Nathan Chen had the final say in the men’s individual figure skating competition at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. He earned that privilege with his record short show earlier this week.
His closing statement on Thursday could hardly have been more direct. He has no doubt about who is the best in the world.
THAN: How many gold medals does the United States have in Beijing?
The 22-year-old American tennis player was on his way to win gold when he was the last opponent to complete his freestyle skateboard. He hit five quads when an ensemble of Elton John hits played suggested him: “Rocket Man,” “Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road,” and “Benny and the Jets.”
He ended the show with a knowing smile and a few dance moves.
What a free skateboard from Nathan Chen!
Nathan IS AN OLYMPIC CHAMPION. #Winter Olympic Games pic.twitter.com/5dxRkPjLLW
– NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) February 10, 2022
Chen rose to the top of the rankings after taking the top score of the night, 16.7 points ahead of silver medalist Yuma Kagiyama of Japan. That gave him a 22.55 point win. Shomo Uno of Japan won the bronze medal.
Chen is the first American to win gold in men’s figure skating since Evan Lysacek in 2010 in Vancouver. The victory also erased the bitterness as Chen finished in 5th place at Pyeongchang 2018.
“I just had an explosion out there. I’m grateful,” he told NBC afterward.
