Follow our live coverage as Nathan Chen goes for gold in men’s figure skating.
Nathan Chen is in first place in men’s singles figure skating after winning the short program on Tuesday, nearly 6 points ahead of the second-place skater, Yuma Kagiyama of Japan. But he didn’t just win it — he crushed it, scoring 113.97 points, a world record, for skills that included impeccable quadruple jumps and gyroscope-fast spins.
No matter how Chen finishes today — win or lose — he said he had gained perspective since the last Olympics. This time, unlike at the 2018 Winter Games, he is appreciating the experience, win or lose. Four years ago before the free skate, he sat in 17th place after performing a short program filled with errors. He ended up fifth overall.
Now, Buoyed by a new sense of confidence, he has lost only once since the 2018 world championships. If he loses a second time, today at the Olympics, he said, he won’t be devastated, at least for long.
