While Cha Jun-hwan (Korea University), the leading figure skater in the Korean men’s singles, finished sixth in the Challenger competition, Kim Hyun-gyeom, who competed together, broke his highest point and reached fourth place.

At the 2023-2024 International Skating Union (ISU) Figure Skating Nepela Memorial Men’s Single Free Skating held in Bratislava, Slovakia on the 1st, Cha received 138.25 points including 62.00 points in technical score (TES), 77.25 points in art score (PCS), and 1 point in deduction. Cha Jun-hwan received a total of 222.16 points, including 83.91 points received in the short program the previous day, and ranked sixth.

Nepela Memorial is a challenger competition one level lower than the Grand Prix series. Cha participated in the competition ahead of the second and fifth rounds of the Senior Grand Prix this season. Cha Jun-hwan fell short of his ISU-certified short program’s highest score (101.33 points), free skate’s highest score (196.39 points), and total score’s highest score (296.03 points).

Cha Joon-hwan neatly succeeded in his first task, Quadruple Salco, earning 2.72 points in performance score (GOE). However, he fell on the quadruple toe loop that followed and fell on his hip and was cut by 3.80 points.

In the third jump, the quadruple salco-double toe loop combination jump, he scored GOE 1.94 points and handled the flying camel spin at level 3.

Cha Jun-hwan was deducted 2.60 points from the triple lutz-triple loop combination jump by the underrotated decision (if the number of jumps is less than 90 degrees and less than 180 degrees). Level 3 was achieved in the step sequence.

In the second half of the section with an additional 10% point, he received zero points in both jumps due to successive mistakes. The last jump, the triple flip, landed stably.

Although the posture was judged to be inaccurate in the change foot combination spin, it succeeded in processing the flying change foot combination spin to level 4 after the Correo sequence.

Kim Hyun-gyeom (Han Advertising) scored a total of 155.22 points, scoring TES 81.96 points and PCS 73.26 points for his clean performance in free skating.

Kim Hyun-gyeom ranked fourth with a final 230.46 points, including 75.24 points in the short program the previous day. It is 5.84 points different from Mark Gorodnitsky (236.30 points, Israel), who is ranked third.

Kim Hyun-kyum rewrote his previous ISU-certified free skating record of 149.54 points.

Kim Hyun-kyum scored 0.95 GOE by perfectly playing the quadruple toe loop, the first task. The subsequent triple axel solo jump, triple lutz-triple toe loop combination jump, and triple flip were also performed without any problems.

Kim Hyun-gyeom, who handled the flying camel spin at level 3, handled the second-half jump tasks, triple lutz-triple toe loop combination jump, triple loop-double axel sequence jump, and triple salco stably.

Kim Hyun-kyum, who handled the change foot combination spin as a level 3, introduced step sequences and correo sequences one after another and drew level 3 from the flying change foot combination spin.

Kim Hyun-gyeom, who has confirmed his entry into the Junior Grand Prix Final stage, is raising expectations for a medal. The Junior Grand Prix Final is scheduled to be held in Beijing, China, in December. 스포츠토토