SWEET CHEN MUSIC
Even with error at beginning of free skate, defending champ wins fifth straight U.S. title
Dick Button has always been the measuring stick for American men figure skaters. And no wonder, with seven straight U.S. titles and two Olympic gold medals.
Nathan Chen has leapt into Button territory.
Even with an error at the beginning of his free skate, Chen was unbeatable Sunday, winning his fifth straight U.S. Figure Skating Championship. Not since Button won each title from 194652 has any American man had such a streak of success. Throw in two world championships and being unbeaten since not medaling at the 2018 Olympics, and Chen already has a résumé for the ages.
At age 21. “It’s incredible to try to follow in his footsteps,” Chen said of Button. “It means the world. Dick is a true skating icon, and it just feels incredible to be trying to chase something that someone like that has done. I’m nowhere near the level he was at, but it’s just cool to be able to be even mentioned in his sort of realm of legendness.”
The fact is, in this country at least, Chen is pretty much competing against himself. “Ultimately it comes down to the fact that everyone is capable of doing it,” he said, “but I still want to focus on what I’m capable of doing myself and just being able to try to improve on myself.”
Chen pretty much ignored the rough beginning of his free skate, when he put his hands down and stepped out of a quad lutz. He hit four more quads, three in combination, and a triple axel deep into his program. There was a fluidity to his choreography and spins, and his 322.28 points were unmatchable by anybody in the field.
“I was a little timid today. Honestly that’s on me,” Chen said. “I feel like I didn’t really tackle my elements. I was focusing on conserving energy. That’s not the right approach. I think that’s what caused the first element to have an error. The rest of the program I was trying to make sure I stayed on my feet. That was my mindset throughout the program.
“Wasn’t really exactly the skate I’d like to have, but at least I was able to stand up on all the rest of the jumps and I guess move on from here.”
Chen fell all over the ice in the short program at the Pyeongchang Games, then was spectacular in winning the free skate to begin what now is nearly three years of being on the top step of the medals podium. He won the 2018 and 2019 world.
But the coronavirus pandemic caused cancellation of last year’s worlds in Montreal.