Japan’s Yuzuru Hanyu and USA’s Nathan Chen are currently the biggest competitors in the men’s singles field. The two carry a respectful yet intense rivalry, competing for gold in every event they meet. While we have seen them interact in various settings, there is rare footage of the two skaters practicing together.

In the free program event of the 2016 NHK Trophy, Japan’s NHKBS1 aired footage of Chen and Hanyu warming up backstage.

The Yuzuru Hanyu versus Nathan Chen rivalry

Where Hanyu has been competing since 2010, Chen only made his senior debut in the 2016-17 season. Yuzuru Hanyu had already established himself as an Olympic Champion, World Champion, and three-time Grand Prix Champion before Chen entered the stage.

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With Spain’s Javier Fernandez retiring after the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics, Hanyu had lost his rival and rink mate. But with Nathan Chen gaining experience in the senior division, Hanyu had no time to breathe with a new challenger on the horizon.

The NHK Trophy 2016 was their very first face-off, where Hanyu took home gold and Chen settled for silver. The two kept their standings at the Final as well, with Hanyu bagging his 4th consecutive Grand Prix title. Since then, the duo has been popular in the media as rivals vying for the top spot.

Chen has often referred to Hanyu as an inspiration and the GOAT of figure skating, the two demonstrating incredible sportsmanship.

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Chen’s journey to Olympic gold

At the beginning of his senior career, Chen had a bit of a hard time beating Hanyu. While Hanyu won the 2017 World title as well as his second gold at the Olympics in Pyeongchang, Chen was steadily finding his footing on the global stage, even bagging the Four Continents title in 2017. 

In the meantime, the media dubbed Chen as the Quad King for his terrific ability to land quadruple jumps consistently. Chen performed a six-quad free program at Pyeongchang to make up for the blunder of a short program and climbed from 17th to 4th place.

After that, Chen began winning competitions left and right. He arrived in Beijing with three World titles and three Grand Prix titles to his name. Chen has won gold in every competition since 2017 other than Pyeongchang and Skate America 2021.

At the 2022 Winter Olympics, Chen won the Olympic Gold, while Hanyu placed fourth after falling on a quad in his short program. Both the skaters will now perform in ice shows in May, Chen taking part in the ‘Stars on Ice’ tour while Hanyu will be a part of ‘Fantasy on Ice’.

WATCH THIS STORY: Video: Amidst Stars on Ice Nathan Chen Takes a Break for Olivia Rodrigo’s Concert