She lands it: Chen gets a spot on U.S. squad
Fremont teen headed to Pyeongchang as skating officials tap championships’ top 3
SAN JOSE >> Shelve the drama. The decision to pick the U.S. women’s Olympic figure skating team was as easy as 1-2-3.
One: Bradie Tennell, 19, has emerged as America’s leading skater after winning her first title at the U.S. championships with a commanding performance at SAP Center.
Two: 2010 Olympian Mirai Nagasu declared herself “the Comeback Kid” after a strong show in San Jose to place second at the U.S. championships — her fifth medal at nationals since winning in 2008.
Three: Karen Chen of Fremont rallied from a miserable Grand Prix season to show American officials she still has potential on the world stage despite coming down with the flu this past week.
U.S. Figure Skating president Sam Auxier said Saturday the only question was whether to take Chen or Ashley Wagner, who finished fourth after the free skate the night before.
“I knew we were neck and neck,” Chen said. “She had way more experience than I did.”
It came down to Chen’s 2.60-point victory over Wagner. Chen, 18, also had the edge at the 2017 World Championships, finishing fourth to Wagner’s seventh.
“It was straightforward to select Karen to this team,” Auxier said, adding that the 13-member committee came to a unanimous decision late Friday night with minimal debate.
Wagner, a three-time U.S. champion and 2014 Olympian, complained after the free skate Friday night that she had been unfairly judged for artistic scores at the two-day competition.
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Auxier, an International Skating Union judge, defended the evaluation.
“Missing a level on spins, these make a difference,” he said, making reference to Wagner’s performance.
In 2014, Wagner also finished fourth, but U.S. officials placed her on the team ahead of Nagasu, who was third that year.
“A part of me really feels for her,” Nagasu said.
The United States has a new team from the Sochi Games, where Gracie Gold, Polina Edmunds of San Jose and Wagner all finished in the top 10.
But the field opened this year when Gold didn’t compete to treat an eating disorder and depression and Edmunds withdrew Friday before the long program because of shooting pain in a foot that has bothered her since 2016.
It took the selection committee only a few hours to pick the team Friday night, though it was not announced until 5 a.m. Saturday.
Chen screamed and jumped when receiving word she had made it at 11:30 p.m. Friday.
“Is this it?” mother HsiuHui (pronounced Showei) Tseng asked.
Chen: “Yes, it is.”
The teen slept a “solid” two hours and then got up for an appearance on NBC’s “Today” show.
Chen, who has been sidelined with foot, back, hip and knee injuries, as well as boot problems, could not train the day before the free skate after suffering from a stomach virus. She ate applesauce and bread before pulling it together to win her third medal in four years at the U.S. championships.
“I’m ready tonight to sleep for a solid 12 hours,” she said Saturday.
Tennell, on the other hand, was dealing with her newfound celebrity as a rising American star from Carpentersville, Ill. A virtual unknown entering the season, Tennell has been America’s most consistent competitor.
But she fell on a jump recently, the skater acknowledged Saturday. It happened during a crowded practice session when a young skater got in the way.
“I fell so I wouldn’t kill the little kid,” she said.
Nothing got in her way in San Jose, where Tennell built her reputation heading to South Korea.
The newly minted U.S. champion had to almost be perfect to overcome Nagasu’s uplifting performance that began with a two-foot landing of a triple axel, a jump no other American woman attempts.
Nagasu then landed six other triple jumps while practically levitating off the shimmering ice to score a personal best by nearly 20 points.
Nagasu returned to her downtown San Jose hotel later in the night knowing she was about to be named to her second Olympic team.
The skater was enjoying “a well-deserved slice of pizza” when she got the word.
Nagasu, 24, finished fourth at the Vancouver Games, same as Gold placed in Sochi. U.S. women have not won an Olympic medal since Sasha Cohen in 2006 in Turin, Italy.
The skaters weren’t ready to address the Americans’ drought while savoring their moments. But the question will linger in the ice rinks in the coming weeks before the Pyeongchang Games open Feb. 9.
The remainder of the team — three men, three ice dance couples and one pair — is scheduled to be announced Sunday.