NATHAN’S FAMOUS
... but not for right reasons after crashing out in his first Olympics
Chloe Kim, Mikaela Shiffrin, Nathan Chen.
Those were the three names that were going to dominate NBC’s Olympic coverage over these two-plus weeks. Kim made the most of her moment, winning snowboarding gold in spectacular fashion.
Shiffrin had hers put on hold by the howling winds of Pyeongchang before capturing gold in the giant slalom.
Kim’s tweets about being “hangry” and desperate for ice cream suddenly became national news.
Shiffrin showed her determination for a prime-time audience when she was asked her strategy in between runs.
“It’s the Olympics. You go for gold,” Shiffrin told NBC.
Then, she did just that Wednesday night.
The next night, though, she battled illness and finished fourth in the slalom, her best event and one in which she won gold four years ago.
Chen’s moments, though, became ones to forget. The 18-year-old Utah native was expected to give the U.S. a chance for gold in the team competition. Instead he cut one of his two signature quad jumps short, then fell attempting a triple axel. On the NBC broadcast, Johnny Weir described it as a “disaster” and “the worst short program I have ever seen from Nathan Chen.”
And he may have been worse Thursday night in the short program for the men’s individual title, falling twice and blowing his chance for a medal. He provided a stunningly bad performance again in the short program and finished 17th out of the 30-man field ahead of Friday’s free-skate format.
It is a letdown moment for the sport that has seen sinking ratings during its spotlight Olympic moment in recent years, according to CNN. Fellow Americans Vincent Zhou and Adam Rippon, neither considered serious podium favorites, will enter the medal round in seventh and 12th place, respectively.
But where Chen floundered, Rippon shined. Rippon, who is openly gay, made news before the Olympics, upset that Vice President Mike Pence was leading the United States’ delegation for the Opening Ceremonies. He then wowed viewers with a dazzling performance in the team com- petition, finishing third in the free skate event and helping the team salvage a bronze medal.
His post-competition interviews and outgoing personality has made him a hit back in the U.S., borrowing some of the spotlight from Chen.
“Adam has thrown himself into the Olympics with a sense of humor coupled with determination,” said Westwood One figure skating analyst Paul Wylie, the 1992 silver medalist.
“Watching him outskate his expectations was a lot of fun for Team USA and for me. The team really looked like they were enjoying the experience, it’s great for them. ... He is also a fierce competitor who will take what he can do and make the best score possible, even without quads. Even though his mastery of triple-triples and the triple axel go way back to his junior days, his artistry is his signature.”
On the women’s side, Mirai Nagasu, who became the first American woman to land a triple axel in the Olympics during the team competition, can compete for a medal and perhaps even win the gold next Thursday.
But Wylie warned that 15-year-old Russian Alina Zagitova is the favorite..
“Period. Everyone else is chasing her,” Wylie said.