Global Economic Times

Cha Jun-hwan and Kim Chae-yeon make history at the Harbin 2025 Asian Winter Games South Korea sweeps figure skating singles gold medals for the first time: Hwang Sujin Reporter / Updated : 2025-02-14 15:05:43

HARBIN – South Korea achieved a historic milestone in figure skating at the Harbin 2025 Asian Winter Games, with Cha Jun-hwan and Kim Chae-yeon winning the men's and women's singles gold medals, respectively. This is the first time that South Korea has won both singles titles at the same Asian Winter Games.

Cha Jun-hwan, 24, overcame a deficit of 9.72 points after the short program to win the men's singles title. He scored a total of 281.69 points, surpassing Japan's Yuma Kagiyama, who had led after the short program. Kagiyama finished in second place with 272.76 points, while Kazakhstan's Mikhail Shaidorov took the bronze medal with 246.01 points.

This is Cha Jun-hwan's first gold medal at the Asian Winter Games, and it is also the first gold medal for South Korea in men's singles figure skating at the event. Cha Jun-hwan's victory is even more impressive considering that he has been battling a chronic ankle injury for years.

"I am very satisfied with my performance," said Cha Jun-hwan. "I didn't achieve my personal best score, but I am happy with the result."

Kim Chae-yeon, 19, also won her first gold medal at the Asian Winter Games, taking the women's singles title with a total score of 219.44 points. She defeated Japan's Kaori Sakamoto, who had led after the short program but fell during her free skate. Sakamoto finished in second place with 211.90 points, while China's Liu Yan took the bronze medal with 198.81 points.

Kim Chae-yeon's victory is also a historic one for South Korea, as it is the first time that the country has won the women's singles gold medal at the Asian Winter Games since Choi Da-bin won in 2017.

"I didn't think about the gold medal," said Kim Chae-yeon. "I was just watching Sakamoto's performance, and I couldn't believe it when I found out that I had won. She is such a great skater, and I am honored to have beaten her."

With their victories, Cha Jun-hwan and Kim Chae-yeon have cemented their place in South Korean figure skating history. They have also given South Korea a boost of confidence heading into the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.