Rising South Korean figure skating star Cha Jun-hwan on Thursday unveiled an ambitious plan to add a difficult element to an already challenging program before next year's Winter Olympics at home.
Starting Saturday at Mokdong Ice Rink in Seoul, Cha is scheduled to compete in the Figure Skating Korea Challenge, which will double as the first round of the national team trials for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. The winner of this event will compete at the Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany in September, the last Olympic qualifying competition where six spots will be up for grabs.
Thanks to a strong 2016-2017 season as a junior, Cha, 15, is considered a favorite this week. During open practice Thursday, Cha unveiled his new short program and free skate.
For now, he will have two quadruple jumps -- the quadruple toe loop and quadruple salchow -- in his free skate, and he plans to add another quad jump to the equation later in the season.
South Korean figure skater Cha Jun-hwan skates during practice two days before the Figure Skating Korea Challenge at Mokdong Ice Rink in Seoul on July 27, 2017. (Yonhap)
"When I get into better form past the halfway point in the season, I'll do another quadruple jump," Cha said at the press conference after the practice. "I started preparing for this season earlier than I had for other years. I believe I'll get into even better shape later in the season."MOST POPULAR