Junhwan Cha: “Yuna Kim is the GOAT, and she was a hero to me. Beyond her technical perfection, she always inspired me with her ability to bring out different concepts, and I love that kind of creative challenge in figure skating.”
Junhwan Cha won the silver medal at the Four Continents Championships with a season-best performance, reflecting on his program changes, inspirations, and goals as he prepares for the upcoming Milan-Cortina Olympics.
original source: mfocus.kr dd. 25th January 2026 by Kim Hyun-jin
At the 2026 Four Continents Championships, Junhwan Cha finished with a total of 273.62 points, placing second—just 0.11 points behind first place. Here’s a translation of her comments posted on MFocus.
“It wasn’t a clean skate. I made a mistake on the jup combination, but I think I did my best in everything else.” He added, “I only retrained this program for about two weeks. Even though it’s last season’s program, I hadn’t performed it in competition again, so I felt a bit unstable before the event. But when I was actually skating, I focused on the singer’s voice and could be myself, and that made me really happy.”
Starting with this competition, Cha switched from the “Moulin Rouge” OST to his previous free skate, “Balada para un Loco.” On why he brought back this program ahead of the Olympics, he said, “The Olympics is a dream stage for any athlete. Just being able to stand on that stage again is an honor and something I’m grateful for. That’s why I thought deeply about my program and decided to bring back last season’s. In that moment, I want to deliver my message to the audience as my true self.”
While the program remained the same, his costume changed. Instead of the previous red outfit, Cha wore white. “When I brought back last season’s program, I also changed the costume. I talked a lot with the designer and shared the stories I felt while listening to ‘Balada para un Loco’ again. The designer made it almost entirely, and I agreed with everything. I’m always grateful for their hard work, and I think the costume matches perfectly with what I want to show,” he explained.
When asked about the influence of Yuna Kim, Cha replied, “Yuna Kim is the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) recognized by everyone, and she was a hero to me. Beyond her technical perfection, her storytelling in every program was incredible. She always inspired me with her ability to bring out different concepts, and I love that kind of creative challenge in figure skating. My goal is to keep testing myself with different music and styles.” Asked what inspiration he hopes to give the next generation, he said, “I just want to do my best at what I do. I’m grateful and honored that some skaters mention my name, and that makes me want to work even harder.”
Cha’s next stage is the 2026 Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo Winter Olympics in February. Asked how this competition will help him prepare, he said, “It’s a shame I made a mistake in both the short and free, but I practiced really hard for two weeks, and I wanted this event to give me experience and confidence. I think I succeeded to some extent. There are about ten days left until the Olympics, so I’ll focus on fixing the mistakes and improving what I can, and I think that will lead to better results at the Olympics.” When asked if winning an Olympic medal is his biggest goal, he replied, “A medal or podium is, of course, a dream. But like today, I want to connect with the audience and share my story through music and performance. That’s my most important goal.”
Related topics: Four Continents Championships, Junhwan Cha, Olympic Games, Yuna Kim
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