SEOUL, February 11 (AJP) - South Korean figure skater Cha Jun-hwan secured a spot in the free skating final after placing sixth in the men's singles short program on February 10 during the XXV Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
Cha recorded a technical element score of 50.08 and a program component score of 42.64, totaling 92.72 points at the Milano Ice Skating Arena. While the score was lower than his personal best, it marked a season-high for the 25-year-old skater. Japanese skater Kagiyama Yuma finished the session in second place with 103.07 points, positioned behind leader Ilia Malinin of the United States. Chinese veteran Jin Boyang also progressed to the next round, placing 13th with a score of 86.55.
In short-track speed skating, the Chinese mixed relay team faced a difficult final on February 10. After winning their earlier heats, the Chinese quartet led the opening laps before ultimately finishing outside the podium positions. Host nation Italy claimed the gold medal, followed by Canada and Belgium. In individual heats, South Korean and Japanese skaters moved through the preliminary rounds of the men's 1,000-meter and women's 500-meter events scheduled for later this week.
The South Korean women's curling team, led by skip Gim Eun-ji, prepared for their upcoming round-robin matches following the conclusion of the mixed doubles tournament. In the mixed doubles final held on February 10, Sweden defeated the United States to take the gold medal, while Italy secured the bronze.
Norway remains at the top of the overall standings with six gold medals as of 10:00 a.m. KST on February 11. Japan holds eighth place as the highest-ranked Asian delegation, while China and South Korea remain tied for 14th place with two total medals each.
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