Figure skating men's singles leader Cha Jun-hwan announced his withdrawal from the World Championships due to a boot problem.
Cha Jun-hwan's management company, Bravo & New, said, "Cha Jun-hwan withdrew due to a boot problem ahead of the free skating of the 2022 International Skating Union (ISU) Figure Skating World Championships scheduled for that day."
The Figure Skating World Championships are being held in Montpellier, France from the 23rd.
Cha Jun-hwan, who placed 5th in the men's singles at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics last month, was the first Korean male athlete to win a medal at this event, but in the short program on the 24th, he finished 17th out of 30 (82.43 points).
He couldn't show his skills because of his boots and eventually gave up on free skating.
According to Bravo & New, Cha Jun-hwan tried to change four pairs of boots after finishing the Beijing Winter Olympics, but he decided to wear the original boots for the World Championships.
But there is a problem with these boots.
Bravo & New explained, "In preparation for the competition, the ankle part of the right boot broke, and I hurriedly repaired it, such as adding plastic.
He continued, "I quickly put leather on the boots and made a hole so that I could tie the laces, but the boots did not receive enough force and it was difficult to perform the short program. I started practicing again for free skating, but today's last practice. After doing that, I decided that I couldn’t perform normally, so I withdrew after consulting with coach Brian Orser.”
Cha Jun-hwan said, "After discussing with coach Oh Seo during official practice yesterday and today to check the condition of the boots, we decided to withdraw from the program because the program could not be performed and there was a risk of injury. However, it is a pity that we cannot show you what we have prepared.”