Chen’s performance gives U.S. three Olympic spots
HELSINKI — Karen Chen entered a cauldron on the ice Friday in her first senior World Championships.
She glanced at the scoreboard and saw that teammate Ashley Wagner, the face of U.S. figure skating for the past three years, had faltered in her free program.
“So I knew I needed to skate pretty close to clean,” Chen told reporters afterward.
It was up to Chen to salvage America’s hopes of earning three spots for the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea.
The 17-year-old came through by finishing fourth to save the United States’ Olympic chances 10 months from now.
“At first, it was overwhelming,” Chen said. “Right when that thought came into my head my body felt tense all of a sudden. Because I wanted to prove to myself I can do it — I could skate very well under pressure.”
Chen blocked out the chaotic moment, focused on her job and used a strong start to neutralize two late mistakes to prove her U.S. title this year is not a fluke. Wagner finished seventh only because other top skaters also succumbed to the pressure of the free stake.
The Olympic qualifying formula calls for a country’s top two skaters at the World Championships to have a combined total finish of 13 or better to earn all three berths. Chen’s performance will make the U.S. Olympic trials next January at the SAP Center in San Jose all the more engrossing.
Chen said Wagner was “close to tears” when they talked after her performance. The three-time U.S. champion knew what it meant because she earned the third spot to go to the Sochi Games in 2014.
Performing to Tango Jalousie by Jacob Gade, Chen looked like a dancing diva with her black gloves and elegant, free-flowing performance. She landed five triple jumps before it fell apart.
“I guess I was realizing the program’s going well and as I was setting up that last lutz I felt myself kind of tense up a little bit because I knew I wanted to nail it,” Chen said. “Because once I nail it I only have the Axel left.”
She lost her footing on the triple lutz and then stepped out of the triple Axel.
“I tapped way too soon and I felt my body go backward a little far and I tried to save it but it didn’t happen,” Chen said of the final jump.
But judges liked what they saw, giving Chen a total of 199.29 points for the twoday competition.
Big favorite Evgenia Medvedeva of Russia defended her world title with an impressive score of 233.41 points. The two-time European champion will head to the Pyeongchang Games next year as a goldmedal contender.
Chen is just two years removed from a broken ankle and overcoming painful feet. After her stunning victory in January at the U.S. championships, Chen again had boot problems.
“It just shows I’ve been through a roller coaster of ups and downs,” Chen said. “I’m just going to keep getting stronger.”