His free skate score of 215.08 was also the highest in Olympic history. He rebounded in the free skate, becoming the first person in Olympic history to attempt six quads and to land five cleanly. “No one wants to skate like that on Olympic ice,” Chen said. Chen staggered and stumbled through a routine to the music of “Mao’s Last Dancer.” His score of 82.27 was 24 points off his personal best and left him in 17th place. I’m so proud to be a teammate.”įor all his success, Chen’s first Olympic experience, four years ago in South Korea, hounded him until this week.Įxpected to challenge Hanyu for the gold medal, any hopes of making the podium were buried by a disastrous short program in the men’s singles competition. “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 American Jason Brown, who finished in sixth place. men’s Olympic champions, Scott Hamilton (1984), Brian Boitano (1988) and Evan Lysacek (2010), all of whom won their gold medals in their second Games. Hanyu fell on his attempt to finish with a total score of 283.21 and in fourth place.Ĭhen’s victory followed a familiar pattern set by the previous three U.S. On Thursday he tried one final Hail Mary of sorts, opening with quad Axel, a jump so difficult it has never been successfully completed in competition. Hanyu’s bid to become the first man to win three consecutive Olympic gold medals was derailed with an eighth-place finish in the short program. The competition marked the changing of the guard at the top of the sport, Chen’s triumph coinciding with what almost certainly was the final performance on Olympic ice by the man who started the day considered by many to be the greatest male skater in history, Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu, the 20 gold medalist. Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama (310.05) and Shoma Uno (293.00) took the silver and bronze medals but were in reality never anything more than warm-up acts to Chen’s main event. “He’s definitely better.”Ĭhen, who trains at Great Park Ice in Irvine, was never really challenged on his way to becoming the seventh American to win the Olympic men’s title, the first since 2010. He excelled in the free skate, scoring a 215.08.“He’s better,” Arutyunyan said. He focused on the technical aspects of his skate, feeling and listening to the music, keeping his mind clear and focusing on the present moment. In the days between the short program and the free skate at the 2018 Olympics, Chen changed his mindset and approach.īecause he was out of medal contention, he was able to skate freely in the free skate, no longer worried about winning a medal. It was redemption for Chen, who at the 2018 Games finished 17th in the short program before vaulting to fifth place after the free skate, but still off podium position.įailing on the world’s biggest stage turned out to be a valuable learning experience. Japan’s Yuma Kagiyama won the silver medal with a combined score of 310.05 and Uno took bronze with a combined score of 293.00. On Wednesday, his reaction was one of complete relief. 😤 #WinterOlympics /4rp8oOplpd- NBC Olympics February 10, 2022Īfter his world record-setting short program on Monday, Chen pumped his fist after he finished.
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