Nathan Chen Wins Gold at Men’s Free Skate

In his final practice before skating for the Olympic gold medal, Nathan Chen made sure to take in the moment. He stood alone at the edge of the rink in Beijing on Thursday and looked around at the stands and the arena, and at the Olympic rings at every turn. Unlike at the 2018 Winter Games, when he finished fifth overall, he was soaking in the experience of competing at the Olympics, win or lose. And with that new appreciation, and also a well deserved rush of joy, Chen won.…

Nathan Chen Is Winning by Not Trying So Hard to Win

BEIJING — Nathan Chen, the favorite yet again to win the Olympic gold medal in men’s figure skating, is caught between wanting to forget the 2018 Games and needing to remember them. Before the figure skating competition started at the Beijing Games, he stood before reporters and was asked if he had regrets from his Olympic debut, when he uncharacteristically faltered in the short program and ruined his chance of winning a medal. “I have a pretty terrible memory,” he said, making it clear that he didn’t want to talk…

Nathan Chen Isn’t Perfect but Wins U.S. Skating Championship

NASHVILLE — Nathan Chen, one of the most successful figure skaters in U.S. history, skated in his own stratosphere on Sunday at the U.S. national championships. Five powerful quadruple jumps that launched him high above the ice. Spins as precise as a gyroscope’s. Footwork that flowed like a fast-moving river. He fell twice — once on a quad jump early in his free skate and again during a foot-tapping choreographed sequence to an Elton John medley — but it did not matter a bit. After his second fall, Chen playfully…