Chen fifth in short program
Fremont teen, reigning U.S. champ, is top American in Helsinki
Fremont’s Karen Chen, who won the women’s U.S. Figure Skating Championships two months ago, got off to a strong start Wednesday in the World Figure Skating Championships in Helsinki.
The 17-year-old Chen finished fifth in the women’s short program with a score of 69.98. Chen set a U.S. record in short program in January on her way to the title.
“I am very happy with my performance,” Chen said. “I was just really wanted to skate a clean short and I just did that and I’m really happy with how everything came together.”
Russia’s Evgenia Medvedeva leads the field after turning in a near-perfect score of 79.1 in the short program. The top 24 skaters advance to the free skate competition on Friday.
Chen, who had a disappointing 12th-place finish in the Four Continents in South Korea last month, admitted she was feeling some pressure coming into Wednesday’s competition.
“Definitely yesterday I really took the time to really think about it,” Chen said. “There is a lot more pressure here but I didn’t want to let it affect me. And I realized that either way I want skate a clean short. It doesn’t change the fact that I want to accomplish this goal so whether there’s the pressure or not I still have the same goal.”
Medvedeva is seeking a second world title.
Seventeen-year-old Russian skated flawlessly and her 79.1 is second only to the world-record score she posted at December’s Grand Prix finals.
Canadians trailed Medvedeva, with Kaetlyn Osmond second with 75.98 points and Gabrielle Daleman in third with 72.19.
U.S. veteran Ashley Wagner was seventh and Mariah Bell 13th. Six-time world championship medalist Carolina Kostner of Italy struggled in eighth after making a crucial error on a flying camel spin.
Competing at her first world championship since a ban for lying to anti-doping officials, Kostner admitted it was hard to recover her previous form.
“I’m very aware that I cannot just stay out and then think that everything will fall into your lap,” the Italian said.
China’s Sui Wenjing and Han Cong led the pairs.
Reigning world champions Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford were the surprise of the night, reacting in shock as the judges placed them seventh after a skate with several errors.