Nathan Chen falls in Winter Olympics skating debut
United States figure skater Nathen Chen got off to a rough start at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.
Chen, who is a favorite among skaters from the United States to win a gold medal, fell in his opening routine in the men’s team event Thursday night.
The 18-year-old wiped out in his fifth jump in his short program. He quickly jumped back up and finished the routine, ending with an initial score of 80.61. The United States earned seven points in the team event after the short program, and sits in fourth place.
His performance was apparently the “worst short program” that former United States figure skater Johnny Weir had ever seen out of Chen.
ooooooof "That's the worst short program I've ever seen from Nathan Chen." – Johnny Weir
— Jessica Luther (@jessicawluther) February 9, 2018
Chen said after that he thought it was just a mental issue, something he’s hoping to correct moving forward.
"I think I was a little bit in my head. I apologize to Team USA," Nathan Chen says in mixed zone. "I'm going to have to readjust ahead of the indivisible event" #PyeongChang2018 pic.twitter.com/jRraLmd13w
— Nick McCarvel (@NickMcCarvel) February 9, 2018
More Olympic coverage from Yahoo Sports:
• U.S. speed skater Shani Davis angry over not being name flag-bearer
• Shaun White found similiarities between himself and Michael Phelps in ’14
• Twitter reacts to openly gay U.S. figure skater declining to meet with VP Mike Pence
• North Korea’s Olympic participation might be violating international sanctions
• At DMZ, scars remain even as South Korea tries to heal
