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Post by Admin on Jan 19, 2021 7:47:41 GMT
Fresh from winning his fifth straight U.S. figure skating title, Salt Lake City native Nathan Chen will leap back into the national spotlight this week for another crowning event: the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. The inaugural committee has announced that Chen will join fellow U.S. Olympians — sprinter Allyson Felix and swimmer Katie Ledecky — as participants in Wednesday’s virtual “Parade Across America.” Scheduled to start at 1:15 p.m. MST after Biden’s swearing-in, the parade will take place virtually because of the coronavirus pandemic. It will feature diverse performers and highlight American heroes from all 50 states and a handful of U.S. territories. “By lifting up voices from all walks of life, in every corner of our country,” committee chair Tony Allen said in a news release, “we want the first moments of the Biden-Harris administration to be a celebration of an inclusive, resilient united America.” On Sunday in Las Vegas, the 21-year-old Chen again claimed the U.S. Figure Skating Championship, easily topping the rest of the field despite an early slip in his free-skate program. Wednesday’s parade will be livestreamed at BidenInaugural.org/watch and on social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, .
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Post by Admin on Mar 13, 2021 19:38:06 GMT
In need of a haircut yet otherwise prepared to take his first international flight in over a year, two-time world figure skating champion Nathan Chen is ready to defend his title.
The American, who won at worlds in 2018 and 2019 before the event was called off last year, will try to become the first male skater to go three in a row at worlds since Patrick Chan, 2011-13.
In his way is two-time Oympic gold medallist Hanyu Yuzuru, both skaters coming off respective domestic titles and set to face off for the first time since the Grand Prix Final, held in December of 2019.
“It's always a great opportunity for me to compete against him,” Chen told reporters on a conference call Thursday evening (U.S.).
“He's really the benchmark, the standard of what skating looks like. And it's been like that for the past many, many, many years. So it's always just a big honour for me to be able to compete against an idol that I watched watch while I was growing up." - Nathan Chen on Hanyu Yuzuru
“This time is no different.”
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Post by Admin on Mar 14, 2021 21:43:25 GMT
Safety No.1 priority amid a tough men's field Chen captured a fifth U.S. national title in January in Las Vegas, the same venue where he won Skate America in October against a similar field. Both events were held with strict Covid-19 protocols in place. The International Skating Union has put in place similar restrictions for worlds, set for 24-28 March in Stockholm, Sweden. Chen hopes all athletes and officials comply as skaters attempt to secure national spots for next year’s Beijing 2022 Winter Games. No fans will be in attendance. “As long as everyone's staying proactive and being responsible about the requirements, [doing] what they're supposed to do, as well as having, you know, having repercussions for not wearing masks or doing other things, I think that'd be better,” Chen said, saying his number one priority for athletes was to keep healthy. He added: “But ultimately, you know, ultimately I'll just be there to compete.” Chen and Hanyu will be joined by 2019 world bronze medallist Vincent Zhou, the 2018 Olympic silver medallist Uno Shoma, a resurgent Mikhail Kolyada, the 2018 world bronze medallist, as well as familiar names including Jason Brown, Jin Boyang, Cha Jun-hwan, Kevin Aymoz and Keegan Messing. Chen said he will change little about his technical layout for worlds from nationals in January, where in the free skate he did four quadruple jumps - including three in combination. He had planned five quads, including Lutz, flip and toeloop. “I don't think I need a change too much since nationals. [I’ll] probably run a similar play.” After the 2018 Olympic team bronze medallist returned home to train in California last March and withstood state quarantine guidelines, he has only competed at Skate America (Oct.) and U.S. nationals (Jan.). It’s a scenario that has provided a double-edged sword of sorts, he said. “I think that not having competitions is actually kind of a loss just because you learn so much at competitions, whereas in training, you come in every day and you're a little bit more consistent with them, but you don't necessarily have, like, weird variables thrown your way that you don't really predict,” he explained. “Not having competitions makes you kind of forget that sort of rhythm,” Chen continued. “And I think that having more competition helps get that. But on the flip side of that, yes, having more time to work the craft, more time to work basics, more time to talk about things that are not necessarily so program specific helps get you just a better foundation, I think, with whether or not that's necessarily directly seen in the skating. And I think it helps athletes feel a little bit more confident going into competitions.”
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