Breaking the World Championships record of 99.64 points on
the 25th after taking on the challenge in free skating, Lee
Hae-in, who took second place in the short program, also aims for the championship today
Korean male figure skating star Jun-hwan Cha (22, Korea University) won the short program individual at the 2023 International Skating Union안전놀이터 (ISU) World Championships Renewing the highest score, he climbed to third place, raising expectations for his first medal.
In the men’s single short competition held on the 23rd at Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, Cha Jun-hwan scored 99.64 points, including a technical score (TES) of 55.04 and a arts score (PCS) of 44.6 points. This is a personal best score, 0.13 points higher than Cha Jun-hwan’s 99.51 points received at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. ‘Defending champion’ Shoma Uno (Japan) ranked first with 104.63 points, Ilya Malinin (USA) came second with 100.38 points, followed by Cha Jun-hwan.
In the short race at the Four Continents Championships held last month, Cha Jun-hwan finished fourth due to a mistake in his triple lutz + triple loop combination jump. He clearly shook off the sluggishness at the time by showing off perfect jumps, spins, and choreography that day. In particular, it was encouraging that he perfectly performed the triple axel jump, which had been shaken throughout the season. Driven by this momentum, Cha Jun-hwan will challenge for his first medal at the World Championships in the free skating event to be held on the 25th.
Meanwhile, in the women’s figure skating short held the day before, Lee Hae-in (17, Sehwa Girls’ High School) broke her own record with 73.62 points, coming in second after Kaori Sakamoto (22, Japan) with 79.24 points. Lee Hae-in finished sixth in the short at the Four Continents Championships last month, but with a perfect performance in the free skating, Lee Hae-in reached the top of the Four Continents Championship 14 years after Kim Yu-na, so expectations are high for a come-from-behind victory this time. Lee Hae-in’s free skating will be held on the 24th.