U.S. Figure Skater Nathan Chen Redeems Himself With Record-Setting Skate

Nathan Chen competes in the men's single free skate Saturday in Pyeongchang, South Korea. (Photo: ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Nathan Chen competes in the men's single free skate Saturday in Pyeongchang, South Korea. (Photo: ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images)

The real Nathan Chen finally arrived at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

After falling (quite miserably) to 17th place after the team men’s short program and earlier individual events, the two-time U.S. champion figure skater redeemed himself with a history-making men’s free skate performance on Saturday.

Chen, 18, landed a historic five clean quadruple jumps during his long program on Saturday. In an additional quad flip ― he had originally planned for only five ― Chen placed his hand on the ice. The graceful and powerful performance earned him a personal best score of 215.08, raising his final score to 297.35.

While he lost his chance at a medal, Chen’s six-quad attempt still made him the first Olympian to land even five quads cleanly in a routine.

“I did the best that I could after what happened in the short program, and I think what happened in the short program allowed me to take the pressure off myself and just enjoy myself here,” Chen told NBC after the event.

When asked why he attempted six quads after a disappointing week, Chen replied: “I already fell so many times, I might as well go out, throw everything down and see what happens.”

His comeback impressed many veteran figure skaters, including announcers Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski, and 1992 Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi.

“What?!?!?!” Yamaguchi tweeted after Chen’s show. “Completely inhuman display of ridiculousness!!!”

She included her own “chicken scratch” scorecard in the tweet.

Chen was breaking records way before the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

He became the first U.S. male skater to land two quad jumps in a short program and four quad jumps in the free skate event at the 2016 U.S. Figure Skating Championship. Chen broke similar records the following year by landing two quad jumps in the short program and five quad jumps in a free skate performance at the 2017 U.S. Championship.

Welcome back, Chen!

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Toller Cranston, 1976

The Canadian skater performs at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.
The Canadian skater performs at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.

Robin Cousins, 1980

The British skater performs part of his gold medal routine during the free program of the men's figure skating event on Feb. 21, 1980, during the Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York.
The British skater performs part of his gold medal routine during the free program of the men's figure skating event on Feb. 21, 1980, during the Winter Games in Lake Placid, New York.

Scott Hamilton, 1984

The American fan favorite skates his long program during the men's singles competition at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, on Feb. 16.
The American fan favorite skates his long program during the men's singles competition at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, on Feb. 16.

Brian Boitano, 1988

The Californian competes in the final of the men's singles figure skating event of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary, Canada.
The Californian competes in the final of the men's singles figure skating event of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary, Canada.

Brian Orser, 1988

The Canadian skates in the final of the men's singles event of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary, Canada, on Feb. 20.
The Canadian skates in the final of the men's singles event of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary, Canada, on Feb. 20.

Kurt Browning, 1992

The Canadian performs at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France.
The Canadian performs at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France.

Viktor Petrenko, 1992

The Ukrainian star performs his original program at the Winter Olympics on Feb. 13, 1992, in Albertville, France.
The Ukrainian star performs his original program at the Winter Olympics on Feb. 13, 1992, in Albertville, France.

Elvis Stojko, 1994

The Canadian in the men's technical program at the Lillehammer Winter Olympics in Norway.
The Canadian in the men's technical program at the Lillehammer Winter Olympics in Norway.

Oleg Tataurov, 1994

The Russian competes in the free skate portion of the men's figure skating singles competition at the 1994 Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway.
The Russian competes in the free skate portion of the men's figure skating singles competition at the 1994 Winter Olympic Games in Lillehammer, Norway.

Alexei Urmanov, 1994

The Russian champion in the free skate portion of the men's figure skating singles competition at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.
The Russian champion in the free skate portion of the men's figure skating singles competition at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.

Margus Hernits, 1998

The Estonian skater at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
The Estonian skater at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

Kyu-Hyun Lee, 1998

The South Korean performs at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
The South Korean performs at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

Philippe Candeloro, 1998

The French skater performs at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
The French skater performs at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

Ilia Kulik, 1998

The Russian competing at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
The Russian competing at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

Todd Eldredge, 2002

The American performs in the men's short program in Salt Lake City.
The American performs in the men's short program in Salt Lake City.

Ivan Dinev, 2002

The Bulgarian skater in his free program at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The Bulgarian skater in his free program at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Takeshi Honda, 2002

The Japanese figure skater performs his men's short program at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.
The Japanese figure skater performs his men's short program at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Dmitri Dmitrenko, 2002

Performing his men's short program for Ukraine at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Performing his men's short program for Ukraine at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Viktor Pfeifer, 2006

The Austrian competes in the men's free skate program final in Turin, Italy.
The Austrian competes in the men's free skate program final in Turin, Italy.

Evan Lysacek, 2006

The American competes in the men's short program at the Turin Games in 2016 in Italy.
The American competes in the men's short program at the Turin Games in 2016 in Italy.

Ilia Klimkin, 2006

Competing in the men's short program for Russia at the Palavela in Turin, Italy.
Competing in the men's short program for Russia at the Palavela in Turin, Italy.

Johnny Weir, 2006

The U.S. skater competes in the men's short program at the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games.
The U.S. skater competes in the men's short program at the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games.

Stefan Lindemann, 2006

The German competes in Turin, Italy.
The German competes in Turin, Italy.

Kevin Van Der Perren, 2006

The Belgian competes in the men's short program at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.
The Belgian competes in the men's short program at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.

Viktor Pfeifer, 2006

Competing in the men's short program for Austria at the Games in Turin, Italy.
Competing in the men's short program for Austria at the Games in Turin, Italy.

Gheorghe Chiper, 2006

Competing for Romania in the men's short program in Turin, Italy.
Competing for Romania in the men's short program in Turin, Italy.

Shawn Sawyer, 2006

The Canadian competes in the men's short program figure skating at the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games.
The Canadian competes in the men's short program figure skating at the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games.

Stephane Lambiel, 2006

The Swiss skater in Turin, Italy.
The Swiss skater in Turin, Italy.

Anton Kovalevski, 2006

The Ukrainian performs Feb. 16, 2006, in Turin, Italy.
The Ukrainian performs Feb. 16, 2006, in Turin, Italy.

Daisuke Takahashi, 2006

Japan's star performs in the men's free skating program in Turin, Italy.
Japan's star performs in the men's free skating program in Turin, Italy.

Emanuel Sandhu, 2006

The Canadian in the men's free skating program in Turin, Italy.
The Canadian in the men's free skating program in Turin, Italy.

Brian Joubert, 2006

The French skater performs in the free skating program in Turin, Italy.
The French skater performs in the free skating program in Turin, Italy.

Evgeni Plushenko, 2010

The gold medalist from Russia competes in Vancouver, Canada.
The gold medalist from Russia competes in Vancouver, Canada.

Johnny Weir, 2010

The American in the free skating at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics in Canada.
The American in the free skating at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics in Canada.

Jason Brown, 2014

The U.S. skater at the Sochi Winter Olympics on Feb. 9, 2014.
The U.S. skater at the Sochi Winter Olympics on Feb. 9, 2014.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.