Home

Olympics

“Can’t Ever Count Hanyu Yuzuru Out”: Nathan Chen Praises Biggest Rival After His Shocking Setback at Beijing Winter Olympics 2022

Published 02/08/2022, 4:49 PM EST

Follow Us

via Reuters

There are figure skaters who have graced the world with their unbelievable skills. But Nathan Chen is unlike any. There is a certain aura about him that is unexplainable. He moved beautifully on the ice rink to put on a world-record short program performance at the 2022 Beijing Olympics recently. Hence, the crowd rose to their feet, watching the special man doing the quadruple jumps.

However, Japanese figure skater, Hanyu Yuzuru, the reigning Olympic Champion, did not perform as per expectations. Regardless, Chen was full of praise for the legendary figure skater.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Nathan Chen is all praise for Hanyu Yuzuru

The outstanding Hanyu Yuzuru scored just 95.15 points during the short program. With the fans in attendance shocked at the performance, they could not believe that Yuzuru could not conjure up a score above 100. It came as a surprise to all those watching. However, Chen showed his respect and support for his rival figure skater. He spoke gracefully about how Yuzuru inspired him in every single way and felt blessed to compete with the iconic figure skater.

“But, you certainly can’t ever count Hanyu Yuzuru out. He’s a two-time Olympic Champion for a reason and also, no matter what he does in the future, he will always, always be a true figure skating icon. One of the greatest ever, if not the greatest ever. So nothing that he can do in the future can ever take anything away from that.”

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest Olympics stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

“I was just a kid when I started watching him, and then I had the opportunity to go and start competing against him. It’s meant the world for me to be able to continue having opportunities to skate with him,” said Chen.

With the long program set to start soon, Chen has a significant advantage over his Japanese rival. The king of quad performed an incredible routine during the short program.

READ MORE- “Worth More Than Gold…”: Mikaela Shiffrin Sends a Beautiful Message to Boyfriend After Winning Bronze at Beijing Winter Olympics 2022

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

A record-breaking performance

Leading against his rival is incredible, but to do that by smashing his world record is legendary. Yuzuru set a short-program world record of 111.82 during the figure skating competition. However, Chen scored 113.97 during his stunning performance. His quadruple jumps, followed by his elastic movements, were a treat to watch.

via Reuters

To sum up, he might be the one to fetch the gold medal this time around. By not appearing for the opening ceremony due to the fear of a pandemic, Chen focused only on the Olympics. Now, the results are there to see.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

WATCH THIS STORY- James Harden To Sixers, CJ McCollum to Knicks and 3 other Trades that might happen before the deadline

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Jacob Gijy

1,958Articles

One take at a time

Jacob Gijy is a US Sports and NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Gijy finished his Masters in Counselling Psychology and worked in a hospital for 2 years before his passion for sports compelled him to find his way to sports journalism. A fan of the great Tim Duncan, he is always ready to pick up a debate with anyone who does not offer the center the respect he deserves.
Show More>