Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Top Moment of the Day – 10 February: Nathan Chen completes Olympic redemption with men's figure skating gold
The American's spectacular free skate after his world record short program saw him more than make amends for his singles fifth at PyeongChang 2018.
Figure Skating
There is action every day at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022 but we’ll select for you the best one at the end of the competitions, when Beijing is closing its doors. Today: Nathan Chen realises his figure skating dream.
Nathan Chen glides to gold in men’s Olympic figure skating event at Beijing 2022
Nathan Chen of the United States was not to be denied as he captured gold in the men’s figure skating competition at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics on Thursday (10 February).
It seemed fitting that the 22-year-old’s ethereal performance was matched with an Elton John medley featuring ‘Rocket Man' as he soared above the competition.
The American dazzled the Capital Indoor Stadium with an enthralling free skate including five quadruple jumps which scored 218.63, lifting him to a huge combined total of 332.60 points overall.
After setting a new world record in the Tuesday's short program, the American was in pole position heading into today’s free skate.
And neither the weight of expectation nor the burden of his disappointment at PyeongChang four years ago would hold Chen back as he clinched victory ahead of KAGIYAMA Yuma and UNO Shoma with their Japanese teammate, two-time reigning champion Hanyu Yuzuru, in fourth place..
“I never really felt I’d be able to make it this far in my career,” Chen beamed afterwards. “I’d always, of course, dreamed about making the Olympics and winning the Olympics, but I (thought), ‘That’s hard, I don’t know if I can make that happen.’”
Ever since the heartbreak of PyeongChang, the figure skating world wondered whether Chen could, indeed, realise his dream of Olympic gold.
He answered those questions in emphatic style after winning three World Championship titles and taking a sixth consecutive U.S. title ahead of his second Games.
Chen is the seventh American to win the men's singles title - Dick Button went back-to-back in 1948 and 1952 - and the first since Evan Lysacek at Vancouver 2010.