Miura Reclaims Gold in Beijing

Kao Miura has officially solidified his status as a figure skating powerhouse, clinching his second ISU Four Continents title in a nail-biting finale in Beijing. In a battle that came down to the absolute wire, Miura fended off a spectacular surge from Korea’s Junhwan Cha by a razor-thin margin of just 0.11 points.

Despite a rocky start to his “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” program—including a stumble on his opening quad loop—Miura showed the heart of a champion. He rallied to land a quad Salchow and a difficult quad-triple combination, finishing with a total score of 273.73. “I fought it through,” Miura reflected, eyeing the upcoming Olympics. “I found room for improvement… that’s something I need to work on.”

The story of the night was also the incredible comeback of Junhwan Cha. Rising from 6th place after the Short Program, Cha delivered a masterpiece to “Balada para un Loco,” winning the Free Skate segment and securing the silver. The 24-year-old Korean veteran, despite recent struggles with his equipment, proved his artistic and technical longevity on the ice.

Japan’s Sota Yamamoto rounded out the podium with a career-first senior ISU medal, contributing to a dominant weekend for Japan. Yamamoto, performing to “Hallelujah,” displayed remarkable poise as he adjusted his planned jumps mid-program, securing a personal milestone and a bronze medal for his country.

The competition was a testament to the depth of men’s figure skating, as even established champions like Kazuki Tomono and Mikhail Shaidorov faced immense pressure. Tomono slipped from second to fourth, while Shaidorov, the 2025 champion, surged in the free skate to finish fifth, highlighting how one small error can shift the entire leaderboard.

For China’s own Boyang Jin, the event was a homecoming filled with nostalgia and grit. Finishing sixth, the 2018 champion remains a crowd favorite, proving that the spirit of the sport thrives on both the emergence of new stars like Miura and the enduring resilience of the veterans.

Source: article on isu-skating.com, published January 25, 2026.

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By Vitalina Andrushchenko, Staff Writer