Figure Skater Nathan Chen Just Broke A Massive World Record
One of the biggest events at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics is figure skating. Every four years audiences look forward to watching the amazing grace and athleticism on ice as figure skaters perform complex choreography and difficult jumps. This year, the United States has its gold medal hopes placed on Nathan Chen in the men's singles event, per The New York Times. Chen has already helped his country win a silver medal in the team event, but is looking to create more history on his own.
Beijing marks Chen's second appearance at the Olympic Games, having previously made his Olympic debut in Pyeongchang in 2018. Chen was considered a heavy favorite four years ago, but did not perform to his best and placed fifth overall in the men's singles, according to his Olympics profile.
Since then, Chen has upped his consistency, winning gold at three world championships and becoming the first male figure skater to compete five different quadruple jumps in competition, per The New York Times. However, Chen has just made more history at this games by breaking a massive world record and could be on his way to getting that elusive gold medal.
Nathan Chen blew his competition out of the water
Heading into the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Nathan Chen was considered a heavy favorite for the gold medal, alongside his longtime rival and two-time Olympic champion, Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan. However, Hanyu did not perform up to his previous standards during the men's short program, popping a quad salchow jump, which landed him in eighth place, per Slate. Meanwhile, Chen took advantage of Hanyu's mistake and performed the skate of his Olympic career.
Skating to "La Boheme," Chen demolished his competition by landing all his required jumps and showcasing impeccable footwork in his choreography and step sequences. Per Sports Illustrated, Chen earned a score of 113.97, which is a new world record, making him the current male figure skater to hold the world records in the short program, free skate, and combined scores. The world record score also gives him a five point lead over Japan's Yuma Kagiyama, who sits in second place ahead of the men's free skate on February 10.
Though Chen was happy about his performance, he knows that there's still work to be done, telling NBC Olympics that he will not count his competition out. As the saying goes: it isn't over until it's over.