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Nathan Chen has accomplished conscionable astir everything that 1 tin execute successful the athletics of fig skating. The lone happening he's yet to accomplish? Winning Olympic gold.
22-year-old acceptable for conflict against 2-time champion Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan
Dave Skretta · The Associated Press
· Posted: Jan 12, 2022 1:13 PM EST | Last Updated: January 12, 2022
Nathan Chen has accomplished conscionable astir everything that 1 tin execute successful the athletics of fig skating.
Six consecutive nationalist championships, the astir since two-time Olympic champion Dick Button successful the 1940s and '50s.
Three consecutive satellite championships, the champion tally by an American since Scott Hamilton successful the aboriginal '80s.
Nearly 4 years with lone a azygous defeat, a tally that includes 3 consecutive wins astatine the Grand Prix Final.
The 22-year-old Chen blew his accidental 4 years agone successful Pyeongchang, erstwhile an unusually mediocre abbreviated programme outgo him a accidental astatine a medal; helium rallied to decorativeness fifth. But he's astir to get different changeable adjacent period successful Beijing, erstwhile Chen goes toe-to-toe with two-time defending golden medallist Yuzuru Hanyu and a stacked tract astatine historical Capital Indoor Stadium.
"Every play my extremity is to support improving," Chen said aft shattering his personal-best people astatine nationals past week. "I'm looking guardant to going backmost and moving connected immoderate goals I person for the Games. I'm conscionable enjoying this moment."
WATCH | Chen claims 1st Skate Canada International triumph successful Vancouver:
Nathan Chen claims 1st Skate Canada International victory
The showdown betwixt Chen and Hanyu volition beryllium the item of the full Olympic program.
The American comes equipped with an array of quadruple jumps that rival anyone successful the world, portion his artistry takes him beyond being conscionable an jock to being a bona fide performer. The biggest question surrounding Chen is what programs he'll unveil successful Beijing — the programs helium utilized with mixed results earlier successful the play oregon the programs helium utilized astatine nationals, a abbreviated to "La Boheme" and an Elton John medley for his escaped skate that helium utilized during the 2019-20 season.
"I'm truly blessed with these programs," Chen said, giving recognition to choreographer Shae-Lynn Bourne, "and that's wherefore it's awesome to beryllium capable to person specified astonishing choreographers consistently present large programs for me, truthful it's casual to beryllium capable to spell backmost and look done each the enactment she's done with me."
Hanyu withdrew from some of his Grand Prix assignments due to the fact that an injured close ankle, but helium dazzled past period successful winning the Japanese championship. His cardinal to triumph could remainder successful becoming the archetypal skater ever to onshore the quadruple axel — a leap that involves 4 1/2 rotations that helium has landed successful practice.
"Beijing is an hold of everything I'm doing," Hanyu said, "and I cognize I conscionable mightiness person to spell each successful now."
Others to ticker successful the men's contention see Shoma Uno, the reigning Olympic metallic medallist who won the NHK Trophy past fall; Vincent Zhou, the American who bushed Chen astatine Skate America and was 2nd to Uno astatine the NHK Trophy; and the Russian prima Mikhail Kolyada, who finished 2nd astatine his 2 Grand Prix assignments this season.
Canada's entries successful the contention see Keegan Messing and Roman Sadovsky.
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