Nathan Chen is one step closer to winning a Gold medal for the Team USA.
The 22-year-old scored a whopping 113.97 points in the figure skating short program of the 2022 Winter Olympics, which is the segment of figure skating occurring before the free skate. Chen will participate in the event on Wednesday (February 9), looking to take home the Gold in Men’s Figure Skating.
Chen’s 113.97 points was a world record, topping his opponent Yuzuru Hanyu’s previous record of 111.82 points. Things could have gone very differently had Hanyu performed better in this year’s contest, as he flopped his opening jump, missing a quadruple salchow and thus earning no points. His total of 95.15 points was, of course, not enough to beat Chen.
When asked about his performance, Chen told reporters, “I was elated. Last Olympics, both short programs didn’t go the way I wanted, and to finally get the opportunity to skate the programs the way that I wanted — it feels really great. It means a lot.”
NATHAN CHEN EVERYBODY‼️#WinterOlympics | #WatchWithUS
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Chen, representing the United States, is now even closer to securing the Gold medal. He has made it known that he has put his previous failures in Pyeongchang 2018 behind him, when he lost both short programs.
He was one of two Americans competing in figure skating on Tuesday, along with Jason Brown. American figure skater Vincent Zhou was due to perform, but was forced to withdraw after testing positive for COVID-19. Brown currently sits in sixth place, after scoring a personal best 97.24, an impressive feat since his last Olympics was eight years ago, back in Sochi 2014.
“I gave it my all,” an emotional Brown said of the event and his performance. “It was a long time coming, eight years trying to get back to this stage, and being able to put on a performance like that, it feels great.”
Despite Brown’s admirable performance, it appears likely that Nathan Chen is currently America’s biggest hope for a Gold medal in figure skating this year, and it is very likely that he can pull it off.
What did you think of Nathan Chen’s performance? Do you think he has what it takes to bring home the Gold? Let us know, by either leaving a reaction below or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
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