Twenty years after a young Nathan Chen watched the figure skating competition at his hometown Salt Lake City Olympics and decided he wanted to be like them, a virtuoso Chen became an Olympic gold medalist.
Chen, who trains at Great Park Ice in Irvine, California, on Thursday blended the power and musicality that have made him a world champion three times and took them to the next level to become the seventh American man to win a figure skating singles gold medal. Chen retained the lead he had built with his short program by performing an animated and accomplished free skate to an Elton John medley, finishing with 332.60 points and living out the dream he had kept close to his heart since 2002.
That dream had eluded him four years ago in Pyeongchang, where a mistake-filled effort consigned him to 17th after the short program and only a superhuman free skate elevated him to fifth. This time, he was surefooted and unbeatable at Capital Indoor Stadium as he ended the reign of two-time Olympic gold medalist Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan.
鈥淓verything is still a whirlwind. But I never thought I鈥檇 actually be able to make this happen, so to be able to just have this opportunity was amazing,鈥� he said.
Why wouldn鈥檛 it happen? 鈥淚t鈥檚 hard. I don鈥檛 know,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always been a dream of mine of course but it鈥檚 a pretty daunting mountain.鈥�
Afterward, Chen hugged coach Rafael Arutyunyan, whom he has followed from rink to rink for many years because he trusted that Arutyunyan could guide him toward the top of the skating world. Chen鈥檚 belief was as sure as his skating.
Teammate Jason Brown was effusive in his praise: 鈥淥h my gosh, I鈥檓 just so proud of him. No one deserves it more. He just is like no one else.鈥�
Hanyu, who stood eighth after the short program, put up a brave and admirable fight but finished fourth.
Hanyu kept his promise to attempt an unprecedented quadruple axel jump and nearly completed all 4陆 revolutions before he fell on the landing. He also fell on his second jump, a quadruple salchow, but he landed two other quads in combinations and was otherwise his usual stirring and stellar self.
Hanyu, 27, bowed deeply toward every side of the rink and held his hand over his heart. He left the ice with a twirl and an arm extended toward the small but adoring crowd before moving to the kiss-and-cry area to hear his scores. With 188.06 points for his free skate he finished with 283.21 total points and held the lead with seven skaters to go. He was passed by Japanese countrymen Yuma Kagiyama, who finished second with 310.05 points, and Shoma Uno, who fell in his 鈥淏olero鈥� free skate but totaled 293.00 points to win the bronze medal.
鈥淐oming into this, in my mind, I did not feel I was the favorite to win,鈥� Chen said. 鈥淎s soon as you hear the name 鈥榊uzuru Hanyu,鈥� you鈥檙e like, 鈥榃ell, this competition is going to be hard,鈥� as well as the two other Japanese men. Yuma鈥檚 been on an amazing hot trajectory and Shoma has been doing his thing quietly but making it hard on all the rest of the competitors. The rest of the field is super-deep as well so you couldn鈥檛 really count out anyone.鈥�
鈥擧elene Elliott Los Angeles Times
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