Kao Miura captures second Four Continents title by narrow margin
2026 Four Continents Figure Skating Championships: Men
Japan’s Kao Miura captured his second Four Continents title by a narrow margin of just over a tenth of a point on Sunday in Beijing, China. Junhwan Cha of South Korea soared from sixth place to earn the silver, while Sota Yamamoto of Japan claimed the bronze.
Kao Miura
Miura earned a new season’s best of 98.59 for first place with his commanding short program to “Conquest of Spaces.” The two-time Four Continents medalist landed a solid quad toe-triple toe, triple Axel and quad toe. The flying camel spin was awarded a level four, while the other two spins and footwork received a level three.
“I was really able to focus on myself,” said the 20-year-old. “In a way, it might be a bad way to put it, but I was quite relaxed while skating today. I even had the leeway to think about things other than jumps, so I think that part was good.”
The skater said he felt very “confident” in his short program, executing it like he did in practice.
“I still think there are some small mistakes,” said Miura. “I missed a few points here and there. If I can keep fixing those, I can definitely see myself reaching the 100-point mark. So, I think this short program was a rewarding one.”
The six-time Grand Prix medalist fought through his free skate to Les Parapluies de Cherbourg, placing fourth in this segment with 175.14 points. He put a hand and foot down on his opening quad loop and stepped out of a quad toe. The skater also had some tight landing on his triple Axel jumps, but managed a solid quad Salchow and quad toe-triple toe. While he picked up a level four on the final change combination spin, two other spins were graded a level two and three. The footwork received a level three. However, with a total score of 273.73, he maintained hi lead position to win the gold.
“I felt very happy. I think I skated well today,” said the national bronze medalist. The first half of the performance I had mistakes, but I was able to gain back my confidence and skate it well for the latter half. I found the room for improvement.”
“I was thinking about how I started this season,” Miura reflected. “At my first free skate this season, I got 104 points. Looking back on that, I feel like I’ve fought through, I’ve trained and I’ve persevered. There were some frustrating moments, but I gave it my all and I’ve fought it until now.”
Miura added that winning the title in 2023 was because he “wanted to win.”
“My heart was filled with a desire for victory, and I ultimately succeeded in achieving that goal,” he said. “At that moment, I was overjoyed. But now, during this competition, I stayed calm as I wanted to save my best form for the Olympics. This works well for me. I gained a steady momentum ahead of the Olympics and achieved good results here. So, I’m pleased with this result.”
Junhwan Cha
Cha opened his short program with a solid quad Salchow, but then fell on a triple Lutz-triple loop. He quickly got back on track, landing a triple Axel, but it was slightly underrotated. However, all three spins and the footwork were awarded a level four. The 2023 World silver medalist placed sixth (88.89) in this segment, but his routine to “Rain, In Your Black Eyes” earned the highest program component scores of the field.
“I think everything was good,” said the 24-year-old. “Just a little disappointment on the combination jump as I fell. Except for that, before and after the combination, I think I really tried my best and gave everything, so I’m satisfied.”
“The conditions were good too,” he added. “It’s a little shame that I made the mistake, but sometimes that happens. Today, it’s more about finding where I’m at now and getting back into the feeling. I just wanted to try to stay calm and really connect with my music and story.”
The three-time Four Continents medalist gave it his all in his dramatic free skate to music to Moulin Rouge! His routine featured two solid quads: a Salchow and toe, as well as six clean triple jumps. The only error came when he popped the back end of a triple flip-triple loop. He earned a level four on two spins and the footwork and placed first in this segment with a season’s best score of 184.73. With a total score of 273.62, he shot to second place overall with just over a tenth of point from the top spot on the podium.
“I’m very happy about my performance today,” said Cha. “I’m glad that I can skate here, because the last three months I was very unstable. After nationals, I could train properly, especially in these two weeks. Yesterday I made mistakes, but even then, I was really happy that I can skate here and enjoy the competition. Especially this competition.”
“I brought back my previous season’s free program,” he pointed out. “Especially today, I wanted to recapture that feeling from back then. It felt really good. When I skated with that music, the feeling was truly wonderful, and I was completely immersed in it. I was connected with the audience, so I was really grateful and happy to skate here.”
Cha will now prepare for his third Olympics. He was 15th in 2018 and fifth in 2022.
“It’s unbelievable for me and I’m very happy about it,” said Cha. “Through participating in the first two Olympics, I gained some experience and learned a lot. The goal of winning a medal is certainly important, but I believe what is even more crucial is what kind of performances I can present, and what moments and experiences I can gain in the Olympics. In this Four Continents, I have also made some mistakes. I may need to focus more on making up for these mistakes and showcasing my best at the Olympics and enjoying the moments.”
Sota Yamamoto
Like his teammates, Yamamoto gave a flawless short program, placing third with a new season’s best of 94.68. His expressive routine to “Yesterday” featured a quad toe-triple toe, quad Salchow and triple Axel. Two spins and the footwork were graded a level four, and the 2022–23 Grand Prix Final silver medalist earned positive GOEs on all elements.
“Before my performance, Kazuki (Tomono) skated and he was doing very well, so I thought I got to do well, too,” said Yamamoto. “Before my performance, we did a high five. I want to keep this moment and do well in tomorrow’s free skate—not only to land the jumps, but to land them with the flow of the music. I want to improve the quality of each element and aim for the best score.”
The 26-year-old gave a heartfelt free skate to “Hallelujah,” showing improved presentation and earning a new season’s best of 175.39 for third place in this segment. He landed a quad toe-triple toe and quad toe, as well as a total of four triple jumps, including two triple Axels. All three spins were graded a level four, and he earned positive GOEs throughout. He maintained third place overall with a season’s best total score of 270.07.
Getting a medal at Four Continents has been a goal for Yamamoto for a long time.
“Today, I finally achieved this goal,” he said. “As for today’s performance, the first quad salchow turned into triple salchow, and then later I had to adjust that. I made double Salchow instead of triple (in a triple Axel combination), and that lowered the points that I would get. That was a little disappointing. However, overall, I was able to remain calm and show my performance. I think my effort paid off. I want to keep training hard and do well in the next season.”
Kazuki Tomono
Japan’s Kazuki Tomono landed a quad toe-triple toe, quad Salchow and triple Salchow in his quirky short program to “That’s It (I’m Crazy).” He displayed lots of energy throughout, earning a level four on all three spins and footwork. The 2022 Four Continents silver medalist picked up many positive GOEs throughout and earned a new season’s best of 97.19 for second place.
“Quite honestly, my condition wasn’t great, but I managed to perform,” said Tomono. “Throughout the season, the short program has been good, and I was able to build a good momentum. I was confident in my short program. I was a little worried about the quad toe, but I was able to land it.”
“For the frees skating, I would like to enjoy the performance, and I want to keep calm,” he added. “I’ve been practicing and I know my training, so I just want to enjoy and do well, perform well.”
The five-time Grand Prix medalist put out a good free skate, but it wasn’t without error. He turned out his opening quad toe and stepped out of quad Salchow. However, he landed a solid quad toe as well as a total of five clean triple jumps, including two triple Axels, in his routine to “Halston.” The footwork was graded a level four, and he placed fifth in this segment, slipping to fourth place overall (171.41 / 268.60).
“Although the results were regrettable, I’m satisfied that I was able to finish the program this way after making the mistake,” said the 27-year-old. “I hope to continue working hard. I feel there are still many things I need to improve. After the Japanese Nationals, my growth was in being able to focus more intently during competitions, and I’m very happy today to finish with a relaxed mindset. Although the results were disappointing, the short program performed very well, and I think this competition was still quite good.”
Mikhail Shaidorov
Mikhail Shaidorov of Kazakhstan opened his powerful “Dune” short program with a solid quad Lutz-triple toe. He put a hand down on a solo triple Axel, but rebounded with a quad toe. The defending champion earned a level four on his change combination spin, while the footwork and other two spins received a level three. He placed fourth with 90.55 points going into the free skate.
“Today the performance was not bad, but I can do much better,” said the 21-year-old. “This competition is the most important to me right now, and after that, I’m going to the Olympic Games. I want to use this opportunity to prepare the best way possible.”
In the free skate, the 2025 World silver medalist missed his opening triple Axel-Euler-quad Salchow, only doing a triple Axel while putting a hand down. However, he rebounded with a solid quad Lutz, quad toe-Euler-triple Salchow, and quad toe-triple toe. He also picked up level four on two spins in his routine to “Confessa” and “Diva Dance,” placing second in this segment with 175.65. With a total score of 266.20, he found himself in fifth place overall.
“I think my performance was okay, a working run-through,” said Shaidorov. “Unfortunately, I made a mistake on the first combination, and I could not do it at this competition. There is something to work for the Olympic Games, but overall, I am pleased with my performance. I was fighting and this is the most important. It’s been a while since I had these feeling to fight and I feel like it came back to me. I feel I can take it from there. I was able to overcome my fears, my nerves. This is a very important experience for me in this season.”
Boyang Jin
China’s Boyang Jin earned a new season’s best of 89.46 for fifth place after his short program to “Fought & Lost.” The two-time World bronze medalist landed a quad toe, triple Axel and triple Lutz-triple toe. His uplifting routine also featured three level four spins and steps, and all elements received positive GOEs.
“I’m very satisfied with my performance today,” said Jin. “Although I didn’t feel particularly perfect when I was in the air, which made me feel a bit wobbly when landing, I overall mastered the rhythm extremely well. It’s not my most satisfying performance, but it’s still good. I hope I can perform tomorrow as well.”
The three-time Four Continents medalist placed sixth with a new season’s best of 169.40 after the free skate. Jin delivered a remarkable routine to “Perfect Symphony” in which the only noticeable error came when he put a foot down on the end of his opening quad toe-double toe. He otherwise landed a solo quad toe and seven triple jumps, including two triple Luz combinations. Two spins and the footwork were also graded a level four, and he placed sixth overall with another season’s best total score of 258.86.
The 28-year-old said he didn’t feel his overall “physical ability” was ideal.
“But for the Olympics, I think it is a good test,” said Jin. “In these five days of training and competition, I think I have performed well. If I maintain this state until the Winter Olympics, I will have more confidence. I think what needs to be improved most is the details. This is also my third Olympics. I hope to leave my footprints on the Milan Winter Olympics, leave my spirit of hard work, and show the tenacity and strong spirit of Chinese skaters.”
USA’s Tomoki Hiwatashi placed seventh overall (240.54), followed by teammate Jacob Sanchez (240.25) and Canada’s Roman Sadovsky (233.51).
“I was enjoying skating this whole year, going from the Challenger Series to Grand Prix, the Nationals, and coming here,” said Hiwatashi. “I think this Four Continents was the competition for me to just enjoy myself and put an ending to my skating career. And my goal in the future is to be involved with skating, being a technical specialist, cheering and supporting the skaters.”
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