He came close, but couldn't quite hold onto the landing, then fell again on his quad salchow before an emotional finish to what could be his final performance on Olympic ice. But after missing most of the past year to an ankle injury, the 27-year-old struggled through his short program on Tuesday, essentially taking him out of contention for a medal.Īll that was left for Hanyu was a go-for-broke shot at the quad axel, a 4 1/2-revolution jump that has never been landed in competition. Yuzuru Hanyu arrived in Beijing aiming to become the first men's skater since Gillis Grafstrom in 1928 to win a third straight Olympic gold medal. While the spotlight shined bright as ever on Chen, it seemed to fade away for his longtime hero and Japanese rival. "I've gotten to compete with him over the last four years - at all the world championships, every national championship, the Grand Prix. "He deserves it," said Jason Brown, who finished in sixth place. Once they were read, Chen's longtime coach raised his arm like a triumphant boxer. Gold medalist Nathan Chen of Team United States celebrates during the Men Single Skating flower ceremony on day six of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Capital Indoor Stadium on Februin Beijing, China.Ĭhen basked in the spotlight in the middle of the ice, then headed off to hear his scores, which by that point were a mere formality. The lyrics to "Rocketman" that played through the old home of ping-pong diplomacy - "And I think it's gonna be a long, long time, 'til touchdown brings me 'round again" - seemed fitting for the moment. He landed four more effortless quads, his only slight bobble coming on a late combination sequence, and couldn't wipe the grin from his face as he seemingly reached for the sky. With a socially distanced crowd watching Thursday afternoon in Beijing and millions back home on late-night TV, Chen soared through his opening quad salchow. He did his part for the American team with a winning short program last Friday. "Whatever ends up being the case will be the case, but I'm still wrapped up in what I was able to do today." "I mean, I don't really feel like I'm the most qualified person to talk about it," Chen said. #WinterOlympics #WatchWithUS - NBC Sports February 10, 2022 He became the first American figure skating champion since Evan Lysacek in 2010 and capped one of the most dominant four-year runs in the history of the sport. With a nearly perfect free skate on the heels of a record-setting short program, the 22-year-old Yale student walked away with the gold medal at the Beijing Games Thursday. Ten years later, Chen sat alongside Artyunyun on Thursday morning as his scores were read and that dream was finally realized. He had started just a few years earlier, using his sister's skates and sleeping in the car to follow his Olympic dreams. Russian figure skater reportedly fails drug test 01:28 Nathan Chen of Team United States celebrates during the men's individual free skating on day six of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Capital Indoor Stadium on Februin Beijing, China.īeijing - Nathan Chen remembers making the long drive with his mother from his home in Salt Lake City to Rafael Artyunyun's training base in Southern California.
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