Lia Cho opened the new season with a victory at NextGen and now turns her attention to her first junior international assignments. The 13-year-old enters the season after winning her second consecutive Canadian junior title and breaking her own Canadian junior women’s scoring records at the 2026 Canadian National Championships.

“This is my first season being age eligible to compete junior internationally,” Cho said. “My goal is to enjoy every experience I have, meet new skaters from around the world, stay healthy, continue improving, and make new friends.”

Recent Success at NextGen

The skater recently competed at the 2026 NextGen competition in Gatineau, Quebec, where she placed first in the junior division.

“This is my third year competing at the NextGen competition,” said Cho. “It is always a great opportunity for me to evaluate where I stand and learn the areas where I need to improve. I received a lot of valuable feedback from the officials, and changes to the rules. They gave some suggestions to change spins in both short and free programs.”

In the short program, she landed a double Axel, triple Lutz, and triple flip-triple toe.

In the free skate, she landed a double Axel, triple Lutz, triple flip, triple Lutz-triple toe, triple loop, and triple flip-Euler-triple Salchow-double Axel sequence. She scored a total of 195.90 points.

“The NextGen competition is one of my favorite competitions because it also focuses on building relationships throughout the four-day event,” she said. “I am always excited to see my friends from across the country, hang out, and make new friends. The event is not only a great competitive experience, but also an opportunity to build and strengthen relationships.”

Since returning home, Cho and coach Scott Davis have made small adjustments to her programs in preparation for the 2026 Cranberry Cup International. This event, which takes place next week, will mark her international junior debut. She will then begin her Junior Grand Prix campaign in Bangkok, Thailand, September 2–5.

Together, these events mark an exciting beginning to Cho’s junior international career.

Building Toward Her Junior International Debut

While international assignments are on the horizon, Cho’s offseason focus has remained firmly rooted in technical development. Chief among her goals is improving the consistency of her triple Axel, a jump she chose not to attempt at nationals last season.

“I think I was a little bit too nervous, and it wasn’t consistent enough,” she explained. “I decided to keep it clean and maybe attempt it in the future.”

For now, consistency remains the priority.

In addition to the triple Axel, Cho has begun exploring even bigger elements. She revealed that she has started working on both the quadruple Salchow and the quadruple toe loop, though her recent attention has centered on adjusting to new equipment.

“I like quad Sal better than quad toe,” she said. “The triple Axel and quad Sal are similar to me.”

The past year has not been without challenges. Cho has grown approximately three inches since last season and dealt with minor injuries affecting her back, knee, and ankle. Those experiences taught her valuable lessons about managing her body and training load.

“I’ve been learning how to understand my body more, take care of my physical condition, take rests, and control my skating amount,” she said.

Adapting to Change

The challenges of the past year have also shaped Cho’s perspective.

“I’ve learned that I need to stay in control of myself when I jump, and also manage my emotions when I get injured,” she said. “I feel like I’ve matured a lot, both as a person and as a skater.”

Finding the right boots and blades became an important part of adapting to those physical changes. After experimenting with different setups, Cho believes she has found equipment that will help her stay healthy moving forward.

“I think fans will notice that my program has become more mature this season,” she said. “My skating has become more effortless, and I’m using deeper edges and better skating skills.”

She also believes both the speed into her jumps and the quality of her elements have improved significantly.

New Programs for a New Season

The new season will feature a fresh short program set to Die Fledermaus, but Cho has decided to keep her free skate from last season to Scheherazade. Both programs were choreographed by Jeffrey Buttle.

Cho immediately connected with the new short program after exploring various waltzes with her coaching team.

“I really enjoyed it,” she said. “I hope the audience can feel those different personalities and emotions throughout my new program.”

Among her two programs, the short program feels especially personal.

“It’s fun and allows me to show my different characters,” she said. “I especially enjoy performing my step sequence.”

The new choreographic spin has also sparked her creativity. Inspired by other skaters and ideas from her coaching team, Cho is looking forward to incorporating the element into her performances this season.

Life Beyond the Rink

Away from the rink, Cho continues to balance skating with school and a variety of interests. She enjoys spending time with friends and family, baking, visiting parks, shopping with friends, and dancing. She also enjoys learning about history, which has become one of her favorite subjects alongside math this year.

Next year, she will also begin attending National Sports School.

Beyond skating, Cho has a musical side.

“I play the flute in my school band,” she said. “I’ve done a couple of concerts before, and I enjoy learning different instruments like the flute and piano. I like listening to all kinds of music, but especially K-pop.”

Cho’s love of animals—especially turtles—is well documented. Her favorite competition companion is a stuffed turtle named Tofu, which helps calm her nerves before taking the ice.

“I give it squishes before I compete,” she said with a laugh.

With new programs, new goals, and new experiences awaiting her, Cho is approaching the season with excitement rather than pressure.

“I’m excited to compete internationally as a junior and as a senior domestically,” she said. “They’re both going to be new challenges, and I’m excited to learn from the new experiences, watch other great skaters, and grow as a skater.”

Paula Slater

Paula is the founder of Golden Skate, which she launched in 1999. She has followed figure skating for more than four decades and has covered the Olympic Winter Games, ISU World Championships, and numerous other international competitions. A retired U.S. Army veteran with a bachelor's degree in psychology, Paula is dedicated to delivering accurate journalism, in-depth athlete interviews, and comprehensive resources that serve the global figure skating community.