever South Korean skater to do so since Kim. After winning this third consecutive South Korean national title, Cha competed at the 2019 Four Continents Championships. He placed second in the short program, winning a small silver medal. He struggled in the free skate, where six of his jumps were called underrotated. He placed eighth in the free skate and dropped to sixth place overall. He concluded his season at the 2019 World Figure Skating Championships. He placed eighteenth in both the short program and free skate to finish nineteenth overall.
Competing at the 2022 Winter Olympics in the men's event, Cha skated a clean short program to place fourth in that segment with a new personal best of 99.51. He admitted to nervousness beforehand due to concerns about results but said that "despite my nervousness, I, trusting my own competence, managed to finish this program as I did in my training." Cha opened his free skate with a hard fall on the quad toe loop but recovered to execute the rest of the program, placing seventh in that segment and finishing fifth overall. Cha concluded his season at the 2022 World Championships in a men's field considerably more open than usual due to the absences of Nathan Chen and Yuzuru Hanyu and the International Skating Union banning all Russian athletes due to their country's invasion of Ukraine. He placed seventeenth in the short program but subsequently withdrew before the free skate due to boot problems.
Cha's first Grand Prix assignment of the year was the 2022 Skate America, where he won the bronze medal. He said the result was "not perfect, and it was not what I wanted, but I tried hard, and I'm quite satisfied." At this second event, the 2022 NHK Trophy, he finished sixth in the short program after two jumping errors. He rallied in the free skate, finishing second in that segment and rising to third overall for his second bronze medal of the series. He expressed pleasure at the result after disappointment on the previous day.
After winning a seventh consecutive national title, Cha competed at the 2023 Four Continents Championships and finished fifth in the short program after falling on his jump combination and having his triple Axel called on the quarter. A strong free skate lifted him to fourth overall.
At the 2023 World Championships in Saitama, Cha skated a clean short program and placed third in the segment with a new personal best score of 99.64. He noted that he had been struggling in recent seasons, but was "happy" that his recent training had paid dividends. Cha finished second in the free skate, rising to second overall and winning the silver medal. In doing so, he became the first South Korean male skater in history to reach the podium at the World Championships. A month later, Cha participated in the 2023 World Team Trophy, for which South Korea had qualified for the first time in the history of the event. Cha set a new personal best in the short program, coming second in the segment, and then won the free skate, helping the Korean team win the silver medal.
In June 2023, Brian Orser announced during an interview with Yahoo! Japan that Cha made the decision to end their coaching relationship so that he could train in South Korea full-time. Regarding the change, Cha later elaborated, "I worked with Brian for so long time; we know each other so much. Since Covid, everything changed. It was quite hard to train with Brian because we just always only met at competitions." Orser further stated that he wished Cha all the best and that he would be open to working with him again should he desire.
After another national gold medal at the South Korean Championships, Cha won the bronze medal at the 2024 Four Continents Championships, including a second-place finish in the free skate. He said afterward that his health was "improving," but that he would continue to work to balance recovery and training. Cha came tenth at the 2024 World Championships. He competed despite his ongoing injury difficulties, but concluded that with the season over "I can take a rest and I think everything will be fine."
Going on to compete on the 2024–25 Grand Prix series, Cha placed fourth in the short program at 2024 Skate Canada International, but second in the free skate, moving up to the bronze medal position overall. “There were some mistakes, but I think in my condition right now, I think I did everything that I can do right now,” said Cha after the free skate. “So yeah, I think those small mistakes and the quality is what I have to work on and improve for the next one. I think still I can make it better quality. So that’s what I’ve worked on.” At the 2024 Finlandia Trophy, Cha placed seventh in the short program after falling on his opening Salchow jump. He withdrew from the competition before the free skate morning practice due to worsening ankle pain, as the injury he sustained during the previous season has not yet fully healed. As there are many more international competitions ahead of him this season, Cha stated he would focus on treating his injury, which was aggravated further during the recent boot replacement process, before the upcoming annual Korean Ranking Competition, which determines the National Athlete Team membership while also serving as the selection process for the skaters who will participate in the Four Continents Championships for South Korea. Cha ultimately won the gold medal at the aforementioned event and was thus named to the 2025 Four Continents Championships team. One month later, he won his ninth consecutive national title at the 2025 South Korean Championships, solidifying his place on the 2025 Worlds team.
In mid-January, Cha competed at the 2025 Winter World University Games in Turin, Italy, where he won the bronze medal. Cha then went on to compete at the 2025 Asian Winter Games, where he won the gold medal ahead of three-time and reigning World silver medalist, Yuma Kagiyama. Following his gold medal win, he was incorporated as Art and Sports Personnel, a type of supplementary service, instead of serving on active duty or as social service personnel. This is generally regarded as a form of exemption from compulsory military service in the Republic of Korea Armed Forces.
One week later, Cha competed at the 2025 Four Continents Championships in his hometown of Seoul. He placed fourth in the short program after popping a planned quad Salchow into a double. During the free skate, Cha skated a solid performance, apart from doubling a planned quad toe loop. He finished second in that segment and won the silver medal overall behind Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan. Following the event, Cha said, "There are a lot of things going on this season, but I was able to finish my free skating pretty well. It was a bit tough to keep the form as the best, but I've tried my best as this is the second Four Continents held in Korea. I feel a little disappointed about on the double toe-loop but overall, I'm satisfied with the result."
In March, at the 2025 World Championships in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, he fell on his triple Axel in the short program and placed tenth in that segment. He rose to seventh place overall after the free skate, which gave South Korea one quota for the men's event at the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics as well as allowing them to attempt to qualify a second quota at the qualifying competition in September. In an interview following the event, Cha reflected on the season, sharing, "Looking back on my season, it was a long season. I had 11 competitions. My injury got worse in the middle of it, and I wasn’t sure mid-season where I was going to go. But I took one step at a time, and it got better. My biggest support during that time was clearly my family, my fans, and also my coach, who said a lot of motivating and inspiring words to me. Now, I will take some time to recover and train again for the Olympic season."
In May, Cha became the first member to join the Seoul Metropolitan Government's new figure skating team. This marks the first-ever instance of a figure skater joining a Works team in South Korea. He expressed that he is "honored and excited", adding "The fact that it is the first such Korean team established for figure skaters makes it even more meaningful". He went on to say, "As this is the first of its kind, I am eager to see the positive impact it will have on my peers and juniors in the future."
Since beginning figure skating, Cha has participated in various media activities alongside his athletic career. In 2011, he appeared on the television program Kim Yuna's Kiss & Cry as a professional skating partner to actress Jin Ji-hee. He also took part in the music variety show King of Mask Singer in June 2020, and in December 2022, performed a cover dance and served as a guest MC at the music festival SBS Gayo Daejeon. he has appeared in several popular television programs, including You Quiz on the Block, Running Man, 2 Days & 1 Night and Knowing Bros. He has also made appearances on news programs such as SBS's News Briefing and JTBC Newsroom and CCTV's Live News. Additionally, he has also narrated for the Korean radio program Just a Moment campaign and the Korean edition of the BBC documentary series Frozen Planet II.
Outside competition, Cha has taken part in various skating events and ice shows. He began performing in public during his novice years. In 2018 and 2019, he took on the role of host for Ice Fantasia, an ice show sponsored by LG. He has also performed in several Japanese ice shows, including Stars on Ice, The Ice, Dreams on Ice, Friends on Ice and Fantasy on Ice.
He took part in national ceremonies commemorating the March First Movement, reciting the pledge to the national flag at the 103rd anniversary in 2022 and delivering a message expressing commitment at the 106th anniversary ceremony in 2025.
2016–17 season: Junior Grand Prix Final bronze
In the 2016–17 season, Cha made his Junior Grand Prix debut at the JGP Japan. He performed a clean short program except for his flying camel spin, which got a level 2. He received 79.34 points, which put him in second place. In the free program, he skated cleanly except for an under-rotation on his triple Salchow. He was the last skater in the free skate, placing first by scoring another personal best of 160.13 points, and set a new world record of 239.47 points for junior men's combined total score. He won a second gold medal at the 2016 JGP Germany, which qualified him for the 2016–17 Junior Grand Prix Final, where he won the bronze medal. Cha won his first national title in January 2017 at the South Korean Championships. He finished fifth at the 2017 World Junior Championships.
Senior career
2017–18 season: Pyeongchang Olympics
Cha made his senior debut at age 15 as he was invited to two Grand Prix events. In July, he competed in the first-round Olympic qualifying event, but a hip injury him the third, and nearly 20 points behind the leader. He then suffered a series of ankle and wrist injuries and finished ninth at 2017 Skate Canada. Cha withdrew from 2017 Skate America to focus on the second-round Olympic qualifying and the 2017 Ranking Competition.
2018–19 season: Grand Prix Final bronze
Cha began his season by winning the silver medal at the 2018 Autumn Classic, after placing second in the short program with 90.56 points and first in the free skate with 169.22, ahead of training mate Yuzuru Hanyu. He won the silver medal at the 2018 Finlandia Trophy with a total score of 239.19 points, behind Mikhail Kolyada.
2019–20 season: Fourth South Korean national title
Beginning the season at the 2019 CS Autumn Classic International, Cha attempted the quad Flip jump in competition for the first time. Cha was fourth overall in the competition after several jumps were called underrotated. At his first Grand Prix assignment, 2019 Skate America, Cha doubled his planned quad in the short program placing seventh. Multiple falls in the free skate dropped him to eighth overall. Cha was sixth at the 2019 Cup of China. After winning another South Korean national title, Cha competed at the 2020 Four Continents Championships, held in Seoul. He earned a season's best in the short program despite underrotating his triple Axel attempt. In the free skate, four of his jumps were called underrotated, which was sufficient to keep him off the podium at the event. Cha was assigned to represent South Korea at 2020 World Championships but the competition was cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic.
2020–21 season
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted long-term changes to Cha's training situation as he could no longer reside in Canada, where he had trained since 2015. Cha was assigned to compete at the 2020 Skate Canada International, but the event was also cancelled as a result of the pandemic. Cha's first event of the season was the 2021 South Korean Championships, where he won his fifth consecutive title. He was assigned to Korea's lone men's berth at the 2021 World Championships in Stockholm. Cha placed eighth in the short program. Errors in the free skate had him place thirteenth in that segment, but he held tenth overall. Cha's result qualified one berth for Korea at the 2022 Winter Olympics, with the possibility of a second to be earned later.
2021–22 season: Four Continents champion and Beijing Olympics
Cha's first competition of the season was the Olympic test event, the 2021 Asian Open in Beijing, where he placed sixth. His first Grand Prix assignment was initially the 2021 Cup of China, but following its cancellation he was reassigned to the 2021 Gran Premio d'Italia in Turin. Third in the short program, he dropped to fifth overall after a sixth-place free skate. At this second Grand Prix, 2021 NHK Trophy, he was third in the short program and fifth in the free skate. However, despite his fifth-place free, he remained in third overall, taking the bronze medal. Cha pronounced himself "happy but also disappointed because I had a lot of mistakes, I really fought through." After winning his sixth South Korean national title, Cha was named to the South Korean Olympic team. Sent to compete at the 2022 Four Continents Championships in Tallinn, Cha placed first in both segments to take the gold medal, becoming the first South Korean man to win and medal at the Four Continents. He said afterward that "when coming here, I was not thinking about medals or winning this competition, just training and just doing what I trained before. It was pretty tough to solve all the elements during my practice sessions, but finally, I got the medal, and I'm very satisfied with this."
2022–23 season: World silver medalist
Following the end of the Beijing Olympic cycle, Cha said he wanted to break his habit of using "rather classical music" and instead, "I wanted to show a different side of my character and reinvent myself on the ice. I wanted something modern, with vocals." He and choreographer Shae-Lynn Bourne chose the music of Michael Jackson for the short program while the free skate used the soundtrack of the James Bond film No Time to Die, which he cited as one of his favorites. Cha opted to begin the season with back-to-back events on the Challenger series, citing a desire for "motivation for myself to improve as quickly as possible." He won silver at the 2022 CS Nepela Memorial and then gold at the 2022 CS Finlandia Trophy on the following weekend.
2023–24 season: Struggles with injury and Four Continents bronze
Cha came sixth at the 2023 CS Nepela Memorial in his first competitive appearance of the season, before winning the silver medal at the Shanghai Trophy. He began the Grand Prix at the 2023 Skate Canada International, placing second in the short program despite a fall on his quad toe loop. However, an error-filled performance in the free skate saw him eleventh in that segment, dropping to ninth overall. Cha subsequently revealed that he was dealing with a right ankle injury, and in consequence he withdrew from the 2023 Grand Prix of Espoo. Despite continuing issues, he planned to participate in the Korean national ranking competition in order to maintain his eligibility for international assignments. He resumed training a week before the ranking competition, and with the use of painkillers was able to compete at and win the event, saying afterward that he would focus on recuperating the nerve injury to his ankle.
2024–25 season: Asian Winter Games champion and Four Continents silver
As he began the new season, Cha said he loves the lyrics of "Natural" for its strong voice and beat, and he chose it for his short program because it gives him "power" like "magic". He said that his free program "Balada para un Loco" is completely different from his previous music choices, and he feels "really into the voice and the music", so he can "focus on his skating". He also explained that his intention is not just to follow the song's vocal but to express he is "speaking directly during his skating." Cha began the season by finishing fourth at the 2024 Nebelhorn Trophy. He went on to take gold at the Shanghai Trophy. One week following that event, Cha competed at the 2024 Korean Universiade and Asian Games Qualifiers, which he won. With this result, Cha was selected to represent South Korea at the 2025 Winter World University Games and the 2025 Asian Winter Games.
Public Life
Media career
Before becoming a figure skater, Cha was active as a child actor and model. He worked as a child model in magazines and appeared in various commercials for brands in categories such as toys, finance, hygiene products, and food. He also acted in television dramas including Miracle, Best Theater, and The Return of Iljimae.
Endorsements and public appearances
Cha has been featured in fashion magazine editorials, including Vogue Korea, Elle Korea, Men's Health Korea, W Korea, GQ Korea and Japan's SPUR. He has participated in several public campaigns, including those by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, the National Election Commission and UNICEF Korea. Cha has also endorsed various brands across fashion, pharmaceutical and healthcare products, and food. In 2025, he was named honorary ambassador for Incheon International Airport and became a promotional ambassador for the 120th anniversary of Korea University following his graduation.
Roles and involvement
In January 2020, Cha participated in the 135th IOC Session as part of the South Korean delegation supporting the bid to host the 2024 Winter Youth Olympics. Motivated by this experience, he ran in the 2025 domestic selection to become the South Korean candidate for the IOC Athletes' Commission, with the goal of advocating for athletes' rights, while the candidacy was awarded to bobsledder Won Yun-jong. In June of the same year, he was named as one of 13 elected members of the Athletes' Committee of the 42nd Korean Sport & Olympic Committee and commenced a four-year term.
Records and achievements
Historical junior world record score
Cha had set a junior world record score under the previous +3/-3 GOE system.
11 September 2016 Combined total 239.47 2016 JGP Japan Broken by Dmitri Aliev at the 2016–17 Junior Grand Prix Final
Programs
Competitive highlights
Detailed results
Senior level
Junior level
Filmography
Television series
Best Theater – Amnesia Young Seo Jin-woo Episode 663; one act-drama The Accidental Couple Young Han Sang-chul Episode 4
Television shows
External links
Categories: 2001 Births, Living People, South Korean Male Single Skaters, Figure Skaters From Seoul, Olympic Figure Skaters For South Korea, Figure Skaters At The 2016 Winter Youth Olympics, Figure Skaters At The 2018 Winter Olympics, Figure Skaters At The 2022 Winter Olympics, Four Continents Figure Skating Championships Medalists, World Figure Skating Championships Medalists, South Korean Male Child Actors, 21st-century South Korean Sportsmen, Competitors At The 2025 Winter World University Games, Medalists At The 2025 Winter World University Games, Winter World University Games Medalists In Figure Skating, Fisu World University Games Bronze Medalists For South Korea, Figure Skaters At The 2025 Asian Winter Games, Medalists At The 2025 Asian Winter Games, Asian Games Medalists In Figure Skating, Asian Games Gold Medalists For South Korea
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