Nathan Chen Wins Second World Title, Defeats Japanese Star Yuzuru Hanyu

U.S. Olympian Nathan Chen defeated Japan’s two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu to take home the World Figure Skating Championships gold at Saitama Super Arena near Tokyo.

Having broken world records 18 times, Hanyu has been regarded as one of the greatest, if not, the greatest figure skater in history.

However, the 24-year-old star athlete settled for a runner-up finish to Chen, who was the tournament’s defending men’s champion, the Associated Press reports.

“I lost, that is about it,” Hanyu said. “I think I did my best, but the problem is that in figure skating competition consists of two days, and I am losing in both. It means that I simply do not have enough strength to win.”

Hanyu, who came third after the short program, received a 206.10-point free skate for a 300.97 total score while Chen got a 323.42 total after scoring 216.02 on his free skate.

Both Chen and Hanyu now have a total of two world championships each.

Meanwhile, Vincent Zhou joined Chen at the podium for securing the bronze medal, finishing with 281.16 total points.

This is the first time two U.S. men have been on the medal podium at the same time since Todd Eldredge won and Rudy Galindo placed third back in 1996.

“I’m proud of myself for being able to put out two good programs, the short and the long,” Chen was quoted as saying. “Ultimately, I’m just happy with how this event went and I hope to have more experiences like this.”

Featured Image via Eurosport (YouTube / 2101elena)

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