Figure skater Cha Jun-hwan has become the first South Korean man to win gold at the Four Continents, also grabbing his first major senior title. 

Cha captured the men's gold at the International Skating Union(ISU) Four Continents Figure Skating Championships in Tallinn, Estonia, on Sunday.

He earned a personal-best score of 273-point-22 points, beating Japan's Kazuki Tomono. Taking the lead in Friday’s short program with a personal-best 98-point-96 points, the skater managed to keep it with 174-point-26 points in the free skate, overcoming an early mistake.

The only other South Korean to win a gold medal in the Four Continents was Kim Yu-na, who won the women’s competition in 2009.

Cha is one of two South Korean men to be competing in the upcoming Beijing Winter Olympics, which will run from February 4 to 20.