Junhwan Cha 차준환: 2023 Skate Canada Interview

Junhwan Cha, the 2023 World silver medalist from the Republic of Korea, reflects on his recent performance at his first Grand Prix assignment of the season in this interview. This 22-year-old skater from Seoul achieved the biggest success of his career when he captured the silver medal in Saitama last season. This achievement served as a significant motivation boost for him to continue working hard and challenging himself with more complex content. In an exciting development, Cha included two quadruple jumps in his short program for the first time in his career. While he successfully landed his quad toe during the short program at the Shanghai Trophy, he encountered difficulties with this jump at his Challenger event, the 2023 Nepela Memorial, as well as his first Grand Prix of the season, Skate Canada. Unfortunately, during his Free Skate in Vancouver, Cha made uncharacteristic mistakes that caused him to drop from second place after the short program to ninth place overall. We had the opportunity to sit down with the skater the following day, where he shared his insights into his performances in Canada. Additionally, Cha clarified his coaching situation and explained the challenges he faced in continuing his training with Brian Orser in Canada. He also discussed his two new programs for the season. His short program is set to the iconic "Masquerade Waltz" by Aram Khachaturian, while his Free Skate is choreographed to the "Batman" soundtrack. He revealed his fascination with the character "Batman" and his desire to portray him, shedding light on his collaboration with the renowned choreographer, Shae-Lynn Bourne. We delved into his increasing popularity in his home country and around the world, and Cha expressed his heartfelt gratitude towards his fans. Looking ahead, Cha is gearing up for his next competition at the Grand Prix in Espoo, Finland, an arena he is familiar with, having won the Finlandia Trophy there last year.