Great Winter Olympic rivalries: Hanyu Yuzuru and Nathan Chen in figure skating

The best male figure skaters of recent years first competed against each other in major competitions during the 2016/17 season. Nathan Chen battled hard against Hanyu Yuzuru in his debut Grand Prix Final, walking away with the silver medal. And while Hanyu took home the gold, he lost to his American opponent by 10 points in the free skate.

The following year, at the 2017 Four Continents Championships which was held in Gangneung, Republic of Korea, Chen beat Hanyu for the first time. However, just a month later Hanyu won his second World Championships gold. Chen ended the competition 31 points behind his rival, in sixth place

Prior to the emergence of Chen, the only figure skater capable of coming close to Hanyu was Spain’s Javier Fernandez, who beat the Japanese skater twice at the 2016 and 2017 World Championships. It looked as if the 2017/18 Olympic season would be closer than ever. 

At the beginning of the season, Chen proved his immense potential at the Rostelecom Cup in Moscow, placing first in the short programme and second in the free skate. In doing so he defeated the reigning world and Olympic champion Hanyu, who could only take the free skate win.

Hanyu and Chen’s second duel of the season was set to take place at the Grand Prix Final in Nagoya, however Chen won without having to face Hanyu who had been injured at the NHK Trophy in Osaka. Prior to the 2018 Olympics in PyeongChang, the American was considered a real threat to the reigning Olympic champion. However, Chen didn’t perform to expectations during the short programme and could only manage to finish 17th. During the free skate, he bounced back, becoming the first man to attempt six quads. However, while he did attain the highest score in the free skate - almost nine points more than Hanyu - Chen’s earlier failures saw him finish in fifth overall.

Hanyu, by contrast, performed a flawless short programme, leaving him first in that segment and second in the free skate. He won his second consecutive Olympic gold medal and became the first man since Dick Button to defend the Olympic title (1948, 1952).

Hanyu decided to withdraw from the post-Olympic World Championship to allow his injured foot to recover, leaving Chen without his main competition as he went to Milan and was crowned world champion. The next competition in which they both participated was the 2019 World Championship in Saitama after Hanyu re-injured his ankle in practice for the 2018 Rotslecom Cup.

Chen then went on to win his second consecutive World Championship with a one-sided victory on Hanyu’s home turf. The American broke the world record for the free skate and total score, finishing almost 23 points ahead of Hanyu. In an enthralling competition, Hanyu first set two world records of his own that were shortly after surpassed by Chen.

At the last Grand Prix Final of the 2019/20 season, which was held in Turin, Chen also outperformed his rival. Once again, he set a new world record for the free skate and total score. This time Hanyu lost by even more – 44 points. However, after winning silver he said that he is motivated by his rivalry with Chen.

"Nathan is really pushing harder and harder for the figure skating. So it’s like, 'Why make it harder?!' I’m really older! Older than him," Hanyu said with a laugh.

"But, you know, I really love competing with him. If I can get over the 300, for the total score, it feels like really lonely and then I can’t find motivation for the skating. So, it’s like here is my motivation".

Chen also admitted that he enjoys competing with Hanyu who, in his opinion, is the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of all Time).

"He is the greatest of all time, really. One of the best ever to step on the ice. So, to have this opportunity to be able to share the ice with a guy like that, someone that I’ve looked up to for a long time, someone that I’ve watched grow up through the junior ranks when I was like a baby. It’s really cool to be able to see him now. It’s really cool to even just able to see him in person".

At the 2021 World Championship, the American once again won by a large margin. Even though Hanyu placed first in the short programme, he was third in the overall ranking, 31 points behind Chen. He was also beaten by his compatriot, Kagiyama Yuma. Last season ended with the 2021 World Team Trophy where Chen again placed first ahead of Hanyu (his result helped Team USA win the silver medal, Japan took bronze).

If form is anything to go by, it would seem that the "Quad King", as Chen is called, has overtaken Hanyu as the favourite for Olympic gold. But in the Olympic season, the Japanese has shown that he has a secret weapon that may help him retain his Olympic crown. Due to injury, he missed the Grand Prix series this season, however at the Japanese Championships in December he became the first skater in the world to attempt a quadruple Axel in competition. The jump was eventually downgraded due to a two-foot landing, however by the time of Beijing 2022 he may well be able to perform the world’s hardest jump with more confidence. 

"I’m going to Beijing because I want to complete the quadruple Axel," Hanyu said after making the Japanese Olympic team. "I want the championship by using the Axel."

For Chen, the start of the Olympic season was a challenge. In October, he lost his first tournament since PyeongChang 2018, finishing third at Skate America, but later redeemed himself with a win at Skate Canada.

Coming into the Olympics, both skaters have a strong motivation to write their names into history: Hanyu can become the first male figure skater in the world since Gillis Grafström (1920, 1924, 1928) to win three Olympic golds in a row. And Nathan Chen can add the only title he is missing to his collection of awards. No matter how their rivalry ends, it is sure to be one of the most interesting storylines of the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.