Figure skating – ISU CS Kinoshita Group Cup 2025: Hiccups and all, Cha Junhwan still cruises to men’s title
In a thrilling display of sportsmanship, Cha Junhwan, the celebrated figure skater from the Republic of Korea, became the first-ever men’s Kinoshita Group Cup 2025 champion on Sunday, September 7, in Osaka. Despite encountering some bumps throughout his program, Cha demonstrated incredible resilience, securing a comfortable victory.
Cha, a two-time Olympian, finished with a score of 253.31, topping his closest competitor, Tomono Kazuki, by a significant margin of over ten points. While Cha’s free skate earned him a score of 165.55, it wasn’t without its challenges. The young skater expressed dissatisfaction, having mishandled his opening jumps and failed to execute a quad Salchow-triple toeloop combination as planned.
“I was a bit disappointed about that,” Cha remarked. Choosing the vibrant theme of “Moulin Rouge” for his free skate, he hinted at the urgency of improvement moving forward. “I popped the first jump, and while I felt consistent in practice, I just made a mistake. I’ve got to focus better,” he explained.
Cha’s journey, however, has only just begun. Assigned to compete in the Cup of China and the NHK Trophy in November, he remains confident that valuable lessons can be gleaned from his performance. “It’s really early in the season, and I can get a lot of feedback to work on many aspects,” he asserted. His ambitious aims are reminiscent of seasoned experts in the sport, as he declared: “I was feeling only about 40 to 50 percent ready on the ice, but I believe there’s room for improvement going forward.”
As this season unfolds, expect to witness the evolution of Cha Junhwan, along with thrilling competitions from an elite field of figure skating talents!
ISU Challenger Series Kinoshita Group Cup 2025: Results
Men (free skating)
1. Cha Junhwan (KOR) – 253.31 (165.55)
2. Tomono Kazuki (JPN) – 236.78 (151.70)
3. Hiwatashi Tomoki (USA) – 236.71 (153.09)
4. Yamamoto Sota (JPN) – 233.91 (148.93)
5. Tsuboi Tatsuya (JPN) – 231.19 (152.37)
6. Lee Jaekeun (KOR) – 226.53 (144.12)
