The United States hasn’t had many standout moments so far in Beijing.
Through three days of the Winter Olympics, the U.S. had no gold medals. And while that didn’t change on Day 4, there was one thrilling and decidedly red, white and blue moment for the Americans.
Figure skater Nathan Chen dazzled in the men’s short program, and it could lead to a gold medal on Thursday.
Chen, 22, received the highest score in the history of men’s short program figure skating — not just at the Olympics, but in any event ever.
Chen’s routine earned him a score of 113.97, besting the previous world record of 111.82 by Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu in 2020.
Chen’s performance didn’t just draw rave reviews from the judges. Social media also lit up at Chen’s excellent routine.
NATHAN CHEN EVERYBODY‼️#WinterOlympics | #WatchWithUS
— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) February 8, 2022
📺 @nbc and @peacockTV
💻 https://t.co/754qVDgxrV pic.twitter.com/v4JBKdGp3F
The record-breaking skate was redemption for Chen. At the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, the 18-year-old Chen was a favorite in the event but performed poorly to finish 17th.
Chen’s next routine is Thursday in the free skate. A strong performance would likely earn him a medal.
With four silver medals and one bronze, the U.S. is tied for eighth in overall medal count as of Tuesday afternoon. Russia leads the way with 10 medals.
• Jacob Calvin Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@washingtontimes.com.
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