SENIOR MEN
ROCKET MAN!Chen shatters records, wins title with five quads in free skate
It was Friday night in Kansas City. The
short dance had just ended and some of U.S. Figure Skating’s most legendary men — Button, Hamilton, Boitano and Lysacek — were being shown on the big video screen above center ice. The final frame of the video asked, “Who will rise to the chal- lenge?” And with that, thoughts turned to Nathan Chen. At just 17 years old, Chen (Salt Lake
Figure Skating) had already won U.S. titles at the novice (2010–11) and junior (2012, ’14) levels; minor injuries and growing pains, though, plagued him as he tran- sitioned to the senior ranks. Still, he had managed a U.S. bronze in 2016, only to suf- fer an avulsion injury in his left hip during the Smucker’s Skating Spectacular — an injury that required surgery and time fo- cused on rehabilitation, not on training his impressive arsenal of jumps. But Chen, who splits his training
time between Rafael Arutunian in Lake- wood, California, and Marina Zoueva in Canton, Michigan, came back strong. He qualified for the 2016 Grand Prix Final in his first international season, winning the free skate over Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu and besting two-time World champion Javier Fernandez, and three-time World champion Patrick Chan, for the silver medal. But short programs hadn’t been his
strong suit throughout the season, and names from Aaron to Zhou were also ea- ger to take their place among the greats. As Chen took the ice for his short pro-
gram, the Sprint Center was abuzz with excitement. Athletes, fans and journalists alike all speculated on what they were about to witness. Questions like “Will he break 100 points?” were in the air. (No U.S. man had accomplished this feat, with the closest attempt being a 99.86 posted by Jeremy Abbott in 2014.) But with Chen’s opening combination, a flawless quadru- ple Lutz-triple toe loop, the question was no longer a matter of if, but by how much.
16 MARCH 2017 MEDALISTS
Zhou, Brown garner silver and bronze BY MIMI MCKINNIS
Gold | Nathan Chen Silver | Vincent Zhou Bronze | Jason Brown Pewter | Grant Hochstein
Chen unleashes one of his huge quad jumps in the short program.
PHOTO BY JASON HANNA/GETTY IMAGES
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