The ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships 2017 continued in Gangneung, Korea, Friday with the Free Dance and the Men’s Short Program. The Four Continents Championships 2017 serve as a test event for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.
Nathan Chen (USA) wins Men’s Short Program
Nathan Chen (USA) won the Men’s Short Program. Japan’s Shoma Uno and Yuzuru Hanyu finished second and third.
Skating to “Le Corsaire”, Chen nailed a quad Lutz-triple toeloop combination, a quad flip, triple Axel and collected a level four for his spins and footwork. The ISU Grand Prix Final silver medalist achieved a new personal best score with 103.12 points to take the lead. “I’m really happy with the way things went tonight. I got a similar score at nationals not long ago, and it’s reaffirming to be able to come out with that score at an international event. Based off the way things went in the short program, I want to continue what I started. I want to land the (quad) Lutz and the (quad) flip again in the long program and push myself through it. That (five quads) is probably the plan, but things can always change”, Chen commented.
Uno’s program to “Fantasy for Violin and Orchestra” by Nigel Hess included a somewhat shaky quad flip, quad toe-triple toe combination, triple Axel as well as level-four spins and steps. The 19-year-old set a new personal best for himself with 100.28 points. “I’m happy with my jumps, but I don’t think I was giving enough energy to the other elements. The jumps weren’t exactly fantastic either. I had problems with the short program the whole season, so I’m relieved about how it went today”, the ISU Grand Prix Final bronze medalist said.
Hanyu opened his routine to “Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince with a excellent quad loop and landed a triple Axel, but he double the Salchow, reducing his combination to double Salchow-triple toe. The reigning Olympic Champion scored 97.04 points. “I’m sorry about the jump. The quad loop has been consistent in practice and I felt that the expression was good and I was able to connect with the audience. I think if I had landed the Salchow, I would have had even more expression. I want to use this feeling towards the free skating and I want to skate stronger”, the ISU Grand Prix Final Champion noted.
Boyang Jin (CHN) came fourth at 91.33 points and defending Four Continents Champion Patrick Chan (CAN), who fell on an under rotated quad toe, is currently ranked fifth (88.46 points). Han Yan (CHN) rounds up the top six (84.08 points).
The ISU Four Continents Figure Skating Championships 2017 continue Saturday with the Pairs and Ladies Free Skating. For more information, full entry lists and results please see: www.isu.org and the official event website https://www.hellopyeongchang.com/FigureSkating/en/sub/index Hashtag: #4ContsFigure