Jun-hwan Cha Eyes Comeback Victory in Free Skate at Milan Olympics

"I gave my best and made no major mistakes, but the score was disappointing."

Jun-hwan Cha made the remarks after completing his short program at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics at the Milano Ice Skating Arena on Feb. 10. Despite delivering a clean performance without errors, his score fell short of expectations at 92.72 points, leaving him in sixth place.

Ilya Malinin of the United States topped the short program with 108.16 points, followed by Yuma Kagiyama of Japan with 103.07 points and Adam Siao Him Fa of France with 102.55 points. Cha's disappointment was visible as he checked his score in the kiss-and-cry zone.

The 23-year-old Korean figure skater has set his sights on a comeback in the free skate on Feb. 14. Despite his disappointment, he displayed characteristic optimism, saying, "If I enjoy the Olympic moment, the results will follow."

Cha has reason for confidence as a proven comeback specialist. At the ISU Four Continents Championships in January, he fell during his second jump in the short program to finish sixth with 88.89 points. He then posted the highest free skate score among all competitors at 184.73 points, claiming silver with a total of 273.62 points after overcoming an 8.9-point deficit.

His secret weapon for the free skate is his expressive artistry. In a strategic retreat for Olympic success, Cha reduced his high-difficulty jumps to one in the short program and two in the free skate. He also switched his free program from "Moulin Rouge" to "Ballad for a Mad Man," the same music that won him gold at the 2025 Harbin Asian Games.

The strategy prioritizes maximizing artistic expression in a familiar setting over risky maneuvers. By trading some technical element scores for higher grades of execution and program component scores, Cha aims to replicate his Four Continents comeback on the Olympic stage.

His condition appears solid. Bouncing back from team event errors to deliver a clean short program is encouraging. If he maximizes his artistry without mistakes, fans hope for a repeat of his Four Continents medal comeback.

Cha's free skate begins at 3 a.m. Korean time on Feb. 14 at the Milano Ice Skating Arena, with 24 skaters competing. At the 2022 Beijing Olympics, he finished fifth, setting a record for Korean men's singles. All eyes are on whether he can write another comeback story and become Korea's first Olympic medalist in men's figure skating.