Rippon’s artistry conquers athletic rivals in men’s field
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Adam Rippon interrupted Nathan Chen to marvel at the idea of doing four quadruple jumps in one practice session, let alone the free skate at the U.S. Championships.
Rippon didn’t land any Sunday, but he is the national champion — while Chen, his 16-year-old training partner, was third despite becoming the first American man to complete four in one program. And the runner-up, Max Aaron, had two on a day sure to reignite the debate about the value of artistry vs. athleticism in figure skating.
Rippon, 26, fell on his only quad attempt, but he is vastly ahead of Aaron and Chen in the expression and choreography that make up a huge part of scores.
“It’s not a jump competition; it’s not a choreography competition, and it’s not a spin competition,” Rippon said. “It takes a little bit of everything.”
Aaron and Chen did little more than obligatory movements of their arms between their jumps, saving energy for the quads; Rippon sped through complex footwork in perfect timing to his Beatles medley.
“I really think my experience and my maturity was what helped me prevail,” he said.
Rippon cleanly landed eight triple jumps after the fall on his opening quadruple lutz and earned top marks for his spins and footwork. He burst into tears when his scores were announced to vault him into first place ahead of Aaron and Chen.
Rippon earned 182.74 points for his free skate for a total of 270.75. Aaron, the 2013 U.S champ who led after the short program, received 177.72 points for 269.55 total. Chen had 180.60 points for 266.93 total after he fell on a triple axel, a jump he called “still the main issue with me.”
Chen will compete in the junior and senior world championships.
Jason Brown, who was unable to defend his U.S. title because of a back strain, petitioned to be added to the worlds team, but the federation decided to send Chen and Aaron along with Rippon, who was the only skater guaranteed a spot.