Nathan Chen scored 113.97 points in the men's short program at the Beijing Olympics
Four years after what he called a "disastrous" Olympic debut, Nathan Chen continued his mission to redemption on Tuesday with a dominant performance of a world record in the .men's short program in Beijing and a breakthrough after the first day of competition
Just like in 2018, Chen was the favorite for gold in these Olympics, but this time there were no signs of tension or pressure.
The 22-year-old delivered an almost flawless performance - which included two quadruple jumps and a triple axle - and posted a best result of the day at 113.97,
also the highest short program result in history.
Even Ordinary Qin couldn't hide his feelings at the end of his routine by throwing an emotional punch.
"I was thrilled," Chen said in an interview with NBC.
“In the last Olympics, the two short programs didn't go the way I wanted and I finally had the opportunity to skate the programs the way I wanted - really good. It means a lot.
A few days after taking first place in the men's short program in the team event, helping the Americans win a silver medal, Chen made it clear that he was no longer haunted by what happened in Pyeongchang, as he fell into the short program for both competitions. .
He's since won three world titles, and now only free skating - and a pair of Japanese figure skaters at Yuma Kageyama and Shuma Ono - have prevented him from securing a coveted Olympic gold.
Kageyama, 18, was surprisingly second in the short program with a score of 108.12, and Ono, who won the silver medal in 2018, is currently third.
Yuzuru Hanyu, a double gold medalist who also hails from Japan and had the previous world mark in the short program, was expected to be Chen's fiercest contender for the podium finish, but he pulled off the opening four-way Salcho—resulting in zero points for the item—and is in Eighth place after the first day of competition.
His score of 95.15 was the lowest in a short program since 2019. However, Hanyu is expected to try to use a four-axis in his free skating - something that hasn't been done successfully before - and that could make him a foreign favorite for a medal. .
Hanyu looked dashing at the end of her performance.
He later explained that his ski got stuck in a hole in the ice and he couldn't take off to jump. But he remained optimistic about his chances.
"I have another chance," Hanyu told reporters.
"I have a lot of music time and a lot of jumping into it, so [I can] be at my best."
Jason Brown was the only other American to compete on Tuesday after Vincent Chu was forced to withdraw due to a positive case of COVID-19.
Brown has a personal best of 97.24 and is currently sixth. The 27-year-old is making his second appearance, but it is his first since 2014.
He was a substitute in 2018 and remains a fan favorite.
"I couldn't ask for more," said the visibly emotional Brown during an interview on the show. "I gave it my all.
It was a long time coming, eight years of trying to get back to this point, and to be able to put in such a performance is fantastic."
Tuesday's top 24 skaters qualified for Thursday's free skating at the capital's indoor stadium. That includes Mexican skater Donovan Carrillo in a first in the country.
Chen had the highest score in the men's free skating section in 2018, but he couldn't make up for the shortfall after the short program and finished fifth.
This time he is hoping for a different outcome and has put himself in the best possible position for the gold.
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