Team USA's Nathan Chen Sets World Record In Men's Short Program at Beijing Olympics

Nathan Chen of Team USA had the best moment of his career on Monday night at the Beijing Winter Games when he clinched the men's short program and set an Olympic record.

In a performance that included a quad flip, a triple axel, and a quad lutz-triple toe loop combo, the 22-year-old set a world record score of 113.97 in the short program at the Winter Olympics.

The previous record was set by Yuzuru Hanyu of Japan, the two-time defending gold medallist, who had a bumpy start in the competition. Hanyu's first jump was meant to be a quadruple salchow, but instead, he was just able to execute a single salchow, according to NBC News.

USA's Nathan Chen Sets World Record

It was a crucial moment for Chen, who was favored to bag the gold medal in the 2018 Pyeongchang games but failed to make it.

The skating superstar said that the previous Olympics' short programs "didn't go the way" he wanted, so "it feels really great, it means a lot" for him to have the opportunity to skate the program the way he wanted.

Chen, from Salt Lake City, Utah, had previously put in a strong showing on Friday. With 111.71 points, he was the second-highest short program scorer in a team event, and he helped the United States win silver.

Chen could now become an Olympic champion if he performs well in his free skate on Thursday. After Tuesday's outstanding performance, Team USA tweeted "redemption" in all capital letters.

Nathan Chen's Achievements in Competitions

Chen previously stated that he just wants to "have fun," but now he expresses his gratitude for every chance he gets.

"Every opportunity that I get at competitions is one that I should be grateful for - and especially the Olympics, that's a completely different story. I'm just really happy to be here." Chen said.

Chen made it evident he was no longer haunted by his frustrations on what transpired in Pyeongchang, where he lost in the short program of both competitions. During the team event, his first-place finish in the men's short program propelled Team USA to a silver medal.

Since then, he's won three world championships. Per ESPN, the only obstacles in his way to the gold medal are the free skate and a pair of world-class, champion Japanese skaters: Yuma Kagiyama and Shoma Uno.

The 18-year-old Kagiyama had a surprising second-place finish in the short program with a 108.12 score, and Uno, who took home the silver in 2018, currently sits in third.

The top 24 skaters advanced to Thursday's free skate to be held at Capital Indoor Stadium. That includes Mexican figure skater Donovan Carrillo in a first for the nation.

Chen had the highest score in the free skate portion of the men's competition in 2018 but was unable to make up the deficit after the short program and finished in fifth place. But this time, he's aiming for a different outcome and has put himself in the best possible position to win the gold.

In the previous week, Chen recorded the second-highest short program score of 111.71 points while skating in the team event, as per Today.

Tags

Winter Olympics, Team usa, Figure Skating, Sports